# Acorns--Poisonous?



## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

I didn't know if I should post this under dog food or dog health. Anyway, autumn is arriving and it is mine and Riley's favorite time of year; however, we have all noticed that Riley loves to chew on acorns. We pull them out of his mouth and try to stop him but he just loves to chew them. It appears that he chews them in t6 little pieces and ingests a few despite our pulling them out of his mouth and throwing them in next yard where he can't get them. Additionally, he actually squirrels them--I found several acorns and pieces in his "place" obviously its his stash to feast on. Anyone know if this is safe--are they poisonous? I am not too concerned about him swallowing one whole as it is akin to us humans chewing on a pistacchio nut, could happen, but not likely.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I've seen oak leaves and acorns on a few "toxic-to-dogs" lists, but most sources say that there is no serious risk in moderation. They talk about the possibility of blockage if swallowed whole (not easy to digest) and stomach upset if eaten in quantity because of the tanic acid.

Now that you mention it, Esther eats acorns. They mostly fall in our front yard, so she has limited opportunities, but makes the most of it when she can.

I guess our dogs are omnivores, huh?


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

lolol--you would think an acorn was a diamond or piece of gold the way Riley is with them. All the little kids were petting him today as he layed down soooo nicely on the grass while they did---while they were petting him, he was chewing on acorns--he had the best of both worlds--lolol. You just gotta love these dogs.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

Ginny, Who knew, you have a squirrel in a Poodle suit. LOL They can't be too bad, I have seen a few dogs eat them with no ill effect. That said, I don't know if they enjoyed them like Riley seems to so they probably did not eat as many. LOL


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

Thanks Inga--and RonE, I appreciate it


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## Mdawn (Mar 3, 2007)

Eddie and Uallis have been eating them outside for a couple of weeks now. They haven't had any problems. I've tried to not let them eat them but it was a losing battle considering they are all over the place...


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## starry15 (Jan 20, 2007)

I dk about accorns but my uncles keeshound goes out side and cracks open nuts and eats it!


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## anneh (Sep 26, 2007)

I have been so worried because I read online that someone's dog died from eating them Our oak tree is throwing off dozens and I cannot get them all up and my dogs are going out there and eating them every day. I was even considering paying to have someone remove the tree after reading terrible warnings about them Has anyone experienced their dog eating them yearly and surviving? I don't ever remember my last dog eating any or even seeing as many as we have this year. anneh
QUOTE=Mdawn;125302]Eddie and Uallis have been eating them outside for a couple of weeks now. They haven't had any problems. I've tried to not let them eat them but it was a losing battle considering they are all over the place...[/QUOTE]


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## RichmondTrainer (Sep 24, 2007)

Yes, acorns seem to be like doggie-crack. 

We do our best to keep our doggies away from them (I was just telling Jake the other day..."Uh-oh, it's acorn season!") but yes, it can be difficult.

I was fostering a little APBT pup (he was about 4 months old) a few years back that LOVED acorns, and he was SOOOO good at getting them when I wasn't looking! He ended up having a pretty severe case of diarrhea, vomiting, etc., to the point where we were worried about (gasp) parvo (most of his litter mates had it - one of his sisters had it TWICE!) It turned out not to be parvo.... ACORNS were the culprit! Had to do the whole IV fluids, etc.... not too fun. We did find him a wonderful home and he's turned into quite the gorgeous dog, though!!  

So, I guess maybe the jury is still out. It's likely that they won't do much damage if the dog isn't eating TONS of them, and, as with everything, large dogs can probably tolerate them more?? If you aren't noticing any bad reactions yet, your pup is probably okay. What does your vet say?


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

well, Riley has been eating some despite me pullng them out of his mouth whenever I catch him and he seems just fine. In fact, my parents took him for a walk as I was at a meeting and when I got home, he was chewing something just like it was gum--I asked my mom what he had in his mouth and she said nothing--well, I knew the devil dog look, he was chewing on an acorn. I agree that I have seen more acorns this year than I ever have.


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