Can Dogs Eat Nuts?

Sometimes dogs may try to get your attention to give them a piece of your food, but this is not always a good choice. Despite being very similar to us anatomically, they have a different digestive system than ours. They cannot always digest the food that we enjoy and we must remember that dogs are carnivorous animals, even if we have accustomed them to a diet with more vegetables.

Are nuts good for dogs?

In general, nuts are not the best foods for dogs. They are high in phosphorus and tend to also contain high levels of fat. If we feed our dogs with feed, they already get a sufficient supply of phosphorus and other nutrients and vitamins. Too much phosphorus can cause bladder stones. Now, if we offer our dog a homemade diet, then we can regulate the phosphorus intake ourselves.

In any case, regardless of the type of diet the animal follows, some nuts are toxic to dogs, this is the case of the macadamia nut, which we will talk about in-depth later. The rest of the nuts, are they good for dogs? Offered very occasionally and in very small amounts, they do not have to be harmful. In fact, as Gemma Knowles, canine nutritionist, tells us in her book Healthy cooking for your dog, they provide fiber, minerals, and vitamins. The problem lies in the excess because it can be a difficult food to digest, so you could develop digestive problems.

So can you give your dog nuts? Without peel, in very small quantities and very occasionally yes, as long as you do not have an allergy, of course. Ingesting the unpeeled walnut could cause the animal an intestinal obstruction, which may even require surgical intervention in the worst-case scenario.

When are nuts for dogs toxic?

It has been observed that the common walnut can have juglone, a toxic substance that can be harmful and that is exclusively in the leaves and stems of the plant or in the cover of the nut, not in the interior of the fruit. For this reason, in addition to avoiding a possible obstruction, it is so important to give your dog completely peeled walnuts.

Apart from the above, the macadamia nut, we remember, is toxic.

What happens if a dog eats nuts?

Again, if a dog eats nuts in small quantities and peels, nothing has to happen. Now, if you have an allergy then you will develop a reaction. We’ll tell you then.

Are dogs allergic to nuts?

In general, giving a dog a nut does not usually lead to an allergic process. However, as we have mentioned, you must be especially careful with macadamia nuts, as they are very toxic for them, and can cause neurological problems.

In case of an allergy to this nut, the animal will most likely experience a series of symptoms common to all food allergies, such as:

• Redness and itchiness
• Feeling of suffocation

Inflammation of the mouth and eyelids

It is very important to review the ingredients of the human snacks that we intend to give to our animals, as they may contain macadamia nuts, toxic for them, or also sugar, which is not recommended for their diet. We must also be careful while taking a walk down the street or hiking with our dog because if it eats a nut that has fallen to the ground, it could have mold and be toxic to the animal.

Can Dogs Eat Macadamia Nuts?

Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs, although it is not yet known exactly what compounds make them toxic to dogs. If your dog has eaten one or two macadamia nuts, he could have mild to severe hind leg weakness, with poisoning being more serious when more than 7 macadamia nuts are ingested. Symptoms of macadamia nut poisoning in dogs are these, from most to least common:

• Soft spot
• Depression
• Vomiting
• Ataxia (difficulty in muscle control)
• Tremors
• Hyperthermia

Symptoms usually appear within 12 hours of ingestion and, although this can scare you a lot, they usually disappear within 24 or 48 hours of ingestion. However, it is always advisable to consult with the vet.

My dog ​​has eaten macadamia nuts, what should I do?

First of all, do not be alarmed, about all the poisonings that a dog can have, eating a macadamia nut is not the most dangerous and, in general, does not usually require treatment. If he has taken a very small amount, it will be enough for you to keep an eye on him for the next few hours, as he will surely begin to show some of the aforementioned symptoms. You should be alarmed if the symptoms are very severe or persist after 48 hours. If he just ate a lot of nuts, you can try making him vomit. There are several ways to do it, for example, with salt.

Another way to treat poisoning is by applying an enema to reduce the absorption of the poison as much as possible. All this is always with the advice of our veterinarian, because some of these substances can be dangerous if we apply it in excess. However, if your dog does not improve after several hours or you think he is in serious danger, it is essential that you contact your veterinarian as soon as possible so that he can evaluate the case and if the amount he has ingested is dangerous or no.