Dogs have a sweet tooth like humans.
They would not mind slurping away at tomato sauce whether it’s on a hotdog or french fries.
One question though, can dogs have tomato sauce?
Raw tomatoes are quite healthy for a dog. But feeding a dog tomato sauce can be detrimental to its health. Store-bought tomato sauce has additional ingredients that add flavor to the sauce. While these extra ingredients may be delicious to humans, they are toxic to dogs.
As a pet parent, you want to share many of the earth’s culinary pleasures with your favorite furry friend.
At the same time, you want to be certain that what you are feeding your dog will not hurt them later on.
So if you are wondering ‘Is tomato sauce good for dogs?’, you are in the right place.
Dogs can taste things that are bitter, salty, sweet, and sour…
-Dr. Jennifer Coates, petmd.com
What ingredients are in tomatoes?
Tomatoes pack a lot of healthy ingredients that benefit both humans and animals.
One scoop of raw tomato paste contains;
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Phenols
- Carotenoids
Both humans and pets can benefit from the antioxidant properties of tomatoes.
But why are vet’s saying that tomatoes are a potential health hazard to dogs?
Tomatoes contain an active ingredient called tomatine which is toxic to pets.
Tomatine is a glycoalkaloid found in the green leaves of tomatoes.
It is highly concentrated in unripened tomatoes as well.
Tomantine carries a lot of antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties that directly benefit humans.
Sadly, pets don’t enjoy the same luxury as tomatine is highly toxic to them.
Is tomato sauce good for dogs?
Tomato sauce is safe for dogs if it is processed from ripe red tomatoes.
The leaves, containing tomatine, must be excluded when making the sauce.
But how sure are you that Ketchup companies exclude the leaves during processing?
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Besides tomatine, you also have to be careful about the extra ingredients contained in tomato sauces.
Pick up any bottle of ketchup and you will notice the following ingredients;
- Tomatoes
- Vinegar
- Sweeteners
- Salt
- Spices
- Flavoring
- Onion
- Garlic
- Corn or glucose syrup
The ingredients you need to worry about are the onions and garlic in tomato sauce.
These two spices contain a chemical that causes hemolytic anemia in dogs.
This disease destroys red blood cells in dogs affecting oxygen supply through a dog’s body.
Salt is another ingredient in tomato sauce you should be worried about.
Salt is sodium which is not healthy for pets. Sodium in pets can cause;
- Dehydration
- Extreme thirst
- Tremors
- Depression
- Vomiting and diarrhea
In dire cases, excess sodium can cause instant death in dogs.
You should be careful about the spices in tomato sauce.
Even though pets cannot taste spices, they can still suffer its effects in the body.
Tomato sauce made with chilies as an extra ingredient contains capsaicin which is harmful to cats and dogs.
Artificial flavorings like corn and glucose syrups have no health benefit to your dog.
If anything, they only cause your dog to gain unnecessary weight.
Can dogs have spaghetti sauce?
Spaghetti sauce is not healthy for pets if it contains ingredients that can harm them.
Canned spaghetti sauce contains spices and artificial additives that will harm your pet.
Though homemade spaghetti sauce may not have artificial ingredients, it still contains ingredients like garlic and onion.
Let us not forget the salt and sugar we add to spaghetti sauce to boost the taste.
These ingredients may taste good to us and our pets, but our pets will suffer dire consequences later.
Some of the symptoms of sauce poisoning in dogs include;
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Increasing heart rate or cardiac arrhythmia
- Pale gums
- Lethargy
Keep your dog away from spaghetti sauce if you are unsure of the ingredients in it.
Can dogs eat tomato paste?
Though tomato paste excludes the skin and leafy parts of fruit, it still contains ingredients that are harmful to pets.
Salt is an active ingredient in tomato paste that can cause dehydration and excess thirst in your pet.
Is there tomato sauce for dogs?
The only way your dog can enjoy tomato sauce is if you exclude the harmful ingredients in it.
Exclude ingredients like onions, and garlic in the sauce.
Only use minimal amounts of sugar and salt to make the sauce safe for dogs.
Other healthy ingredients you can use include;
- Carrots
- Green bell pepper
- Olive oil
- Fresh basil
- Celery
Conclusion
Tomato sauce for dogs is only healthy if it does not contain ingredients that can harm your pet’s health.
Commercially made tomato sauce is not good for your pup because it contains ingredients like tomatoes and garlic which are toxic.
If you want to enjoy tomato sauce together with your dog, make it together in your kitchen with pet-approved ingredients.
See Also
Frequently Asked Questions
Dogs should not be allowed to eat rhubarb, onions, garlic, and avocado. These vegetables contain ingredients that can cause problems for your pet’s health. Fruits like strawberries and raspberries are forbidden to pets as well.
Since dogs are omnivores, their diet can include healthy vegetables such as cucumber, carrots, and mushrooms. Other healthy vegetables for dogs include;
- Broccoli
- Pumpkin
- Parsley
- Green beans
- Asparagus
raw tomatoes are safe for dogs if they don’t contain the stem or leaves. But there are ingredients in raw tomatoes that can be harmful to dogs if consumed a lot. The citric acid in tomatoes can be harmful to a dog suffering from acidity. Also, be careful of the ingredient tomatine which is still present, in small amounts, in ripe tomatoes.
Cooked tomatoes are safe for any dog to eat. Most dog foods contain tomato pomace which is derived from fresh red tomatoes.
