Yellow: with caution
Best avoided: there is too little evidence. Lychee is not listed in the ASPCA’s plant database, and neither the MSD Veterinary Manual nor the Pet Poison Helpline has an entry for it. There is therefore no reliable confirmation that it is safe for dogs.
What is known about lychees
The University of Zurich’s Institute of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology lists unripe lychees as a source of hypoglycin A in its CliniTox database. This substance and its breakdown product inhibit the breakdown of fatty acids in cells. The effects described there mainly concern horses that ingest hypoglycin A through maple seeds. None of the specialist sources checked answers whether, or at what amount, ripe lychees harm dogs.
What to watch out for
- Do not offer them deliberately: There are plenty of fruits with clearer evidence, such as blueberries or banana.
- Definitely no unripe fruit: According to CliniTox, this is where hypoglycin A is found.
- Discard the skin and stone: Neither has any veterinary assessment, so both belong in the bin.
- No canned fruit: The AKC generally considers fruit in sugar syrup unsuitable.
What if your dog has eaten lychees?
Whether a piece of ripe flesh harms a dog has not been studied. If your dog has eaten several fruits, unripe lychees or stones, call your vet. Explain roughly how many, whether they were ripe or unripe, when they were eaten and how much your dog weighs. If your dog is visibly unwell, go straight to the vet.
If you suspect poisoning, go straight to your vet or an emergency veterinary service.
Check whether your dog is getting the right amount of food in just a minute with our feeding calculator. Our book takes a closer look at feeding: “Hundeernährung und Futterplan” (book in German). For those first weeks with a puppy, try our free Puppy Starter Pack, and for a picture of your dog to hang on the wall, explore dog portraits from your own photo or choose a single portrait.
Further reading
- Calculating your dog’s food portions: how much your dog really needs
- Is my dog overweight? How to assess body condition and ideal weight
- Puppy checklist: essential supplies and the first 3 days
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: CliniTox, Institut für Veterinärpharmakologie und -toxikologie der Universität Zürich, Hypoglycin A (sources: unripe lychee fruit); ASPCA, Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, dog list (no entry for lychee).
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