Avocado

Avocado pulp processors separate flesh for preserved products. Fruit rejected for its appearance can enter that stream. Oil extraction creates a different leftover, avocado meal, which contains less fat than flesh.^6,7,8

1. 01 // Source Avocado fruit Undersized or misshapen fruit can enter processing even when retailers reject its appearance.
2. 02 // Process Wash and separate In pulp production, processors wash the fruit and separate the flesh from its peel and pit.
3. 03 // Process Preserve the flesh Processors mash the flesh, then freeze or dry it to make a product that stores longer.
4. 04 // Output Pulp or powder Preserved flesh can reach a food plant, but a label saying avocado does not specify which form was used.

1. 01

   Adds fat when flesh

   Avocado flesh contributes oil and energy. The label does not reveal how much flesh was added, so nobody reading the bag knows its share of the food's fat.^2,3

2. 02

   Uses rejected fruit

   Fruit too small or misshapen for retail often becomes processed avocado. Drying offers a way to store it, but freeze drying takes costly equipment and energy.^7,8

3. 03

   Sells a coat story

   A brand links avocado fats to skin and coat condition. That makes the ingredient useful in marketing, while its presence alone says nothing about a dog's coat response.^1,9

4. 04

   Adds fiber if meal

   Oil-extracted avocado meal provides fiber. In a controlled dog trial it worked as a fiber source, but those results do not transfer to an ingredient listed only as avocado.¹

How much A 9-beagle trial fed up to 18% oil-extracted avocado meal; it did not test an ingredient identified simply as avocado.¹

1. Brands say

   Avocado flesh supplies substantial fat

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Across 6 measured cultivars, flesh fat was 61 to 70% of dry matter. That supplies energy, but the flesh range cannot tell an owner how much fat an unspecified avocado ingredient contributes to the finished food.^2,3

2. Brands say

   Avocado makes skin and coats healthier

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A brand links avocado fats to coat condition. The 9-beagle avocado-meal trial measured digestion and feces, not skin or coat. Flesh composition alone cannot show that adding avocado improves either outcome.^1,2,9

3. Brands say

   Avocado feeds good gut bacteria

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a 9-beagle crossover trial, oil-extracted avocado meal produced more fecal butyrate than cellulose, 47.0 versus 24.7 micromoles per gram dry. The trial did not test avocado flesh or show better gut health.^1,9

4. Brands say

   Avocado is a rich protein source

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A brand calls avocado an excellent protein source. Across 6 flesh cultivars, protein was 6.3 to 7.4% of dry matter, against 61 to 70% fat. The flesh is a fat source that carries little protein.^2,9

5. Owners say

   Any avocado in kibble poisons dogs

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   ASPCA says persin in avocado fruit can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Yet a 9-beagle trial reported no adverse effects with an extruded diet containing up to 18% processed avocado meal. That limited result does not make every exposure safe.^1,4