The common walnut, an edible food for the dog but
The common walnut, also known as the walnut, is an edible oily dry fruit for the dog. More specifically, only the kernels of the common nut are edible for the dog.
So, if you want to give your dog nuts, you will obviously have to remove their shells and make sure to only give them properly preserved walnut kernels (this is generally the case with walnuts commercially purchased). Walnut shells, if swallowed by your dog, could cause serious digestive obstructions.
Although edible, walnut kernels are very energy-dense foods (they provide a lot of calories) for the dog because they contain a lot of lipids. Consumed in excess, they can unbalance your pet's ration and/or cause some digestive disorders.
And, if nuts provide a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, it is mainly alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that the dog's body does not convert well into EPA and DHA, the two essential omega-3 fatty acids that industrial dog foods often lack!
Thus, it is better to give a dog cold sea fish oil rather than common nuts if your only objective is to enrich its ration with essential fatty acids.
Nuts: watch out for poisoning
Watch out for moldy nuts
Common nuts can still cause poisoning in your dog if he ingests fruit stored in poor conditions and on which mold has developed.More specifically, it is the mycotoxins that develop on the husk of walnuts that are most often the cause of serious poisoning in animals. They appear in particular when the nuts are kept in a humid place conducive to their development. Walnuts that have fallen to the ground for some time in a garden therefore present a significant risk for dogs that would come to eat them.
The mycotoxins that grow on nuts are mainly neurotoxins. They are toxic to the animal's nervous system and cause neurological signs in the latter, the intensity of which depends on the quantity of moldy fruit eaten. These neurological disorders may consist of tremors, neuromuscular signs and seizures. They can be accompanied by digestive disorders such as vomiting or hypersalivation. Signs of poisoning can appear within 2 to 3 hours of ingesting contaminated nuts
The husk, also called epicarp, is the green envelope that surrounds the shell of the nut.
Watch out for Macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs in all cases, although the toxic compound responsible for their toxicity is still unknown to date (mycotoxins are suspected)! Their toxicity is the same whether the nut is ingested raw, cooked or in the form of butter.
Ingestion of Macadamia nuts is toxic for dogs from 2.2g of nuts per kg and 7g/kg are sufficient to cause vomiting and neurological disorders within 6 to 24 hours of ingestion.
And, even if fatal cases remain rare following the ingestion of Macadamia nuts, it is better never to give them to your companion and to react as quickly as possible if he accidentally ingests them.
What should I do if my dog has eaten poisonous nuts?
If your dog has ingested moldy walnuts or Macadamia nuts, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible after ingestion.
Do not under any circumstances attempt to induce vomiting on your own initiative, without the advice of a veterinarian, and do not give him anything to eat or drink.
If the ingestion took place outside the opening hours of the veterinary practice/clinic, contact as soon as possible the veterinary practice on duty, the veterinary hospital center closest to you or a veterinary poison control center among:
- The Lyon CNITV: 04.78.87.10.40 - reachable 24/7 all year round
- The CAPAE of Nantes: 02.40.68.77.40 - reachable 24/7 all year round
The faster you react, the more the treatment that the veterinarian can put in place will limit the symptoms of your dog's intoxication and the faster your dog can recover.