Avocados and Labradors: What You Need to Know About This Potential Danger

    Avocados are beneficial to labs if only the flesh is given in small amounts. But what happens if the Labrador eats the other parts of the avocado? Can he handle the toxicity? What to do if our Labrador eats the other parts of the avocado that are dangerous and toxic for him?

What happens if my Labrador eats avocados?

    Avocados are beneficial to Labradors (sometimes). But sometimes they are not. This is due to inadequate amount and part of the avocado. But to make avocado beneficial to your lab you need to give them in the right amount and the right part. So let us study which part of the avocado is the best and what are its harmful effects on Labrador:

1. Avocado fresh or pulp
   • Small amounts: If your Labrador eats or you feed him only the avocado pulp or flesh in small amounts, then it can be beneficial for him. But if he is having a sensitive stomach, then he may show mild gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting, diarrhea, and such more which can be treated easily.
   • Large amounts: If avocado is eaten or consumed or is fed in large amounts to the Labrador, then it can lead to severe gastrointestinal issues due to high fats and if not treated, it may be fatal. These gastrointestinal upsets can lead to pancreatitis in severe cases in many high fats sensitive Labradors.

2. Avocado pit, stone or seed:
   • Blockage or choking hazard in the labs: The pit is hard in nature and due to this nature, it is hard to be digested and thus leads to the blockage of the gastrointestinal tract and choking hazard. And if swallowed, it may lead to vomiting, lack of appetite, and Constipation.
   • Persin: The stone contains persin and concentrated amount resulting in vomiting, diarrhea or Constipation, stomach discomfort if eaten in small amounts and pancreatitis and myocardial damage in severe cases.

3. Avocado skin and leaves:
   • Toxicity: Persin is found in higher concentrations in both avocado skin and leaves. Both these parts can lead to vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, or more serious health problems like fluid accumulation around the heart and severe breathing issues.
   • Digestive problems: The rigged texture can make the stomach upset which can cause irritation and gastrointestinal problems.

What to do if your Labrador eats avocado?

    Labradors are energetic and want to explore the world. So, sometime your Labrador reaches avocados and eats it. He is showing the symptoms (sometimes not) and you are worried about him. Here is a full description that what you need to do to remove poison from his body:

1. Identify the part of the avocado that your Labrador ate:
   • Flesh or pulp of avocado: If he ate the pulp or flesh of the avocado in small amounts, then there are less chances of persin poisoning and showing symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea and other issues like lethargy, difficulty in breathing and such more. But if he ate avocado in small amounts but he is showing symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues then there are more chances that he has a sensitive stomach, and avocado should not be fed to him. But if he eats a large part of the avocado flesh, then reach the vet immediately.
   • Other parts of the avocado like skin, seed and leaves: These parts of the avocado contain more fungicidal toxin called persin and if swallowed can cause the digestive tract to upset and in severe cases can lead to the accumulation of fluid, myocardial damage and pancreatitis.
2. Look out for the symptoms:
   • Labradors are more likely to show symptoms when they eat a large amount of flesh and avocado skin, seed and leaves. Following are the symptoms that you should look out if your Labrador eats avocados a large amount:
     • Vomiting
     • Diarrhea
     • Abdominal pain
     • Difficulty in breathing
     • Loss of interest and food or loss of appetite
     • Lethargy
     • Constipation
     • Choking
     • Gagging
     • Coughing.
   • If any of the above symptoms have been shown by the Labrador, call and reach the vet immediately.

3. Call the veterinarian
   • Tell the vet the whole situation: Tell your vet which part of the avocado was being eaten by lab, at what time and in how much quantity.
   • Follow what the vet says: The vet will tell some precautions and the things that you should follow and keep in mind. He can advise you to look out for symptoms like vomiting and like bring your lab for check up on this time.
4. Act immediately in case of any choking hazard and blockage:
   • In severe cases if your lab shows any kind of blockage like difficulty in breathing, difficulty in passing stools, reach out the emergency vet immediately. This blockage and choking hazard are generally caused by the pit which can need an emergency surgical operation to remove it.
5. Prevent future accidents
   • You should always store the avocados in a sealed, tight container or keep them at the highest place or shelf where they can’t reach.
   • Or you can store the avocados in the fridge to prevent ingestion of the avocado by any chance by the Labrador.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

    It is recommended that only the flesh of an avocado should be given in small amounts and rest all the other parts that are leaves, skin and pit should not be given to Labradors due to higher concentrations of toxin called persin and blockage and choking hazard.

    If by any chance your Labrador eats avocado, monitor him and when he starts showing symptoms, reach to the vet immediately. And to stop your furry companion Labrador from eating avocados, store them in a tight container and place it at a higher place.

Thank you for reading this article and stay tuned for more!