Aloe vera is beneficial for humans as it helps in acne treatment, skin glowing, and body cleaning. The bioactive compounds present in aloe vera helps in treating various diseases such as allergies, diarrhea, piles, ulcers, diabetes, acid indigestion, dysentery, and various other skin diseases. But is it similarly beneficial to animals? It may be beneficial to animals if applied to their body especially dogs. But the question arises can dogs eat aloe vera in the same way humans can. The answer is absolutely no. Dogs cannot eat aloe vera as it can cause aloe vera poisoning in dogs which, if not treated on time, can lead to the sad demise of your pet. Dogs may eat other plants, but they can not eat aloe vera plants. Every second house has an aloe vera plant, and you will find the females applying it on their faces, hairs, and even having the aloe vera juice. But it is necessary to keep the aloe vera plant away from the reach of the dogs. You can lose your pet while trying to remain fit and healthy. Aloe vera is healthy for you can be too pricy for your dog.
What Is Aloe Vera Poisoning?
Aloe vera contains an active ingredient called saponin which can pose serious threats to dogs. Aloe vera is a plant that contains flesh and has tall leaves, clusters of yellow flowers, and a gel inside. This gel is used in many ways, such as people apply it on burns, and it also contains other medical properties. Its other part called the latex part, can cause health issues like diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, dehydration, and cramping. This causes low blood sugar, which is too dangerous for dogs, causing coma and even death in extreme cases.
When your dog eats the aloe vera plants, his body secretes the glycosides with bacteria found in the intestinal part. This can cause vomiting and nausea because a compound produced by the secretion of glycosides increases mucus and water in the colon. If this goes on in the same way for a long, it can be fatal if left untreated. The gel present in aloe vera is definitely not for consumption as it can cause excessive vomiting, diarrhea, and low blood sugar level. It can even lead to the breakdown of red blood cells, which can be dangerous and can lead to the sad demise of your pet. If you suspect any of these health problems in your pet, immediately contact your vet and make sure your pet gets prompt medical treatment.
What Are The Symptoms Of Aloe Vera Poisoning In Dogs?
Dogs can become ill as a result of acute aloe vera poisoning, which occurs when they consume a large amount of the plant or a product containing aloe vera or latex.
Chronic aloe vera poisoning in dogs occurs when they are repeatedly exposed to small amounts of aloe vera plants or products derived from the plant.
Listed below are a few symptoms that may occur.
- Pain and bloating in the abdomen
- Heart rate that is abnormal
- Anorexia
- Difficulty taking a breath
- Pupils that are dilated
- Drooling
- Head-shaking
- Body temperature that is too high (hyperthermia)
- Lethargy
- Muscle twitches, spasms, or weakness are all possible symptoms.
- Coma
- Nausea
- Seizures
- Irritation of the skin (bumps, flaky skin, and hair loss)
- Tremors
- Incoordination
- Vomiting
- Loss of weight
- Dark urine is associated with depression.
- Diarrhea
What If Your Dog Ate Aloe Vera?
If your dog accidentally ate a part of the aloe vera plant in your absence, then don’t panic. You should keep in mind some things. For instance, you should know how much your dog currently weighs and how much aloe vera he has ingested, along with the symptoms that he is showing. The symptoms may include abdominal pain and bloating, abnormal heart rate, head shaking, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, hyperthermia, depression, dark urine, dilated pupils, difficulty in breathing, skin irritation, seizures, tremors, muscle twitches, spasms, coma, depression, drooling, etc.
If you find any of these symptoms, then immediately rush to your vet. Don’t forget to take your dog’s medical history with you, such as records, recent illnesses, injuries, allergies, and abnormal behavior. The vet will do a complete physical check-up from examining your pet’s vision to oxygen level. The vet will also get some x- rays of your pet’s abdomen and check to look for any kind of damage. He may also recommend endoscopy to look for any remaining aloe vera parts and to verify that your dog does not have any kind of problem after eating the aloe vera plant. Your dog will recover soon if he has not ingested more than required for the dogs of his size. If he has ingested more than his size, then he may take time to recover, especially if you have a puppy.
Does Aloe Vera have any Safe usage for a dog?
Feeding Aloe Vera to dogs can be harmful but it has some other safe uses as well. As per an ethnoveterinary study of medicinal plants in treatment of diseases of herd dogs Aloe Vera extracts might have antibacterial and antifungal activities, which could possibly help treat minor skin infections such as boils and benign skin cysts and may inhibit the growth of fungi causing tinea.
It also acts as an astringent, which can speed healing. So, Aloe Vera can be applied to dogs
- Wounds
- Hot spots
- Burns
- Hot spots
- Eczema
- Stings
- Bites
As per another research Aloe Vera has anti-inflammatory and healing effects in deep second degree burn in dogs more than that of silver sulfadiazine (SSD). You can use Aloe for minor burns of your dog but we would still suggest you consult a vet before taking any step.
Conclusion
Your dog can eat any other plant, but he can not eat aloe vera plant as aloe vera contains an active ingredient called saponin which can pose serious threats to the dogs. It can eventually lead to aloe vera poisoning. When your dog eats the aloe vera plants, his body secretes the glycosides with bacteria found in the intestinal part. This can cause vomiting and nausea because a compound produced by the secretion of glycosides increases mucus and water in the colon. If this goes on in the same way for a long, it can be fatal if left untreated.
The symptoms may include abdominal pain and bloating, abnormal heart rate, head shaking, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, hyperthermia, depression, dark urine, dilated pupils, difficulty in breathing, skin irritation, seizures, tremors, muscle twitches, spasms, coma, depression, drooling, etc. If you find any of these symptoms, then immediately rush to your vet and make sure your pet gets prompt medical treatment.