While it may be tempting to give our dogs little tropical delights, it isn’t always the best idea. Longans are tasty, have a unique rubbery texture, and have health benefits for humans. But can dogs eat longans? Is this an okay fruit for dogs?
Technically, the short answer is yes, but our recommendation is no; there’s far too little information about longans and dogs. Furthermore, there are several elements of this fruit that raise gastrointestinal concerns.
Now, that being said, we don’t have all the answers. Longans have a murky informational presence on the internet.
Your best source of information regarding tropical fruits will always be your veterinarian. They may have encountered incidents with this fruit or may know of recent studies.
Why Are Longans Bad For Dogs?
Native to China, the longan is exported worldwide and is known for having medicinal properties. It’s used for stress and to reduce aging effects on the skin, and it is reported to heal small cuts and injuries quicker.
Furthermore, it’s loaded with vitamin C — this little fruit has 80 percent of our human daily recommended amount.
All of this, though, is very controversial and not well-studied for humans. So, as you can imagine, information about this fruit’s benefits for dogs is even murkier.
But from what we do know, this fruit doesn’t sound like a great option for our pups.
For one thing, dogs produce their own vitamin C. Natural production plus this fruit’s high concentration may create an overdose situation. Other tropical fruits, such as dragon fruit, are safer and better-documented, and they contain more nominal amounts of these nutrients.
Additionally, longans have a hard, crackable shell with a difficult-to-digest seed, or pit. For other fruits, seeds and pits are almost always inedible for dogs. Seeds often contain cyanide, for one thing, and pits are a choking hazard — plus also usually contain cyanide.
If pieces of the shell or the pit end up in your dog’s intestinal tract, it can cause blockage.
What Should I Do If My Dog Eats A Longan?
If your dog eats a bit of longan flesh, this is probably okay. Again, there’s not much information to be had about it, though. You would absolutely want to monitor them for allergic reaction, however.
But if your dog were to crack into a whole longan, you would want to call your vet immediately. Pieces of the shell getting into their intestinal tract can cause a major issue.
There are videos floating around the internet of dogs having a good time trying to get at the flesh inside of a longan. But, as they say, don’t try this at home. Any uncontrolled feeding of such a fruit with highly indigestable elements can spell disaster in a hurry.
If you keep longans in your home, be sure to keep them far from your pup’s reach.
Have you tried feeding longan flesh to your dog? Has your vet given you any advice or warnings about longans? Let us know in the comments below.
