Can Dogs Eat Passion Fruit? 7 Simple Answers to Genuine Questions!

If you are our quest for today`s article, one question must be on your mind more than anything else: can dogs eat passion fruit?

Well, there`s the easy, short version of the answer, and then there`s the more comprehensive version.

Technically speaking, the actual fruit`s flesh isn`t really toxic. But does that make the fruit safe for our little canine companions? Which parts of the fruit are healthy and which ones should be avoided?

What health benefits does passion fruit bring to our furry friend and just how much should it received in a portion?

These and a few others are aspects that we want to consider in our topic of today.

What Is a Passion Fruit?

Passion fruit, also known as Passiflora edulis, represents a passion flower species from the southern areas of Brazil all the way through Argentina and Paraguay.

Although passion fruit has an exotic sound, it doesn`t really look like that. At least not at first, anyway!

This fruit is commercially cultivated in subtropical and tropical parts mostly for its seedy, rather sweet fruit.

The actual fruit is a berry type with a round to oval shape, and purple or yellow color. It has many seeds and a juicy, but somehow firm interior.

Passion fruit can be both juiced or consumed in its solid form, but most of the time the juice is added for its enhanced flavour in other fruit juices.

Can Dogs Have Passion Fruit?

According to Dr. Kara, a well known veterinarian with more than 20 years of experience, passion fruits aren`t toxic and can be given to your dog just fine if in small amounts. However, the seeds are a different issue!

Passion fruit is not toxic for dogs and can be fed to them in small amounts. The problem is that their seeds, like apple seeds and cherry pits, do contain cyanide… The other issue is that even healthy fruits when eaten in excess can lead to diarrhea due to excess levels of sugar and fiber. If you can keep her away from the vines, that will be ideal.

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So here it is! If passion fruit is something that you know your dog really loves, it`s best if you pick up the fruit yourself, get rid of its seeds and only give your pal a few small amounts.

What Benefits Are in Passion Fruit Consumption?

Some parts of this type of fruit have a lot of health benefits to offer. Passion fruit is a wonderful source of dietary fiber and quite low when it comes of fat. Only ½ cup of raw passion fruit offers 12.5 g of dietary fiber.

Some of the nutritional values offered by passion fruit include:

• Vitamin C
• B vitamins
• Vitamin A
• Phosphorous
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Potassium
• Folate
• Protein

There was a research published a while ago in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine which discovered that this fruit is able to decrease cardiovascular risk factors like fasting blood glucose and systolic blood pressure in people suffering of type 2 diabetes.

Obviously, as we all know that sometimes dogs can experience diabetes, passion fruit can only bring heath benefits in these cases.

Can Passion Fruit Be Toxic?

The unripe part of this fruit or its leaves contains cyanogenic glycosides, which when being consumed, they turn into cyanide. When it comes to canines, this can lead to vomiting or nausea.

The plant`s toxic parts are somehow bitter and aren`t generally consumed. Therefore, poisoning isn`t most of the time common or serious for that matter.

The flesh of the fruit can be consumed but bland, although it might still have traces of the toxin.

Sadly, there`re studies that proved how children have suffered illnesses and even died from consumption of unripe passion fruits!

Any Links Between Allergies from Passion Fruit?

Allergic reactions in dogs are quite common, similar like in us humans. These might occur for lots of different reasons.

Some of our canine companions might even experience allergies to gluten, chicken or soy. Oppositely, particular types of foods might be able to help canines get rid of even the most persistent allergic reactions.

There is research which suggests that passion fruit consumption may trigger allergies in people with latex allergies.

Thus, lots of people in the canine community believe that our furry friends might react somehow similar.

If you think your canine has any allergic reactions which might be related to latex, you should definitely avoid giving passion fruit to your little pal.

What Are Other Side Effects of Passion Fruit?

Some of the most common potential hazards of this type of fruit might include:

• Nausea or vomiting
• Increased heart rate
• Confusion
• Liver toxicity
• Prolonged QT interval
• Altered consciousness
• Vasculitis
• Drowsiness
• Loss of coordination
• Dizziness
• Pancreas toxicity

This isn`t to believe that this is a complete list of health problems that your dog may experience in case of passion fruit toxicity! Other severe side effects might happen.

If you think your dog might experience side effects from eating passion fruit seeds or leaves, you`ll want to contact your nearest veterinarian as soon as possible.

How to Feed Passion Fruit to Your Canine?

If your fluffy friend has passion fruits among its favorite treats, and you intent to allow the little fella` to enjoy it every now in a while, you`ll have to take care of the way they need to be prepared carefully.

Start by scooping out the flesh of the fruit using a rind and get rid of it as it`s toxic for canines.

Then, get rid of the seeds carefully. Again, these aren`t healthy for your pooch! So, make sure it can`t get to them!

Give a bit of the actual fruit`s flesh to your pal and be certain it`s sufficiently ripped to be consumed safely by your pal!

Note: Give it to your dog only as a treat, not as a component of its regular meals.

Final Thoughts

Passion fruit not only has a delicious flavor, but it also contains some really essential nutritional values.

If your only concern was only whether or not can dogs eat passion fruit, your question was answered.

Try adding passion fruit to your dog`s diet as a treat from time to time, but be very careful which part of the actual fruit you are giving your dog.