This new research may create confusion as avocado meal is used as a pet food component.
Avocados contain a chemical called persin, a natural fungicide, which could be toxic to dogs that eat the fruit. However, in an experiment, persin seemed to be destroyed and inactivated during kibble production, leaving the resulting product safe for dogs. The Journal of Animal Science published the results.
Source: Petfood Industry, April 8, 2022. Link. Some form of avocado, such as oil powder or dried, made-up part of the recipes of 42 dry dog foods, or approximately two percent of the total. Twenty-three canned dog foods used some form of avocado. For canned cat foods, 18 products used avocado.
INSIGHT: Veterinary and retail teams should consider this research to help them respond to questions about avocados.
My pup won’t get guacamole’ or any of Tom Brady’s avocado ice cream as a treat soon.” – Kirk Augustine