What about tomatoes?
Paws Corner
Q. My Chihuahua loves avocados, tomatoes, broccoli and many other veggies (without salt, of course). Please tell me why avocados and tomatoes are not good for them. — Diana, via e-mail
Q. I raise miniature pinschers, and one day as I was cutting up tomatoes I gave them some. I had two tomato vines out in my backyard and for the rest of the summer I did not get any more of them, as the dogs ate them as soon as they would start to ripen. It never hurt them at all. I have heard of chocolate but never tomatoes. — MaryAnn W., via e-mail
A. In dogs, tomato plants (leaves and stems) can cause tremors and heart arrhythmia (an irregular, rapid or “fluttering” pulse); the fruit itself is not listed as toxic by the Humane Society of the United States, but I would keep dogs out of the tomato patch at all times and feed them very limited amounts of the fruit.
Avocados can cause breathing difficulties and fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart. All parts of the avocado — the fruit, the pit and the plant — are toxic. This fruit is also toxic to cats, birds, mice, rabbits, goats, horses and cattle.
A more complete list of toxic foods is available at the Humane Society Web site at http://www.hsus.org.