Can Dogs Eat Walnuts?

Walnuts are a fantastic, healthy snack for humans. However, don't them to dogs. Both the nut and the tree bark is poisonous to dogs and can cause severe side effects.  

Symptoms:

  • Abdominal Pain
  • Death
  • Excess salivation
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Hyper-responsive to stimuli
  • Incoordination
  • Jaundice
  • Liver damage
  • Panting
  • Seizures
  • Restlessness
  • Tremors in the muscles
  • Vomiting
can dogs eat walnuts aflatoxin

Different types of nuts will have varying degrees of the toxin, aflatoxin. However, that doesn't mean nuts are safe for dogs to eat. 

Even if walnuts, for example, weren't toxic to dogs, they would still be a choking hazard and high in fat. 

Most dogs aren't able to digest nuts properly. If you feed your dog any nut, it will most likely result in unnecessary pain and stomach upset. 

How do you prevent your dog from eating walnuts and walnut bark then? If you have a walnut tree, the best thing to do is rake up the area underneath it, so they're nothing for your dog to find. 

You could also fence the area around the tree off to stop your dog getting near to it. 

Don't wait for symptoms to appear; black walnuts are lethal to your dogs, especially in large amounts. Since there is no cure, it's better to be proactive and seek medical attention before there are any dangerous side effects.

Top Tips:

  • Walnut trees and nuts are poisonous to dogs; the toxins they contain are potentially lethal, so be careful when you're eating walnuts around your dog. 
  • In most nuts, there's a component called Aspergillus mould, which contains the toxin, aflatoxin. This is extremely dangerous for dogs and should be avoided. 
  • If you know your dog ate some walnuts or bark, take a sample of it to your vet. It will help them diagnose the problem quickly and thus, improve their treatment.
  • Whilst dogs can eat nuts in small amounts; you shouldn't include them in your dog's diet. Peanut butter is okay sometimes; but other human food, like vegetables, is much better. 
can dogs eat walnuts poisoning black walnuts

Treatment Plan

Treatment depends on how much of the walnut wood or mouldy nut your dog has eaten and the timeframe. 

The key to preventing any severe damage is to decontaminate your dog's digestive system as quickly as possible. 

Treatment will only be supportive, so the sooner you can start removing the toxin, the better. 

Treatments may include:

Stomach Pump - Your vet will flush your dog's stomach with fluids to remove any remaining pieces of the nut or bark.

Activated Charcoal - After the stomach pump, your vet will give activated charcoal to prevent your dog from absorbing any leftover toxins.

IV Fluids - As well as keeping your dog hydrated, IV fluids will help speed the decontamination process by flushing out the toxins quicker. 

Medications - Your vet will administer any drugs necessary to relieve pain, reduce nausea and control any seizures. 

Urine/Vomit/Blood sample - Your vet might use this to check for underlying diseases and confirm what toxin is poisoning your dog.