Can Dogs Eat Rambutan?
If you are munching on a juicy rambutan fruit, you may be wondering whether or not it is safe to be shared with your pet. Or perhaps your dog snatched one off the counter while you were not looking! So, can dogs eat rambutan?
Technically, yes, your dog is safe if you feed it rambutan! However, it is important to be aware of what part of the fruit your dog is consuming. While the flesh of the fruit is okay to eat, the peel and the seeds of rambutan are inedible and can be toxic.
What Is Rambutan?
If you are wondering whether or not your pet can eat rambutan, it is important that you first understand what rambutan is! Rambutan is a lesser-known fruit that comes from the same family as lychee and horse chestnuts.
They are found more commonly throughout Asia, Central America, and Australia than they are in North America. Rambutan fruits are easily recognizable by their unusual hairy red exteriors– while the spines do look sharp, they are actually soft and bendable!
Rambutan can be peeled easily with your hands so that you can eat the edible fruit inside. When it comes to flavor, they are often compared to lychee, which is like a cousin of theirs. However, rambutan is a bit more tart than lychee is.
You may find rambutan muddled into cocktails, topping ice cream, or as part of a fruit salad, but it can also easily be eaten on its own as a snack. They can be substituted for lychee in recipes, too.
Can Dogs Eat Rambutan?
Your dog can eat rambutan and may be especially interested in trying it because of its unique appearance. Luckily, you can share it with your pet if you are so inclined! The fruit is high in sugars, as most fruits are, so it should only be given to your pet in small amounts– think of it as a treat, not a meal supplement. You should also be careful and monitor your dog when eating rambutan to ensure that it only eats the flesh of the fruit, as the peel and seeds can be toxic. Your pet may also have an allergic reaction if it is sensitive, so watch out for any behaviour that is out of the ordinary when Fido is trying rambutan for the first time.
Risks of Feeding Your Dog Rambutan
Yes, your dog can eat rambutan, but you should be aware that there are still some potential risks involved. Take a look at the ones that we have outlined below so that you can decide whether or not trying rambutan is a good idea for your dog.
Toxicity
While rambutan flesh is safe to eat, the peel and seeds are not– they are toxic and can lead to toxicity. This can make your dog severely ill, and can be recognized in symptoms such as tremors or vomiting.
High Sugar Content
Like most fruits, rambutan contains high levels of sugar. Since sugar is not a regular part of a dog’s diet, its body is not necessarily able to break this down or digest it properly. Eating larger amounts of rambutan can therefore lead to issues within the digestive system, such as loose stool or vomiting, as well as contributing to larger issues like diabetes.
Blockages
The seeds of rambutan should not be eaten, but if, for some reason, they are, they have the potential to cause blockages in the intestines and lead to issues in the digestive system. If your dog swallows the fruit whole, it may also lead to such blockages. Many times, blockages require vet attention and in some cases may even need to be corrected through surgery.
Feeding Your Dog Rambutan
If you are sharing rambutan with your dog, there are a few things that you should consider. First off, you should not give the whole fruit to your pet. While rambutan are small– similar in size to lychee– you should be peeling the fruit for your pet, and possibly even breaking off pieces to give them. This is because both the peel and seed of rambutan can be toxic and could therefore be very dangerous to your dog if consumed. Even small amounts of toxic foods can trigger a reaction in your pet or cause toxicity, which can often lead to death. Whole fruit and seeds can also be a choking hazard for dogs, depending on the size of the pet in question.
Also Read – Can Dogs Eat Jackfruit?
Also Read – Can Dogs Eat Pomelo?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is rambutan toxic?
Rambutan fruit flesh is tasty and safe to eat. However, when it comes to the peel and the seeds of the fruit, these can be toxic– especially if eaten in very large amounts. If you are feeding your dog rambutan, be sure to peel and deseed the fruit first!
What happens if you eat a rambutan?
Rambutan is a safe food to eat, so as long as you follow the rules for preparation, nothing should happen. You should just get the nutrients of the fruit! If you eat the seeds or the peel, however, you could get sick, as these are considered both toxic and inedible. A small amount of peel or seeds might not have much of an effect, but this also comes down to how sensitive your body is.
What fruits can dogs eat?
There are plenty of fruits that your dog can eat and enjoy! Some of these include apples, cucumbers, oranges, and pears. When it comes to apples, though, you should be sure to remove the seeds, stem, and core. Oranges are also his in acidity and sugar, so avoid overfeeding your dog oranges, as this could cause gastrointestinal distress.
Related – Can Dogs Eat Jackfruit?
Is a rambutan the same as a lychee?
While rambutan and lychee may seem similar, they are not the same fruit. Rambutan is a bit bigger than lychee, and also has a spiky red outer shell. Both of these fruits, though, are part of the soapberry family, so they are related! Some of their other relatives include the horse chestnut and the longan fruit.