Can dogs eat lychee?
This dog article will answer the major question, “Can dogs eat lychee?” we will also cover the good things about the lychee, the bad things about the lychee, and whether your dog can eat green lychee.
Can dogs eat lychee?
Yes, dogs can eat lychee. Lychee is good for your dog because it has several vitamins like vitamin C, several minerals such as potassium and magnesium, and fiber in it. There are also concerns about feeding the outer covering of lychee and seed of lychee because they are considered toxic for your dog.
What are the good things about the lychee fruits?
Following are the good things about the lychee fruit:
Fiber
The first thing is the fiber in the lychee fruit which is essential for regulating the healthy bowel movements of the body. Healthy bowel movements prevent many conditions such as constipation and diarrhea.
Fiber also limits the food intake of your dog which further reduces the risk of obesity in your dog. It is very important for your dog to eat an adequate amount of fiber to control its body weight. Obesity is a major cause of heart disease in your dog.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is the major vitamin in lychee. Vitamin C act as an immune booster in the body. The immune system has cells that are stimulated by vitamin C. They further protect the body from harmful foreign agents.
Vitamin C also acts as a powerful antioxidant agent which means it will neutralize the reactive agents in the body. These reactive agents cause cell injury which starts a cascade of reactions that leads to deadly conditions like cancer and heart problems.
Minerals
Following are the major minerals of the lychee:
Potassium
The first mineral is potassium which is considered essential because it helps in controlling the blood pressure in the body. It reduces the amount of sodium in the blood which further reduces the blood pressure in the body.
Potassium in coordination with sodium also helps in healthy nerve conduction in the body. Healthy nerve conduction in the body helps the body to regulate the function of different organs of the body.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the second mineral on the list which is required for various metabolic processes in the body. Magnesium is required for the absorption of nutrients from the intestine. The deficiency of magnesium can lead to weakness and an emaciated body.
Phosphorus
The last mineral on the list is phosphorus which is required for healthy bones and energy production in the body. Calcium along with phosphorus helps in maintaining the bone mineral density in the body.
The bone mineral density is needed to maintain bone strength and flexibility in the body.
ATP is the energy molecule in the body that has three phosphate groups. The breaking of the one phosphate group gives 7.3 Kcal of energy to your dog. If there is a deficiency of phosphorus in the cells, the cell membrane integrity is compromised, which ultimately leads to red blood cell lysis.
What are the bad things about the lychee?
Following are the bad thing about the lychee:
Toxicity
Consuming lychee seeds can cause toxicity in your dog. Lychee seeds have methylene cyclopropyl-glycine (MCPG), which can cause hypoglycemia in the body. Hypoglycemia in the body can lead to the collapse of the body.
Following are the major signs of toxicity in your dog:
- Muscle spasm
- Excessive drooling
- Loss of appetite
- Incoordination
- Dark urine
- Seizures
- Coma in extreme conditions
Choking
The outer covering of the lychee fruit is hard to digest for your dog. The lychee outer covering is not properly digested in the oral cavity, which can pose choking hazards to your dog. Make sure you give lychee flesh to your dog without the outer covering.
Intestinal obstruction
The intestinal obstruction is the next problem if your dog survives the choking. The intestine is narrow which increases the chance of intestinal obstruction in your dog.
Can dogs eat green lychee?
No, dogs cannot eat green lychee. Geen lychee is toxic to your dog because it has a compound called saponin which can cause stomach upset in your dog. It is very important for you to check the lychee. The ripe lychee has reddish-brown color while the unripe lychee has a green color which is toxic for your dog.
What can you do to save your dog after consuming whole lychee fruit?
You should call your vet and act according to the advice of your vet. You should watch for the clinical signs discussed above in the article.
Conclusion
In this dog article, we answered the major question, “Can dogs eat lychee?” we also covered the good things about the lychee, the bad things about the lychee, and whether your dog can eat green lychee.
References
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160414144215.htm
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/can-dogs-eat-lychee
