Avocados (Persea americana) are tropical evergreen trees that are native to the American continent.
Their large, yummy, green fruits are well known for being rich in healthy fats and are treasured at many tables, our family’s included.
However, avocados must never be fed to your goats or other homestead animals. Avocados contain a compound toxic to livestock that can threaten the life of your goats.
So, why are avocados so dangerous to livestock? And what harmful toxins are in avocados?
Great questions. We will touch on everything you need to know about avocados and goats in this quick post, so read on!
Can You Feed Avocado To Goats?
Avocados are a fruit that naturally contain a fat-soluble compound called persin.
Persin is a fungicide that helps the avocado tree fight off various fungal invaders, but when it is ingested by goats or other hobby farm animals, it causes serious bodily harm.
Ingesting persin most often result in heart failure and swelling and death of mammary glands. Both of these can cause death in goats, especially lactating nannies.
Goats Cannot Digest Avocados
The fruit of the avocado tree is also pure fat, with an average avocado containing more than 20g of lipids!
This dense, fatty matter cannot be properly metabolized by the bacteria within the goat’s rumen.
Remember, goat’s have a four stomach digestive system and are dependent on specific gut bacterias to digest all the coarse, high fiber foodstuff that they thrive on.
If a foreign foodstuff is introduced, serious flare ups and bacterial imbalances can result, causing your goat discomfort and harm!
This also means that if your goat eats an avocado, not only is it at risk of persin poisoning, but it will also likely suffer from serious indigestion and bloating.
Fast Fact: Guatemalan avocado varieties are known for being most toxic for animals.
How Does Persin Affect Goats
As stated, persin will affect the cardiac and mammary gland systems of livestock. This means that the most common symptoms of persin poisoning are:
- Inflammation of the mammary glands
- Abnormal heart rhythm
- Difficulty breathing
- Fluid around heart
- Sudden decrease or loss of milk production in lactating goats
If your goat ingests avocado, or exhibits these symptoms after ingesting any food, we recommend contacting your local veterinarian immediately!
Are Avocado Leaves Toxic To Goats
Because all parts of the avocado plant contain persin, it is unsafe to allow your goats to browse near avocado trees or nibble on avocado skins, pits, leaves, branches, or twigs.
Treating Avocado Toxicity In Goats
One of the most effective ways to treat avocado toxicity in goats is to immediately remove the source of toxin and discontinue further ingestion.
However, if your goat is already exhibiting signs of persin poisoning, they will need trained veterinary assistance to combate and recover from the serious reaction they are experiencing.

Good Foods For Goats: Our Best Practices
Keeping your goats happy and healthy requires that you understand which foods are toxic to them and how to meet their daily dietary needs with good foods.
For example, weaned, mature goats require about 12-35% in foraged nutrients and 86-92% in hay and concentrates.
This is why we offer our goats a rotating pasture where they can freely forage for foodstuff. We also give our goats free access to hay, never limiting their intake of this foodstuff as it is highly nutritious and beneficial!
What Fruits Can Goats Eat
Don’ worry, there are many healthy and safe fruits that your goats can partake in as supplements to their high fiber diets or treats such as:
Browse through our goat post archive to find more information on how and why we offer this mix of healthy fruit treats and snacks to our goats!
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Goats Have Avocados
What Foods Are Toxic To Goats?
There are a number of foods that are toxic to goats due to the presence of poisonous or harmful compounds. These foods must be avoided at all costs and include
- Avocados
- Onions
- Unripe pineapple
- Potato vine
Can Goats Eat Cheese?
No, goats should never be offered cheese. Cheeses can cause serious digestive stress and damage to goats; read more on our Can Goats Eat Cheese post.
Final Thoughts On Can Goats Eat Avocados
While the fruits of the avocado tree are not toxic to humans, and have become a popular addition to many dishes, they pose a serious and undeniable threat to the life of your farm animals due to the natural fungicide toxin they contain.
So do yourself and your goats a favor and never expose them to any form or type of avocado; all will be happier and healthier for it.
Finally, never forget the important and fundamental place that high in fiber, coarse plant materials have in a healthy goat’s diet!