Can dogs eat cherries? Like humans, dogs love cherries, but it does not mean cherries are good for them. It is okay to feed a few cherries to your dog but you should take extreme precautions because those chubby, cute red fruits can harm your dog and dent your wallet.
Here are some important points on feeding cherries to your dog
1) Cherry leaves, stems and stones contain low levels of amygdalin that gets converted to cyanide when ingested, so make sure you do not feed these parts of the cherry to your dog. Even low levels of cyanide over a period can kill your dog.
2) Cherry stones can lead to intestinal obstructions. Unlike cows, goats, etc. the digestion system of dogs cannot tackle hard substances like pits and stones.
3) Cherry stones are very hard and may cause dental injuries to your dog.
4) Processed/canned cherries that have the stones removed are also not very good for your dog because they contain added sugar.
5) Rotting fruit ferments and turns into alcohol. If your dog eats overripe cherries, it may become intoxicated. Alcohol is not at all safe for dogs.
6) Be careful if you live on a farm with cherry trees or have a garden with cherries strewn about. If your dog eats too many cherries, cyanide poisoning is likely to happen.
7) These are the symptoms of cherry poisoning in dogs: bright red mucous membrane (inner cheeks and gums), seizures, convulsions, hyperventilation, abnormal heart rate, collapse. If your dog displays any of these symptoms, be prompt in getting a vet’s help. Be aware that other fruits (with pits such as almonds and peaches), apples, pears, elderberry, clover, legumes can also cause cyanide poisoning in dogs.
In conclusion, cherries are not a natural food for dogs. However, you can feed the juicy red part to your dog in small quantities (not over 3 to 4) from time to time. You should treat cherries just as a diversion snack, never ever as the main diet.
This could save your dog’s life
Photo by Tom Dillon on Unsplash
I am a dog lover and creator of this site. I am also the author of ‘Keep Sleeping Keep Missing- if only you knew’ (available on Amazon, Flipkart, Kobo, Google Store, etc.).
