Can pets eat tomato?
Tomato
Risky — depends on amount or preparation
Dogs: Risky · Cats: Risky · Rabbits: Risky
By animal
| Animal | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dogs | Risky | Ripe fruit is fine. Green fruit, leaves and stems contain tomatine. |
| Cats | Risky | Same. |
| Rabbits | Risky | A little ripe flesh is fine; leaves and stems are not. |
What it actually does
Tomato is a nightshade, and the green parts of the plant — leaves, stems, unripe fruit — contain tomatine and solanine, which cause gastrointestinal upset and, in quantity, weakness and cardiac effects. Ripening breaks the alkaloids down, so a ripe tomato is essentially harmless. The practical risk is a dog with access to a tomato plant rather than a slice in a sandwich.
No reliable dose threshold has been published for this. Anything presenting a specific safe amount is extrapolating.
Body weight decides almost everything here, so what is trivial for a 40 kg dog can matter for a 4 kg one, and a bird is smaller again. Where a real published threshold exists this page gives it; where none does, it says so rather than inventing one.
Vegetables
| Food | Worst verdict | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onion, garlic, leek and chives | Toxic | Toxic | Toxic |
| Carrot | In moderation | Safe | Safe |
| Corn on the cob | Not safe | Not safe | Risky |
| Mushrooms | Risky | Risky | Risky |
| Pumpkin | In moderation | Safe | Safe |
| Potato | Not safe | Risky | Risky |
| Lettuce and leafy greens | Risky | Safe | Safe |
| Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower | Risky | In moderation | In moderation |
| Peas, green beans and sweetcorn kernels | Risky | Safe | Safe |
| Rhubarb | Toxic | Not safe | Not safe |
Common questions
- Can dogs eat tomato?
- Risky — depends on amount or preparation. Ripe fruit is fine. Green fruit, leaves and stems contain tomatine.
- Can cats eat tomato?
- Risky — depends on amount or preparation. Same.
- What does tomato actually do?
- Tomato is a nightshade, and the green parts of the plant — leaves, stems, unripe fruit — contain tomatine and solanine, which cause gastrointestinal upset and, in quantity, weakness and cardiac effects. Ripening breaks the alkaloids down, so a ripe tomato is essentially harmless. The practical risk is a dog with access to a tomato plant rather than a slice in a sandwich.
Related pages
- Can pets eat onion, garlic, leek and chives? Toxic — treat as an emergency
- Can pets eat carrot? Fine in small amounts
- Can pets eat corn on the cob? Not safe
- Can pets eat mushrooms? Risky — depends on amount or preparation
- Can pets eat pumpkin? Fine in small amounts
- Can pets eat potato? Not safe
- Can pets eat chocolate? Also an emergency
- Can pets eat grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants? Also an emergency
- Can pets eat onion, garlic, leek and chives? Also an emergency
- Can pets eat xylitol and birch sugar? Also an emergency
- Everything, for dogs 46 foods
- Everything, for cats 46 foods