Tomato Lover

[Cheryl and Breeze]

Last summer, when my Breeze was a pup, I noticed her sneaking tomatoes off of my plant!. We would play the "chase game" but she still managed to eat a few.  Evidently, she developed a love for tomatoes.  

This year my husband said he heard that giving my dog 2 Tbsp.of tomato juice with meals would change the ph of the urine and would lessen the effect of urine killing the grass.  My dog, Breeze, is a fairly picky eater.  When I added the tomato juice she went crazy after her food!  

After doing some research online, however, experts say that it is the amount of nitrogen in the urine that kills the grass and it doesn't have anything to do with ph.  Perhaps the dog drinks more after eating tomato juice and so the urine is diluted, so it is easier on the grass.

I have read conflicting opinions as to whether tomato juice is good for dogs.  Some say it is fine, others say it can lead to digestive problems. What do you think about giving dogs tomato juice?

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

Thank you for posting this.  I have no advice, but interested in hearing the comments.  Apollo loves tomatoes and steals them whenever he can.  We started putting a fence around the tomatoe garden.  He just loves them.

[Sally loves Maple & Lucky]

Me too! I'm anxious to read what Karen posts. My Maple begs when I slice tomatoes in the kitchen.

...and we have a polka dot lawn with 2 big doodles tinkling.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I give my dogs canned (no salt) tomatoes in their home cooked food quite often.  They love it too, and it has never bothered them.  I can't imagine a little tomato juice would be an issue (as long as there's no salt).  Last Summer when the tomatoes were plentiful I used fresh (versus canned) in their food, but I peeled off the skin.

[Sally loves Maple & Lucky]

Tomatoes are on the "do not feed" lists but I don't know why

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Here's what "Ask A Vet" website has to say. 

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi and thanks for an interesting question!

I have no problem with feeding tomatoes to your dog. Really, tomatoes aren't bad for dogs.

Tomatoes contain a substance called alpha-tomatine. It is found throughout the plant, but is much more concentrated in the leaves and stem. In the fruit, the level of alpha-tomatine is present in small amounts in the green unripened tomato and in tiny amounts in a ripened red tomato.

Tomatine can be toxic to the heart. However, a dog would have to eat a massive amount of tomato before the heart was affected. Additionally, the tomatine is very poorly absorbed by the intestinal tract.

It is more of a concern when cows get into tomato patches and munch away at lots of tomato plant leaves.

Some dogs can have some mild stomach upset from eating tomatoes, but that's about it.

I don't know of a case that has ever been reported of a dog suffering toxic effects from eating tomatoes.

So, the answer to "are tomatoes bad for dogs" is no.

Dr. Marie.

 

Sounds like they're fine as long as the dog isn't eating the leaves or stems.  They're also included as ingredients in the Home Cooking for Dogs cookbooks.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I can't find any specific information on how tomatoes affect the acidity of urine, but I did find a website that lists some foods  that cause the urine to become more acidic or more alkaline. The interesting thing about it is that the acidity of the food itself does not predict how it will affect the Ph of the urine. Oranges, which are an acidic food, cause the urine to become more alkaline. http://www.ctds.info/acidic-foods.html

Apparently, a diet high in citrus will actually raise the Ph of urine, at least in people:

From Wikipedia:

"The pH of urine is close to neutral (7) but can normally vary between 4.4 and 8. In persons with hyperuricosuria, acidic urine can contribute to the formation of stones of uric acid in the kidneys, ureters, or bladder.^[11] Urine pH can be monitored by a physician^[12] or at home.

A diet high in citrus, vegetables, or dairy can increase urine pH (more basic). Some drugs also can increase urine pH, including acetazolamide, potassium citrate, and sodium bicarbonate.

A diet high in meat or cranberries can decrease urine pH (more acidic). Drugs that can decrease urine pH include ammonium chloride, chlorothiazide diuretics, and methenamine mandelate."

.^["13][14]

You're also correct in that it's the nitrogen and not the Ph of the urine that burns the grass. From Purdue:

 

"Speculation on the actual cause of the lawn burn has resulted in numerous theories on what else in the urine may be contributing to the damage. Dr. A.W. Allard, a Colorado veterinarian, examined numerous variations in dog urine and the effects on several common lawn grasses¹. His results support the fact that volume of urine (nitrogen content) and urine concentration had the most deleterious effects on lawns. The pH of the urine did not have any variable effect nor did common additives designed to alter the urine pH."

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/turf/Dog_lawn_p...

 

So I wouldn't be giving tomato juice for the purpose of helping the lawn.

But it appears that tomatoes and tomato products in moderation won't hurt if the dog likes them.

[F, Calla & Luca]

There is no good reason to attempt to change the pH of a dog's urine. There are associated complications when you do such as the possible fornation of stones or an increased liklihood of infection. So unless a vet has advised trying to change the pH of your dogs urine leave well enough alone. It's not worth risking your dog's health in order to avoid lawn spots, which are related to nitrogen in the urine anyhow. A healthy dog is far more important than a perfect lawn.

[Cheryl and Breeze]

I agree.  Thank you so much for all of your feedback!  I guess since Breeze loves tomatoes I will add some unsalted tomatoes occasionally to her kibble to get her to eat it!  But I won't count on feeding her tomatoes or tomato juice to help the grass!