Lemon is a citrus fruit that people usually include as part of their diet. However, lemon is not suitable food for our dogs. Although it has some nutritional characteristics that can be beneficial. The acid taste of its pulp and the bitterness of its skin is really unpleasant for these animals. In addition, the skin of the lemon contains substances that can be toxic to your body. Therefore, the best option is to keep this fruit out of your dog’s reach to avoid any unwanted effects.
If now that you know that they should not eat this fruit, you are wondering why lemons are not good for dogs, don’t miss the following article in which we explain the reasons why lemons are not suitable food for dogs and what consequences their ingestion can have.
Is lemon good for dogs?
Despite the fact that lemon is a citrus fruit that we usually include in our diet as part of various foods and drinks. You should know that it is not suitable food for our dogs. Dogs can eat citrus fruits depending on the part they eat and, above all. Whether they reject them or not, since they are generally unpleasant for them.
Lemon is a source of vitamin C and organic acids that have great antioxidant power. In addition, it has soluble fiber and some beneficial phytonutrients such as limonoids. However, there are several reasons why you should not include this citrus fruit in your dog’s diet. The same goes for lime, which is not recommended for dogs. In the next section, we explain what these reasons are.
Why is a lemon not good for dogs?
The first reason why we should not offer lemon to dogs is that its taste is unpleasant for them. Naturally, it is a food that dogs often reject due to its taste. Lemon juice and pulp have a tart flavor due to the presence of various organic acids (such as citric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, and formic acid) and the skin has a strong bitter taste that your dog won’t like either. So giving a dog lemon juice, or lemon water, will not cause it to experience adverse effects. But it will probably refuse it. Therefore, you should avoid offering your dog any part of the lemon. As it will be a truly unpleasant experience for him.
However, the taste is not the only reason why the lemon is an inadvisable fruit for dogs. Lemon skin contains essential oils and psoralens, which are toxic to dogs. Its consumption can produce digestive signs such as vomiting and diarrhea, dermatological reactions, and general signs such as depression and anorexia. Specifically, psoralens are photoactive plant substances, which means that they are activated by ultraviolet light. As a consequence, they can produce a reddening of the skin, edema, peeling, and even important burns. Discover other prohibited foods for dogs in this other article.
As we have just explained, the substances in the lemon that are toxic to dogs are found in the skin. In principle, the rest of the fruit is considered edible and does not have to cause poisoning in dogs. However, the benefits that lemon can provide in the diet of dogs are not significant. Regarding its nutritional value, lemon is a source of vitamin C and fiber. However, there are other vegetables such as peppers that double the content of this vitamin, and that is good for these animals. Similarly, there is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables (such as apples, carrots, or spinach) with significantly higher fiber content.
In summary, the fact that its taste is unpleasant for dogs, the presence of toxic substances in some parts of the fruit, and the few benefits that its consumption provides, makes it the best option to keep this citrus fruit away from our dogs. In this way, we will avoid unpleasant experiences and unwanted effects on your health.
And the lemon for poisoned dogs?
Although for a long time it has been believed that the lemon helped counteract the effects of the poison, the truth is that it increases the irritation that the animal already suffers in its digestive system, so it is not recommended to offer it in these situations either.
What to do if a dog eats a lemon?
Now that you know that lemon is not good for dogs, you may be wondering what happens if your dog eats this fruit. First of all, you need to consider how much of the lemon your dog has ingested. If he has only licked the lemon pulp or has ingested a small amount of juice, the most normal thing is that your dog does not suffer any unwanted effects. In addition, we have already mentioned that it is usually a food that dogs reject due to its taste, so it is common that once they have tried it, they do not consume it again.
If, on the other hand, your dog has ingested part of the skin of a lemon. You should monitor the possible appearance of adverse effects. As we have explained, the toxic substances present in the skin of the lemon can cause digestive signs, dermatitis. Or general signs such as depression and anorexia. For this reason, it is important that when your dog has ingested a lemon or part of it and you detect any of these clinical signs, do not hesitate to go to your veterinarian.
