Can Dogs Eat Nuts?

1 Overview

Safety

As the saying goes, talking toxicity without dose is nonsense – same for nuts and dogs.

An occasional nut does nothing, but regular feeding brings diarrhea and vomiting – why?

Most nuts are very fatty; small and rich, they upset the gut and at worst cause pancreatitis over time.

Worse, packaged nuts carry additives that only harm dogs – salt above all.

Some say, just give unpackaged nuts?

True, bulk nuts are safer than packaged, but they mold most easily – walnut fans know the occasional rotten kernel. A little mold can hit the dog’s nerves with tremors, vomiting, even death.

So if your dog loves nuts and you want to treat it, first no mold, and prefer bulk nuts.

For most owners, not feeding is best.

Is there no nut safe to feed?

Almonds

Like most nuts, almonds are very fatty.

A nut or two now and then is fine; long-term, like walnuts, the fat is hard to digest and can cause pancreatitis.

Peanuts

Raw or roasted peanuts are fine, but watch the amount.

Pistachios

Same fat load, same hard to digest – no different from the others.

Key point: always shell nuts before feeding; don’t assume the dog can. U.S. deaths by nut-shell choking each year are no small number.

Cashews

Don’t think its size means more is fine; cashews are also very fatty.

Pecans

A different genus but same family as walnuts, pecans are a holiday favorite in many homes.

But like walnuts, pecans are fatty and hard to digest; heavy feeding causes stomach upset – a top clinical case.

Macadamia nuts

Also called Hawaii nuts.

These are dangerous for dogs; scientists still haven’t found why they poison. Signs usually appear within 12 hours. Keep them well stored.