What Nuts Are Deadly to Dogs?

Dogs are notorious scavengers. If you leave food lying out or dropped on the floor, you can expect your four-legged garbage hound to scarf it up. Leaving some food in your dog's reach could be dangerous. While you may know that chocolate can harm your dog, you may not know that other foods, such as onions or mushrooms can also cause serious illness if your dog eats them. Several types of nuts can also make your dog sick.

  1. Macadamia Nuts

    • Macadamia nuts can cause severe toxicity in dogs. The toxic range varies considerably, from between 2.4 grams to 62.4 grams per kilogram, or 2.2 pounds of body weight, depending on the dog, according to Centennial Valley Animal Hospital in Colorado. Symptoms generally appear within 12 hours after ingestion. A combination of dangerous ingredients, such as chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, greatly increases the chance of a toxic reaction.

    Symptoms and Treatment

    • Symptoms of macadamia nut poisoning include muscle tremors, paralysis of the back legs, difficulty maintaining balance, a rapid heartbeat and an elevated temperature. Treatment consists of inducing vomiting if your dog recently ingested the nuts, activated charcoal to reduce absorption through the intestines, intravenous fluids, cooling blankets and medication to lower the heart rate. If clotting problems develop, heparin or plasma transfusions may help. Symptoms normally resolves within 48 hours.

    Walnuts

    • Walnuts themselves normally don't cause toxic effects, but molds that grow on them can harm your dog. Fresh nuts shouldn't cause a problem, veterinarian Dr. Greg Martinez explains. Symptoms of toxicity from molds includes uncontrollable shaking. Vomiting and charcoal may help reduce absorption of the poison, and a muscle relaxant will help control the shaking.

    Considerations

    • Dogs don't always develop symptoms immediately after eating harmful nuts. If your dog is acting oddly, call the veterinarian immediately. The faster you initiate treatment, the less likely it is that your dog will develop serious symptoms.