There is nothing better than tomato soup on a cold day, or on a day where you’re sick with the cold. Did you know that dogs can get the cold and flu?

Speaking of our dogs and eating tomato soup, is tomato soup safe for them? We’re answering those questions and so much more.

Can Dogs Eat Tomato Soup?

Whether your dog can have some of your tomato soup isn’t a clear yes or no answer.

But don’t worry, it’s pretty easy to figure out in many cases.

Tomato soup itself isn’t inherently unsafe for your dog, as tomatoes themselves are fairly safe for dogs to eat. However, many times tomato soup contains other ingredients like onions and garlic, and both of these can be dangerous for dogs and make them sick. Another issue is tomato soups can have a lot of salt that isn’t healthy for dogs in large quantities.

Are Tomatoes Safe For Dogs?

Tomatoes are safe for dogs in small amounts. Large amounts aren’t inherently dangerous, but tomatoes are incredibly acidic, and a high quantity of them can upset a dog’s digestive system.

In fact, dogs can reap the same benefits from tomatoes when given as an occasional snack.

Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, carotenoids lycopene, and beta-carotene that are linked to reducing heart disease, cancer, and cellular damage. In small amounts, tomatoes can improve your dog’s digestive system thanks to their fiber content. As well, tomatoes are rich sources of folate, vitamin C, and potassium.

Both fresh whole tomatoes with peel and seeds, along with cooked tomatoes, are safe for dogs. Now, all tomatoes contain tomatine, which is a potentially dangerous compound found in tomatoes when ingested in high amounts. Unripe green tomatoes are slightly more concentrated in tomatin and you may want to avoid giving your dog unripe green tomatoes.

The stalks, leaves, and flowers of the tomato plant contain the highest concentrations of tomatine by far, and you should discourage your dog from eating them if they try.

Can Tomato Soup Be Healthy For Dogs?

While store-bought tomato soup might not be the best thing for your dog to eat — small qualities shouldn’t hurt them — making tomato soup at home can be incredibly healthy for your dog.

The big problem with pre-made tomato soups is they often contain onion and garlic, which can be toxic to dogs. As well, they can be high in salt, which isn’t great for our fur nuggets.

What Other Tomato Products Can Dogs Eat?

Tomato products like ketchup or juices contain lots of sugar and should be reserved for your dog’s taste buds on rare occasions. Like with tomato soup, make sure they do not contain garlic or onion, which can be dangerous to dogs.

Healthy Soup Recipes For Your Dog

Making soup for your dog is a great way to help calm an upset stomach or give your pup a super nutritious snack. In most cases, when making soup for your dog, you can take an existing soup recipe, be it beef and vegetable soup or tomato soup, and eliminate the unsafe ingredients without any hassle. In most cases, that’s just eliminating garlic, onion, salt, and possibly some fat to reduce calories if that’s needed. Check out this guide for other common ingredients dangerous for dogs.

To help you get started, we have two great recipes that we are sure your dog will love.

Chicken Noodle Soup

• Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter or cooking oil

• ½ cup chopped celery

• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans sodium-free chicken broth

• 14.5 ounces vegetable broth with no onions or garlic

• ½ pound chopped cooked chicken breast

• 1 ½ cups egg noodles

• 1 cup sliced carrots

• Directions

Melt butter or heat your cooking oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery and cook until just tender — about 5 minutes.

• Add chicken broth, vegetable broth, chicken, egg noodles, and carrots. Stir and bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

• Allow to cool before serving.

• Tomato-Carrot Soup

• Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 4 to 5 slices

• 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

• 1-quart water or vegetable broth with no onions or garlic

• 3 medium carrots cut into 1/4 x 2-inch sticks

• 12 grape-size tomatoes, halved

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine tomatoes, carrots, potato, lentils, and water in a large pot.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are soft.

Purée the soup until silky smooth with an immersion blender or food processor (be careful with hot liquids in food processors. Return to heat and simmer.

Add the grape tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes more.

Blanch carrot sticks in a separate pot of boiling water until they start to tender up, then immediately place sticks in ice water. Reserve for garnish.

Finally, stir in the olive oil in your soup, turn off the heat, and allow to cool before serving.

Final Thoughts

While there is no blanket answer for whether the tomato soup you’re eating is safe for your dog, if you know the ingredients in it, you can quickly answer if it is or isn’t. Tomatoes themselves are A-OK, but pre-made tomato soups often contain onion, garlic, and high amounts of sodium that are either toxic or just not good for our puppers’ health.

If you know that your tomato soup is just tomatoes, to see if your dog likes it, just offer them a bite or two at first. Our dogs aren’t great about not eating scolding hot foods, so make sure to blow on the soup and cool it down before serving.