Can dogs eat tomatoes?

BARI, ITALY - APRIL 07: Local tomatoes for sale on the counter of the local market on April 07, 2023 in Bari, Italy. The street market of the city Santa Scolastica is busy while prices have been on the rise in recent weeks. (Photo(Photo by Donato Fasano/Getty Images)
BARI, ITALY - APRIL 07: Local tomatoes for sale on the counter of the local market on April 07, 2023 in Bari, Italy. The street market of the city Santa Scolastica is busy while prices have been on the rise in recent weeks. (Photo(Photo by Donato Fasano/Getty Images)

Just because our dogs love to eat anything that falls on the floor in the kitchen, that doesn’t mean they should. And we have definitely dropped a thing or two, including fruits, veggies, and any number of meats and cheeses. So that leaves us with the question of the day and are tomatoes safe for dogs to eat?

There are any number of reasons why you might be giving your dog tomatoes. Whether it’s because it fell on the floor while you were making a salad or cooking up some pasta sauce, or because you’re actually looking to add it to their diet, you probably want to know if it’s a canine friendly treat.

So the real question is, is it safe for our dogs to eat tomatoes. Luckily for us, the people behind the Chewy blog have some answers.

Are tomatoes safe for dogs to eat?

Right off the bat we can say that yes, dogs can eat tomatoes. They have to be ripe, red tomatoes in order for them to eat them raw. And dogs are also able to eat cooked tomatoes, as long as there is no seasoning added. If you are looking to give your dog tomato juice, the only way that they can safely enjoy it if it is unsalted and only made with pure, ripe tomatoes.

Knowing this, you might be wondering whether or not they can have tomato soup or even tomato sauce. And unfortunately, in this case, the answer is probably no. That is because of the seasonings, salt, and sugar that is usually added to processed soups and sauces. So while a raw/fresh or even a cooked tomato might be fine for our pups if it comes out of our kitchen, anything else is likely a no.

Are you surprised that a fresh tomato is safe for our dogs to eat? Do you already add this fruit to your dog’s snack routine? Let us know in the comments below.