Solved ! Case of the missing pumpkin...........

[Sugars Mom]

OMG really? Hilarious!!

[Dutchringgirl]

Thalie will eat the chestnuts in the front lawn and is very dainty about the shells.

[Sugars Mom]

So on this topic, anyone know of any dangers with the dogs shelling and eating the nuts? Any certain nuts that are no good for dogs?

[Marjolein]

depends on the dog... like in humans. Had no problems with walnuts here, but never overdid it

Also, for Ivil I will have to peel them since she just eats it all, including shell, after craking it. Dingo cracks them by himself and carefully get's out the good stuff, leaving a mess of shells behind for me to clean up
I find these shells are pretty sharp, so for Ivil I peel a couple and give her only the nut itself.

[leih merigian]

I've had to watch Geyser with acorns, which abound this time of year. Now that she's two, she's much better about not messing with them, but when she was younger...a constant battle. They can get blockages if they get too much shell in there.

It's always something...

[Sugars Mom]

See that's the thing...Sugar cracks them open then eats out the good stuff, but the shells are super sharp and I worry that she will get some of that too.

And I don't even know what kind of nuts they are!!

[Dutchringgirl]

Well,, they eat bone. Would the shells break down in their system faster? I dont know if Thalie even eats them, she will break them but then move on so quick, I think she just plays with them. Sadie dosnt bother with them, if they dont move she dosnt care.

[johninny]

So on this topic, anyone know of any dangers with the dogs shelling and eating the nuts? Any certain nuts that are no good for dogs?

this has all been hysterically funny. i was not sure about throwing cold water on the DS's nut-loving antics, but since Sugars Mom asked:

even in humans, years of accumulation of nut pieces in the intestines [ nut chips are sharp too when not chewed to a pulp] land many people in hospital, sometimes deadly. the nuts do not break down on their own; the shells are worse - extremely dangerous for lodging in intestines with problems probably not showing up til much later [ like in humans, tho dogs' gastrointestinal systems are generally much more fragile ].

however, there is another problem which can manifest itself within minutes. tree nuts [as opposed to peanuts] are subject to a type of mold infection that is extreme poison when ingested by a dog. i do not know under what conditions this mold is most likely to develop - certain weather conditions or time passed off the tree.
one of the most carcinogenic substances known is a mold that develops in corn during sustained wet growing periods. it could be something like that. it could be traces of mold multiply in a nut that spends months getting processed. i never wanted to take a chance, so never allowed tree nuts for dog. if one gained more knowledge about conditions that bring about the mold assuming there are conditions and that it is not just random lucl of the nut], then informed choice could be made about the safety of local or backyard nuts.
also note that i am not sure whether this applies to ALL tree nuts, particularly not sure whether applies to acorns or hazelnuts which are very different from walnuts, pecans, or even almonds.

my info stored in memory from 11 or 12 years ago, when one of 3 journals reported on this topic: either from vet school journal of TUFTS or JOHNS HOPKINS or from WHOLE DOG Journal.
while i'm at it, seeds and PITS of various fruits can be a problem, with grape seeds being most available and very dangerous. rather random, but a single grape seed can kill a large dog in a time shorter than any intervention could deal with. tho it is anything but comprehensive, it's simplicity is useful; i recommend occasional review of webMD's chart of foods that are poisonous to dogs.

SORRY for the DOWNER. it was so much fun reading the posts! i could see the looks on the dogs faces. they really are incredible.

[Schlussdibusti]

This is a link to the WDSA 2012 Nationals Website informing participants about regional poisons, parasite and fungi. The walnut shell fungi is included. So is Salmon poisining http://www.workingdutchshepherd.org/201 ... ation.html
Is there anything one can eat without dropping dead

[johninny]

salmon poisoning is a term used to cover the same canine affliction that comes from quite an array of raw fish.
other dangers - most with potentially severe consequences - many of which occur commonly: garlic, onions, etc,- GRAPES/raisins, lactose in milk & ice cream, macadamia nuts [deadly], xylitol [ liver failure from toothpaste], chocolate, meat fat, raw eggs, excess salt, almost anything exotic [ goji berries, nutmeg, etc ]

[Dutchringgirl]

Very interesting!!

Lactose in ice cream?? There are times where the kids drop some ice cream on the floor and the fur vacuums get it.

Raw eggs?

[johninny]

don't worry too much about lactose. unlike most things mentioned, it is not horrible but can cause gastric upset, diarrhea [ likely] and itchiness. my Tracedog did enjoy drinking lactose-free, fat free milk - especially when he had lowered interest in food in general. cottage cheese and yogurt do not seem to present the same problems tho still some dogs still have reactions. using low or no fat is good idea,

i would monitor ice cream intake for other reasons, besides the obvious problem with sugar and fat. potential problems that i can think of in order of severity: macadamia nuts [can be deadly in very small amounts], ginger chunks, chocolate.

take a quick look: http://www.pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slide ... -never-eat
sorry if i have the above link wrong [ horribly computer challenged here], but still easy to find if you google it.

[johninny]

ok, that link does not work, so google ''webmd,foods your dog should never eat''
Thinking about all the walnut-eating dogs out there: as this fungus seems to be triggered by wetness, those dogs lucky enough to have local walnuts in dry regions of the country, there is probably low risk of catastrophe, but someplace like the NE it would depend on the specific season [ and still be higher risk of calamity except in drought] and in the NW would seem always inadvisable.

[Marjolein]

I'm always a bit...sceptical...
apparently my dogs did not die from eating it, like I said I would not overdo it. And the shells, I agree on that, they do not digest that, unlike some other substances that a human could never digest.
Dingo leaves bad walnuts alone after cracking them, those brown ones, and picks a new one. he seems to know what is good?

On raw eggs, for a healthy dogs this is not a problem. They have different acids in their stomach, salmonella will not surivive. I even feed raw chicken. In a sick or weaker dog it could cause problems.

But if you read long enough, you could die from anyting.
Recently a study showed, that kids growing up with pets, were way more resistant to bacteria...because they had been in contcact with more bacteria.