Well, they can, but the question is should they? We know a grape is deadly for your dog, as is its dried version, the raisin, but what about grapefruit and other citrus fruits?
What Did Mason Think?
I have to tell you, when I offered a bit of an orange segment to my dog, he backed up and fought with it like it was his mortal enemy (see the hilarious video below). I bought a ten-pound bag of oranges back in the winter and ate at least one a day until they were gone. Yum! They were sweet and juicy, so it wasn’t tartness that put him off, I don’t think. Maybe to me it was really sweet for an orange but kind of tart for my dog, who loves honeydew and sometimes peaches or nectarines, never strawberries, never tomatoes, always apples. I dunno. At any rate, by the time I got close to the bottom of that bag of oranges, he actually tentatively took a couple of small bites, but over all, I think I can unequivocally say that he definitely doesn’t like oranges! Grapefruit I haven’t tried with him, but I can imagine that it wouldn’t be any more appetizing to him!
What I Found Online
When I looked online about this, I found articles telling me oranges and grapefruit are okay for dogs to eat, as long as you don’t feed them too much of it, which is the general information for pretty much anything except dog food. Makes sense. Experts have figured out what dogs need most, and the reputable dog food you buy is usually going to meet all of your best friend’s needs. To make sure, if I were you, I would talk to your Vet about your dog food, the same as you would about any health decision you make for your dog, always remembering that even if they love almost everything we eat, that DOES NOT mean they should eat it.
What Did The Vet Say?
Keeping this in mind, I decided to go to my favorite expert about my dog, his Vet. Jessica Potosky, DVM (surprised me when she said that citrus fruits are on the ASPCA’s (American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) list of foods to avoid giving our dogs. She went on to tell me, “the stems, leaves, peels and seeds contain citric acid, which in large amounts can cause neurologic signs in dogs.”
Well, I looked up neurologic to get a more detailed understanding, and I found that it means “relating to the functions, anatomy, and organic disorders of nerves and the nervous system.” Given this ominous definition and my dog’s very strong reaction against a bite of orange, I thought maybe I should pay close attention to what Dr. Potosky was saying, even though we’re talking here about stems, leaves, and seeds. Does that mean the fruit itself is a bad thing? I mean, we know that apples, for example, are very healthy for dogs, and yet the seeds themselves are deadly, containing arsenic (see my post “Yummy Hot Weather Dog Treats,” March 6, 2018). The dog’s owner needs only to remove the seeds from the fruit for her so that she doesn’t eat the dangerous seeds but can benefit from the delicious, healthy fruit. (If your dog is like mine, she’ll eat the seeds, the leaves, the stem and the core as well as the apple if it’s put in front of her!) I needed more information. What about the fruit itself?
Dr. Potosky further explained that, although most of the time dogs only experience mild irritation from these citrus stems, leaves, and seeds, they can get this same irritation from the fruit itself. This reaction can cause symptoms as severe as vomiting and diarrhea.
Conclusions
Now I had all the information I needed! I’ll not offer him any more oranges or other citrus fruits. It all made sense because I know they’re very acidic and at times even humans with certain sensitivities are warned by their physicians to limit citrus fruits, so my little dog with his clearly sensitive digestive tract (see my post on Pancreatitis, February 1, 2018) does not need oranges, grapefruit, or heaven forbid, lemons and limes!