Signs Your Dog Got Their Paws on Lemons
Like we said above, an accidental lick or two of a lemon – or another citrus fruit, for that matter – isnt going to be enough to get your dog sick, but if your pup has got his or her paws on an entire lemon, it could spell trouble.
If you notice that a few of your citrus fruits are missing, it might be time to check in on your pooch and ensure that they havent ingested all your lemons. If you suspect they might have, check first for signs of irregular digestion, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and other irregular bathroom behaviors like incontinence.
Your pup also might face skin issues like dermatitis, rashes, and general irritation. Your pup might also face things like system depression, unusual light sensitivity, and other neurological symptoms – but that would be after quite a lot of lemon per body weight of the dog.
Here are a few body language cues to look out for if you suspect your dog ingested lemons:
Here are a few other things to keep an eye out for if you think your dog ingested lemons:
The History of Dogs Eating Lemons
When it comes to training dogs, people have often resorted to using lemon juice as a bitter, sour, punishment for their pups. The argument? If your dog associates a bad taste in their mouth with the behavior that put them there in the first place, they likely wont continue this behavior.
Dozens of sites on the internet claim that mixing up a solution of vinegar and lemon juice can be the ultimate spray to keep your dogs bad behaviors at bay, but unfortunately, this is a dangerous mistake. Even though your dog wont be ingesting the peel and the seeds, where the toxic materials are, the acidity of the lemon juice in your dogs no-no spray can cause serious GI issues – this can be a painful experience for your dog as well as a serious case of clean-up for you.
But even more likely, a spray with lemon in it could really bother their eyes, which you presumably want to avoid.
Though the severity of lemon toxicity isnt quite as serious as other human foods, even a small amount of it can still cause severe issues for your dog. But what is it about lemons that cause such issues for your dog?
The real issue lies within a substance contained in most citrus fruits called psoralens. Psoralens can be found in most parts of the lemon, but are most concentrated in the skin and seeds of the lemon, making dogs who snack on lemons that grow outside on trees at severe risk.
Lemon juice – sans the skin – is still dangerous, as the high acidity can upset your pups GI system significantly. Various internet sources will boast about the benefits of lemon essential oils for battling external parasites, but it should be noted that essential oils are simply concentrated lemon, and its never safe for your dog to ingest them due to the highly concentrated psoralens.
Can dogs eat limes or other citrus fruits?
No, dogs shouldn’t eat limes or other citrus fruits like grapefruits for the same reasons that they shouldn’t eat lemons. The only exception to this rule is oranges, but even then, they’re not an ideal snack for dogs to eat and need to be strictly moderated.
Although we think oranges are a great source of vitamin C, dogs can actually synthesise their own vitamin C inside their body. This natural su-paw power means they don’t normally need a lot from their diet, and they can easily pick this up from other foods like peppers which are much more dog-friendly. Besides, a red pepper actually has more vitamin C than an orange anyway!
Dogs hate lemons because of their bitter taste. Dogs can taste sweet, salty, sour, and bitter things. Like us humans, dogs don’t find sour or bitter foods to be the most pleasant tastes.
This dislike for the taste is actually a natural defence mechanism. In the wild, foods that taste bitter are usually poisonous or tainted. Because of this, dogs are averse to bitter things because it keeps them safe, stopping them from wolfing down anything that might do them harm. Plus, the taste is just unpleasant anyway, and your pooch will probably much rather pick something else to snack on. Being picky about bitter foods is paw-fectly understandable when it tends to keep them safe!