Can Dogs Eat Star Fruit? Have you ever wondered whether dogs can eat such uncommon fruit species as starfruit, which is not even commonly known among humans? We eat many fruits and veggies every day, but it can be harmful to dogs.
But starfruit is already a lesser-known and rare fruit that humans don’t eat very often. It is also possible that many people don’t even know about starfruit? Do you want to know more about this distinct variety of fruit and learn more about its link with dogs? Let us learn in this article whether or not dogs can safely consume this fruit and exactly how nutritious this fruit is?
Can Dogs Eat Star Fruits?
Starfruits are incredibly toxic to dogs and should not be given to them. It is always recommended to avoid feeding star fruits to dogs because they can prove lethal for them and lead to dangerous health issues.
Dogs have minimal daily nutritional requirements and are pretty easy to fulfill by their regular diet comprising dog food, fruits, and veggies.
Fruits like star fruit have a unique nutrition profile with various types of toxins and potentially poisonous substances present in them, which are enough to cause fatalities in animals when fed to them.
As the constituency of this fruit suggests, it is not at all suitable for dogs and should be strictly avoided from their diet.
Star Fruits Nutritional Facts
Star Fruit, mainly known as Carambola, is of the Averrhoa carambola family and is native to tropical Southeast Asia. This fruit is quite common in Asia, the Caribbean, and the United States. It is sweet and sour and is shaped like a five-pointed star.
The skin of Star Fruit is edible, and the flesh has a citric aroma and flavor that we can use in plenty of dishes. It is usually green or yellow and is available in two variants; the smaller one is pretty sour, and the larger one tastes sweeter when perfectly ripe.
- Star fruit is low in calories but has a high Vitamin C and fiber content. Although it provides fewer calories per serving, it is considered highly nutritious because of its excellent overall nutrition profile.
- Star fruit contains various plant compounds such as epicatechin, gallic acid, and quercetin that are healthy and abundantly present in the fruit. They have powerful antioxidant properties and can benefit the health by maintaining cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of liver disorders, and curing inflammation.
- The presence of oxalate salts in star fruit can cause several adverse effects in the body, including kidney failure, inflammation, calcification, and food poisoning. High oxalate content affects the calcium-binding strength in the body, which further reduces the amount of absorbed calcium, leading to fatal disorders.
- The toxins in the fruit can cause neurological problems like seizures, dizziness, insomnia, excretory uneasiness, mental blockage, confusion, and acute memory loss. The toxins and nutrients in star fruit can even affect the breakdown of medical drugs ingested in the body and cause hazardous side effects in the body.
Star Fruits Nutritional Stats
Star fruit is pretty healthy and nutritional as a fruit. Still, it has some poisonous substances and toxins present in them, due to which humans and animals both should limit their star fruit consumption to be safe from the fatalities that may occur due to this fruit.
Statistically, a medium-sized ripe star fruit (90 g) would have the following nutritional profile:
Protein: 1 g
Fiber: 3 g
Vitamin C: 52% of the RDI
Vitamin B5: 4% of the RDI
Folate: 3% of the RDI
Copper: 6% of the RDI
Potassium: 3% of the RDI
Magnesium: 2% of the RDI
Health Benefits Of Star Fruits For Dogs
There are no health benefits provided to a dog by eating star fruit. We learned about the health benefits of star fruits generally provided to humans because of their excellent nutritional profile.
But for small animals and canines with sensitive digestive systems and delicate organ functioning, the poisonous toxins prove to be a dangerous threat to their overall health.
The potential hazards posed by the toxins in the fruit far outweigh the minimal advantages and health benefits that star fruits claim to have.
So, star fruits are forbidden for dog consumption as they have no health benefits and plenty of disadvantages.
Can dogs eat Fruit Snacks?
Fruit Snacks are processed fruit candies or sugar confectionery snacks commercially available in markets for consumption as treats and candies.
Dogs cannot eat Fruit Snacks because they have a high amount of artificial sugar, preservatives, and chemically enriched flavors in them due to which the candies pose a toxic threat to the dog’s digestive system and can lead to health issues like diabetes, obesity, pancreatitis, and blood sugar imbalance.
These candies are not entirely toxic to dogs, but the ingredients are highly unsuitable, so it is strictly recommended to avoid feeding these candies to your dogs.
Can Puppies Eat Star Fruits?
Puppies cannot eat star fruit. As we already established, dogs’ difficulties in eating toxic fruits like the star fruits in their diet are more sensitive than adult dogs.
They are highly vulnerable to star-fruits with poisonous traits, which can cause hazardous effects for your lovely puppies and even kill them.
Star fruits are nearly forbidden for all small animals because of the toxic substances that are difficult to digest and eliminate for simple digestive systems like animals.
Even humans cannot overeat star fruit as they would also reflect the toxic effects soon after you consume star fruits more than the limited amount.
Are Star Fruits Good For Dogs?
No, star fruits are not suitable for dogs and should be strictly avoided by you. Star fruits are toxic and potentially poisonous for dogs and significantly dangerous for several animals.
Instead of trying to feed star fruit to your dogs even after knowing its dangers, you should go for other healthy and exceptionally nutritious fruits for dogs as treats and would possess significant health benefits for them.
Some fruits that would be perfect for dog consumption in a moderate quantity and occasional serving frequency would be:
- Apples
- Banana
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cranberries
- Mango
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapples
- Raspberries
- Watermelon
Are Star Fruits Bad For Dogs?
Star fruits are undoubtedly bad for dogs and canine consumption in general because of the toxins and poisonous substances present in them that nullify the fruit’s nutritional profile.
It contains soluble calcium oxalate content, which is toxic to dogs and shouldn’t be ingested. When your dog consumes star fruit accidentally, a sudden decrease in calcium content leads to acute kidney failure and excretory disorders.
This imbalance of nutrients in the body is called star fruit poisoning in this case. It has several symptoms: weakness, drooling, lethargy, vomiting, blood in urine, diarrhea, tremors, and excessive thirst.
Do Dogs Like Star Fruits?
It is strictly recommended not to feed star fruits to your dog. But if your dog consumes it by accident, they would like its sweet taste for sure as they are not very picky with their food choices and almost rely on their owners to provide them with suitable food.
They would eat almost anything you give to them, so as a responsible pet lover and owner, you must always feed them food items that you are sure about and have the necessary information about the feeding instructions.
However, the taste of star fruit won’t appeal to your dog from next time because the first time they accidentally ate it, would have caused illness and health issues in them to which they regretted their decision to eat that star-shaped fruit.
How Many Star Fruits Can A Dogs Eat?
Dogs should not eat star-fruits at all, and any amount of this toxic fruit would be dangerous for canines. So, no small amounts of star fruits should be allowed for feeding dogs, thinking that they would not be significant enough to cause fatalities in them.
It has been observed that even 1-2 small pieces of star fruit consumption in medium-sized dogs have affected their health severely, and they have been vomiting, pooping, and experiencing weakness all in the next day.
Do Star Fruits Affect The Digestive System Of Dogs?
Star fruit consumption can severely affect the dog’s overall health, causing issues in the digestive, muscular, excretory, and nervous systems.
If we mainly talk of the digestive system, star fruit poisoning is the most common disorder that happens to the dog after eating this fruit. Your dog may start to show the signs of poisoning in approximately six hours of ingestion.
The symptoms would depend explicitly on the amount of fruit consumed and your dog’s size, age, and breed.
Digestive disorders usually include indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, gastrointestinal blockage, fluid retention, nausea, weakness, and seizures.
Thus, we concluded that star fruits are highly toxic and poisonous for dogs and shouldn’t be fed to them at all.
They have few health benefits for human consumption, but the toxic effects far outweigh the advantages, so there is no plausible point in including star fruits in a dog’s healthy diet.
It is best if you replace star fruit with more healthy, safe, and nutritious fruits so that your dog would get delicious yet suitable occasional treats in their dietary routine.
FAQs
Can dogs eat guava fruit?
Yes, dogs can safely eat guava fruit as it is highly nutritious and possesses several health benefits.
Can dogs eat fresh fruit?
Yes, dogs can eat many fresh fruits and gain health benefits from them. However, fruits are not necessary for a dog’s diet, and they can easily live without them.
Can dogs eat persimmon fruit?
Yes, dogs can safely eat persimmon fruit as it is rich in essential nutrients and can help them gain various health benefits.
