Small portions of plain cooked bitter melon may be tolerated, but it can cause vomiting or loose stool in sensitive pets. Avoid juices, extracts, and concentrated supplements. Stop feeding if any GI signs appear.
Bitter melon is a ridged tropical vine fruit with very bitter, fibrous flesh. Also called bitter gourd, karela, or ampalaya, it's used in South and Southeast Asian cooking. Unripe fruit and seeds are especially bitter.
Bitter melon is used in stir-fries, curries, soups, and stuffed dishes. Home prep involves splitting, removing seeds and pith, salting, and cooking with oil and spices.
Pickled and fried preparations add extra irritants. Bitter melon tea, juice, and extract supplements are more concentrated and more likely to cause stomach irritation than lightly cooked flesh.
