If a way to a man’s heart is through its stomach, then away to our dog’s heart is through food.
Along with the physical touch and random laughter we share with our dogs, the food we give matters.
Dogs may not profess their love through letters and language, but they express happiness through wiggling tales, licking, and tail wagging.
Unlike humans, dogs are straightforward with what they want. But as dog owners, we must practice higher consciousness in the food we feed to them.
Can tropical fruits, like Lychee, be suitable for your dog’s diet with that being in place? Or, in simple words, can dogs eat Lychee?
A simple inquiry changes our perspective on our dog’s health. So, come and join us as we understand the nature of Lychee, how we can offer it safe to our dogs, and things to avoid when feeding this food!
What is Lychee?
Lychee is a delicious tropical fruit that is sweet and tart in flavor. It is red to pink in color, with a rough-textured rind.
There are also white or yellow varieties of Lychee that have a milder flavor than the darker variety.
Lychees look like small wrinkled tomatoes (some people think they taste like them) since their flesh looks hard and round.
Lychees are grown in tropical areas, such as Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Hawaii, China, and even Florida, to name a few places where lychee trees grow.
In these warmer climates, the fruit is produced year-round, with peak production during the summer months.
Lychees are not limited only to growing on trees but can also be found on vines or bushes.
Lychees are an excellent source of Vitamin C, providing about 50% RDA per 100 grams of fruit (about two servings).
They’re also rich in fiber and provide potassium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. Polyphenols, especially epicatechin and procyanidin B-type compounds, are also present in lychee fruit.
Polyphenols, specifically catechins and procyanidin B-type compounds, are also present in lychee fruit.
Food family of Lychee
Lychee belongs to the “Soapberry family” food family — a food group that comprises fruits like Longan, Rambutan, and Pomelo.
The soapberry family is commonly found on the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, where the climate is tropical and subtropical.
The fruits produced by the soapberry family are highly nutritious and have positive health benefits, as they’re packed with vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants.
Some of these fruits even have medicinal properties that may help fight infections or cancer cells in the body.
Lychee fruit is said to contain a chemical named “flavonoids” that has been shown to reduce cancer risk and help cure various diseases.
Can Dogs Eat Lychee?
Yes, dogs can eat lychee fruit — in moderation! It is safe for them to consume as long as you remove all seeds from it before giving it to your dog.
However, there are a few issues associated with feeding lychees to dogs that you should take note of:
- Why remove the seeds? The seed contains cyanide which is poisonous in large quantities. In addition, since it’s rarely digested, the only thing left will be indigestible material that can cause your dog to have gastrointestinal issues.
- What about the rind? The peels are also toxic, so you need to make sure that they’ll be taken out before feeding them to your pet too.
- The proper serving size for dogs: Serving sizes should not exceed more than half of a lychee fruit per day.
As with all new foods, you should monitor the dog’s reaction to ensure that they do not have any adverse reactions.
To ensure a memorable and best preparation, we designed the best ways to feed your dogs with Lychee:
Best Ways to Feed your Dogs with Lychee
Create a Lychee juice
Do you want to quench the thirst of your dogs? Make them some fresh lychee juice! You can easily create healthy drinks for your dogs by pureeing the lychees with water and then straining them to remove all seeds and pulp.
You can add ice cubes or even freeze into an ice block for a refreshing summery treat that’s not only yummy but also nutritious!
Make a Lychee Ice Cream
Are you looking for some treat to make with your lychees? Why not try making an ice cream that includes them as the main ingredient instead of sugar or salt.
You can even include other healthy ingredients like coconut milk, bananas, and honey into this delicious dessert too.
Or, if you want to make a healthier version, try making a lychee sorbet instead.
Create Lychee cookies
Another yummy treat you can create with lychees is making some cookie dough, rolling it into small balls, and placing it on a baking sheet.
Once they’re baked to perfection, serve immediately so that your dogs will enjoy them while they are still warm!
Just make sure not to overfeed them since cookies have high-fat content too.
Reasons Why Dogs Can Eat Lychee
Lychees are not only delicious, but this fruit, too, can develop and improve your dog’s health. Here are some health-related reasons why dogs can eat Lychee:
Lychee is a rich source of potassium.
Lychees are a rich source of potassium, an essential mineral that can help regulate the heart’s rhythm and prevent muscle problems.
Potassium also helps prevent your dog’s muscles from cramping up, especially after exercise or heavy play sessions.
Lychee can also reduce blood pressure.
The high potassium content in lychees helps regulate the heart’s rhythm, lower blood pressure and prevent muscle problems.
Potassium can even prevent cramps that are caused by exercising or playing too hard.
Lychee is good for the heart too.
Since lychees are rich in Vitamin C, this fruit can be helpful to your dog’s overall health. It helps promote healthy blood flow, promoting cardiovascular functions, and preventing muscle problems that could lead to cramps.
This, in turn, prevents heart disease and other major diseases that could affect your pet’s health.
Lychee helps prevent cancer.
This fruit is a good source of Vitamin C and carotenoids, antioxidants that can fight free radicals in the body.
Free radicals are responsible for age-related diseases like cancer. This includes cancers affecting the skin, breast, and colon.
Possible Concerns When Eating Lychee
Yes, Lychee carries an ideal group of vitamins and nutrients that your dog needs. However, not all dogs react equally.
Your dog may not favor eating Lychee. So, here are some possible concerns you have to watch out for:
Allergies
Just like some human beings, dogs can also be allergic to certain foods. There is a possibility that your pet may have a lychee allergy, too, since this fruit contains enzymes and amino acids which are the main allergens for pets with food intolerances or allergies.
Pesticide poisoning
Lychee is a fruit that can be harvested from trees. Unfortunately, this means it’s open to pesticides and other harmful chemicals used in the environment.
It’s best if you buy organic lychees or those grown without using any chemical sprays whenever possible.
Possible Toxic Substances Found In Lychees
Being rich in nutrients, Lychee can still carry some potentially harmful substances. For example, this fruit contains cyanide, a potent poison that’s deadly to humans and animals when eaten in large quantities since it interferes with the body’s ability to use oxygen at the cellular level.
Some other substances found in Lychee are arsenic, cadmium, and lead, which can also be potentially dangerous to your dog’s health.
These three elements interfere with normal body functions like heart activity, muscle contraction, and kidney function.
Signs your dog is sick from eating Lychee
Dogs have unusual behavior after eating Lychee and may suddenly be passed out. It could be significant and alarming. Hence, here are some signs to attend:
Vomiting
Your dog will immediately vomit within a few hours after eating the fruit, which you can tell by its distinctive fruity smell.
This indicates that some potentially harmful substances found in Lychee or your pet’s digestive system cannot metabolize it well.
Seizures
Seizures are also signs of lychee poisoning, which can occur several hours after eating the fruit.
This may be due to cyanide toxicity in large amounts, where it interferes with your pet’s normal body functions by blocking oxygen utilization at the cellular level.
Drooling
Severe drooling is a sign of poisoning from the fruit. This can be told by its thick white foam, which may have a fruity odor as well.
It means your pet’s salivary glands are secreting higher amounts of saliva than usual, and this causes accumulation in their mouth or throat, leading to excessive drooling.
What to do if your dog is sick from eating Lychee?
Don’t panic; If your dog is sick from eating Lychee, here are ways to keep your dog sane and safe:
- Be prepared and call your vet right away. This will help you decide the proper treatment for your dog if it needs immediate medical attention, preventing further complications from this fruit.
- Keep track of all symptoms that show up after eating Lychee, including drooling, vomiting, or seizures, to monitor how severe the poisoning is. This will help you decide whether your dog needs to go see a vet or not.
- If possible, monitor how much of the fruit your dog ate and keep track of their vomit or seizures after eating it. If there are no signs of these symptoms within 24 hours, then this fruit may not be toxic to your dog.
Avoid similar foods from this family.
Pomelo
Pomelo is a fruit your dog must avoid since it’s similar to Lychee and may cause the same consequences.
This fruit is also rich in enzymes and amino acids, making your pet sick if eaten in large amounts.
Rambutan
The rambutan fruit, a member of the Sapindaceae family-like lychee and pomelo, should also be avoided.
It has an unusual appearance, but it’s still edible for humans; however, it is not recommended to give to your dog since there are no known benefits from sharing this fruit with dogs.
It can cause diarrhea and vomiting if eaten in large amounts.
Soapberry
Soapberry may damage your dog’s health as this fruit brings toxins into their body when eaten. It belongs to the Sapindaceae family together with Lychee and pomelo, which means it can cause poisoning symptoms like drooling or seizures if your dog eats large amounts of this fruit.
How to Make Lychee Safe To Eat
One way or another, we have techniques and approaches on how to prepare lychees for our dogs.
We also have our version. Now, we hope these ways may help you prepare Lychee safe to feed for your dogs:
Pick the fresh ones.
Ensure that you have selected fresh lychees, not those already ripe or have dark skin. It’s best to choose fresh lychees with bright red color, firm flesh, and no signs of spoilage, which means they should last for a few days in your fridge if stored properly.
De-seed them to reduce cyanide content
It is also recommended that you remove the seeds before giving this fruit to your dogs. This is because the seed may still contain cyanide, so removing it can reduce its toxicity in smaller amounts for your dog.
Store them properly
This will prevent further poisoning symptoms from lychees if stored under the right conditions.
Make sure that you have placed fresh Lychee inside an air-tight container in the fridge. We suggest having Lychee stay away from packs that contain more than one fruit inside.
Key Takeaways
While a man’s heart is through his stomach, then away to a dog’s heart through food! Like humans, dogs cultivate happiness in moments they chew and enjoy the goodness of food.
And part of the food you can give to them is Lychee!
A magnificent yet straightforward inquiry: can dogs eat Lychee? And the answer is YES! Dogs can eat lychee fruit — in moderation!
It is safe for them to consume as long as you remove all seeds from it before giving it to your dog.
Lychee is a delicious tropical fruit that is sweet and tart in flavor. This fruit provides potassium for the heart and muscles, regulates blood pressure, and enhances cardiovascular function for stronger immunity.
However, not all dogs react equally to the food they eat. Perhaps, your dog may not favor eating Lychee.
Possible health concerns may arise and could result in vomiting, seizures, and drooling. That’s why, before feeding Lychee to your dog, it’s safe to pick the fresh ones, de-seed them to reduce cyanide content, and store them properly.
In the end, dogs may not express their love for us by saying, “I love you.” But ultimately, our dogs may see the beauty of love through the food that we offer.