Are Black Walnuts Poisonous to Dogs?

Black walnut trees on your property can be bad news if you have a dog. Although it doesn't often happen, dogs may eat the seed hulls or moldy nuts, which can act on them as a poison.

Black Walnut Trees

Black walnut trees are most commonly found in the Northeaster U.S. and Canada. These trees are large and can grow as tall as 60 to 80 feet. The nuts from a black walnut tree are two to four inches in diameter and enclosed in a rough husk.

Ingestion

Although black walnut poisoning is most common in horses, it has been noted in dogs, who may eat the seed hulls. Dogs can also be poisoned if they ingest moldy black walnuts.

Symptoms

Dogs poisoned by black walnut hulls or moldy nuts will vomit and have diarrhea. In the most severe cases, they will have seizures and tremors.

Treatment

If you believe your dog has been poisoned, you can try to induce vomiting. One way to do this is by administering one tablespoon of 1-to-1 hydrogen peroxide (standard three percent) and water mixture per 10 pounds of the dog's body weight. You can give this solution to your dog by using a turkey baster or empty syringe without a needle to shoot the solution into your dog's mouth.

Prevention/Solution

Have black walnut trees removed from your property. If this is not feasible, pick up nuts that fall from the tree or supervise dogs to make sure they don't eat the nuts.