Avocado Poisoning in Dogs

Avocado is not highly toxic to dogs; however, after consuming parts of an avocado your dog may develop specific symptoms. Symptoms can include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Difficulty with producing stools
• Myocardial damage (very rare, with 2 cases reported in the literature to date)

Types

Illness from eating an avocado may be confused with other conditions, especially if there is no evidence of avocado consumption. Differential diagnoses are:

• Gastroenteritis
• Pancreatitis
• Intussusception

If you know that your dog has consumed a large amount of avocado or the pit, call your veterinarian. Once you get to the veterinarian, he will check your dog for any clinical signs of distress and do a physical examination. The veterinarian may choose to do a urinalysis, blood work, and biochemistry profile, simply to check your dog’s system and to rule out any underling medical issues.

A definitive diagnosis of avocado poisoning is made by the veterinarian by looking at your dog’s symptoms and having knowledge of exposure and consumption of avocado. 

If your dog has ingested the pit, the vet may perform an abdominal scan or contrast x-ray to assess for a blockage.

Since the degree of toxicity of avocados to dogs is quite debatable, the veterinarian will be the one to make the expert decisions concerning treatment. If the dog has ingested the avocado pit and it is lodged in his upper GI tract, the veterinarian will need to use an endoscope to locate the pit and remove it. If the pit is lower down, an abdominal surgery will be performed.

As for side effects from the persin, treatment methods may include:

Supportive care

Treatment will depend on the signs and may include an anti-nausea injection, intravenous fluids and ant-acids.