You might be wondering, “Are Pistachios Bad For Dogs?”.
Well, when it comes to the holidays, there are plenty of tasting treats for humans. There are tables filled with mincemeat pies, gingerbread, and even pistachio nuts. But what about your pooch?
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You will find your pup sitting at your feet and looking at you with big their big puppy dog eyes. And how can you resist those eyes?
Maybe you’ll innocently slip your pup a harmless treat like a pistachio nut. Is it safe? Can dogs eat pistachio nuts? And what happens if your dog gets sick?
Should you include nuts in your dog’s diet? Don’t worry. Before you panic, read this article to figure out if pistachios are good for your fur babies.
Table of Contents
Can Dogs Eat Nuts?
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Maybe as a new puppy parent, you’re asking yourself some questions. Such as can a dog eat pistachios?
Can dogs eat almonds? Can dogs eat walnuts? And can dogs eat cashews? Are they dangerous?
What do you do when your pooch eats too many Pistachios? Should you let them gobble them down? Or go rush to the vet?
Allowing your dogs to pistachio eat nuts in small quantities shouldn’t cause any harm to your dogs. But if they do consume large amounts, your dogs could experience some health problems.
Large amounts of nuts can be dangerous to your dog’s health for many reasons.
Nuts, such as Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, and other nuts, are high-fat foods. Dogs have difficulty digesting fat.
This can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, Pancreatitis.
There are nuts that dogs should avoid eating altogether. Macadamia nuts are at the top of this list. Dogs eating Macadamia nuts will often experience weakness, depression, vomiting, and ataxia.
Dogs should also avoid eating nuts that have been out for a long time. They will develop a mold that has tremorgenic mycotoxins. This can lead to neurological difficulties in your dog.
There’s an extra danger that comes with an extra danger of containing some additives. These can include salt, sweeteners, raisins, and, even worse, chocolate.
All these can be toxic to your dog in significant amounts.
If you have a small dog, big nuts can obstruct their intestines. This will make it difficult for them to go poop.
Are Pistachios Bad For Dogs?
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Yes, dogs eat pistachios in small quantities. This can lead to health benefits. These nuts, as a healthy treat, can give your dog some nutritious minerals and vitamins.
Pistachios have a high-fat content, and they often have salt added to them. Both the salt and the fat can be harmful to your dog.
The pistachio shells can also obstruct your dog’s digestive system. Shelled pistachios are also a choking hazard.
What Is Pistachio Poisoning?
Pistachios themselves aren’t harmful to dogs, but they aren’t recommended as a snack for dogs. A dog’s system can’t process nuts. This can lead to Pancreatitis, obesity, and gastrointestinal distress.
Pistachios contain proteins that dogs can’t digest. Pistachio Poisoning can happen when dogs eat many pistachios all at the same time. It can happen even when dogs eat small amounts of pistachios.
The Aspergillus mold on stale pistachios can be toxic to dogs. The mold contains aflatoxin can lead to serious health problems for your dog.
The Causes
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There are some risks from eating Pistachios. These can include the aflatoxin in mold on pistachios and salt. Pistachios will often have other seasonings added to them.
Too much salt in your diet can give you some health issues. It’s the same when your dogs eat nuts.
When a dog overeats salt, it can lead to water retention and possible kidney damage. This is especially dangerous to dogs with heart issues.
Dogs are susceptible to aflatoxin in food. Nuts such as almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, and pistachios contain small amounts of the mold with aflatoxin.
The high-fat content in nuts like pistachios can lead to Pancreatitis in dogs. This painful condition can shorten your pet’s life span.
The Symptoms
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There are several signs that your dog might have Pistachio Poisoning. The symptoms are that your dog has eaten too many nuts. These symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Vomiting
- Greasing looking stools
Your dog can also show symptoms of Pancreatitis. Some of these symptoms are like the symptoms of Pistachio Poisoning. Other symptoms include the following:
- Depression
- Trouble breathing
- Fever
- Heart arrhythmias
- Tiredness
- Orange urine
- Weight loss
- Bloated abdomen
- Pain in their abdomen
If your dogs eat Pistachios that have gone stale, there are some symptoms that you need to look out for. These include:
- Vomiting
- Jaundice
- Liver failure
- Losing their appetite
What To Do If Your Dog Has Pistachio Poisoning?
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It can be scary if you find your dogs eat pistachios. The first thing you should do is stay calm. Panicking isn’t going to help anyone, especially your pet.
The next thing you should do is check the number of pistachios that your dog might have eaten.
For example, your small dog might have eaten a whole bowl of pistachios. In this case, you should take them to the vet straight away.
But it’s different if you have a big dog, such as an adult Rottweiler, that only ate two or three pistachios. In this case, you’ll need to watch them and see how they feel during the day.
When your dog eats pistachio, its size won’t matter. The shelled pistachios are a choking hazard for dogs.
You’ll need to watch your dog make sure they aren’t showing any signs of bowel or throat obstruction.
Recovering From Pistachio Poisoning
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To help your dog recover from Pistachio Poisoning, it’s essential to make sure they stay calm.
While they recover, keep your dog in a quiet and soothing environment. This will help speed up the recovery process.
Your vet might prescribe some medication to help fight the symptoms of pistachio poisoning. These medications will include antacids, antibiotics, and stomach and liver protectants.
Dogs who have aflatoxin poisoning might have to revisit the vet to have their liver function checked. For dogs with Pancreatitis, the vet might recommend a high-fiber diet and low-fat food for the rest of their lives.
The vet might also recommend a pancreatic enzyme supplement for your dog. This will help relieve the punishing pain in their abdomen.
Treating Dogs Who Have Poisoning
The vet that will give your dog will depend on how many pistachios your dog ate. Your vet might opt for a “supportive treatment” regime. This might include IV fluids to treat dehydration.
The vet might also prescribe medication to help treat some symptoms. The prescription might include medicines for pain management, some anti-nausea medication, and antibiotics.
In some cases, you could use peanut butter to give your dog their medication.
Supportive treatment is also essential for recovering from aflatoxin. This is because there is no antidote for aflatoxin poisoning. Without treatment, aflatoxin poisoning can lead to liver damage.
If your pet is vomiting all the time, your vet might suggest your dog be mouth fed for a few days.
In the case of Pancreatitis, your vet will follow a treatment to let the swelling go down. If your dog can eat, your vet might change your dog’s diet.
It might recommend that they eat a high-fiber diet, low-fat and low-protein meals per day. This will help quicken the healing process.
How To Prevent Your Dog From Eating Nuts Again?
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Hiding the nuts in your home, or putting them in a hard-to-reach area, is the easiest way to stop your dog from eating nuts.
You could also opt to give your pet a doggy treat that doesn’t contain nuts. You can do this instead of feeding them peanut butter.
Before buying a snack for your dog, it’s best to check the labels. You should make sure that there aren’t any dangerous additives in the snacks.
Other Dangerous Nuts Dogs Should Avoid
Aside from Pistachios, dogs should also avoid eating Macadamia nuts. If your dogs eat Macadamia nuts, they could suffer from muscle and nerve damage.
This can lead to constant vomiting and extreme nausea.
Dogs should also avoid eating black walnuts and pecans. These nuts contain a toxin called juglone. This can lead to gastrointestinal problems for your dog.
If your dog has eaten any of these nuts, you should call your local vet or any pet helpline.
