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Tolerance and safety of an avocado‐based ingredient for adult dogs
Author(s) -
Davenport Gary M,
Shoveller Anna K,
Hayek Michael,
Massimino Stefan,
Halsey Lori,
Minikhiem Debbie,
Flickinger Elizabeth,
Roth George,
Ingram Donald
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.825.1
Subject(s) - ingredient , persea , medicine , adverse effect , flesh , biology , zoology , toxicology , food science , horticulture
Feeding avocados to dogs is controversial due to a single report of fatal toxicity for two dogs living near a South African orchard that regularly ate whole avocados and other plant parts (Onderstepoort J Vet Res, 1994, 61:107). This 6‐month study evaluated the tolerance and safety of an avocado‐based ingredient fed to healthy adult dogs. The ingredient was a defatted, water‐soluble extract of flesh, skin and pit of Lula (var) avocados (Persea americana). The vacuum‐dried extract contained 61% carbohydrate, 4% protein, 4% fat, 16% ash, 0.1% fiber and 13% moisture. Adult Beagles (30 spayed females; 10 neutered males) averaging 4.4 years of age were assigned to four treatments (n=10/diet): control (Eukanuba Senior Maintenance formula) and three test diets comprised of control diet with 0.22, 0.66 or 1.10% avocado extract. All dogs completed the study and readily consumed all diets. Body weight, normal GI health and stool production were maintained throughout the study. Regular health assessments revealed no abnormalities or inferior health conditions for dogs assigned to any diet group. While transient changes in hematology and serum chemistry parameters were noted, values remained within normal reference ranges for healthy adult dogs indicating no health or safety concerns. Feeding a diet with up to 1.1% avocado extract was well‐tolerated by adult dogs and resulted in no adverse health effects. P&G funded the study.