Read This Before Giving Your Dog Almonds!

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Are you tempted to share almonds with your pet dog?

You need to know that despite being nutritious, and also quite delicious, most canines cannot fully digest this type of snack.

Can I Give My Dog Almonds?So that’s the bad news. But is feeding almonds really such a terrible idea?

Here’s the deal:

Regularly giving your dog this nut is a no-no. That’s the case if you want to play it safe.

Though they aren’t exactly poisonous, we cannot encourage almonds as a treat. Get carried away and pancreatitis becomes a concern.

Your Dog Shouldn’t Eat Almonds Often or in Large Amounts

Despite numerous excellent attributes, they just don’t make a lot of sense for furry friends.

You may want to think about keeping your buddy’s life simple by excluding all types of nuts!

Not Healthy For Hounds

Sure, it is disappointing that dogs cannot be eating almonds. After all, they are loaded with:

  • Potassium
  • Iron
  • Biotin
  • Magnesium
  • Calcium
  • Vitamin E

The problem mostly lies with the almond nut’s consistency — it’s way too rich!

Make no mistake about it:

Consequences can result later in life. This is true even though it may appear that your dog handles them just fine — although a stomachache wouldn’t be surprising.

Are Small Amounts OK?

If you can be strict, and only give a couple, it is almost certain nothing bad will happen. But again, almonds should not be shared on the regular.

Feed them to a dog with frequency and you’ll introduce too much fat, including saturated fats.

They are also very high in calories, causing weight gain and sluggishness.

Reduce Rover’s risks by restricting all nuts. You will avoid gastrointestinal complications and a host of future health problems.

Almond Incident Advice

Has your dog already eaten a bunch of almonds?

Be sure to closely watch over them.

Your dog’s digestive system may resort to diarrhea, vomiting and/or upset stomach. These are the typical short-term effects.

Long term almond consumption will cause weight gain from all the fat and calories.

What is really worrying is a possibility of acute inflammation of the pancreas. So terrible!

It is irresponsible to allow an animal to habitually eat nuts. Do not accommodate your dog’s desire for almonds.

Possible Choking Hazard

The size and hardness is another unfavorable factor.

Almonds present a choking hazard.

Remember that dogs don’t really chew up their foods like we do. So, there is a real potential for an obstruction.

Taking everything into account…

The risks outweigh the benefits when it comes to feeding your dog almonds. Save this treat for your own enjoyment.

Pro Tip: Use peanut butter to your advantage if you want to incorporate a nutty treat.

Almonds Not The Worst

Compared to the almond, there are actually worse nuts you could be feeding.

Macadamia is downright dangerous for dogs. Walnuts and pecans are also awful.

Almond Milk a No-Go

Almond milk is also healthy, but it’s not advised for dogs.

Only puppies need milk and it should be from the mother.

Avoid using almond milk as a weaning alternative. This rich liquid makes no sense as a supplement.

A one-time taste is one thing, but allowing your dog to regularly drink almond milk is unnecessary and could turn into a bad habit.

The Bottom Line

Do not allow your dog to munch on almonds.

Tummy aches are common but, more importantly, long-term effects can be quite serious.

Nuts, almonds included, should be strictly rationed or otherwise off limits to your dog.

What Do You Think? Have Your Say Below…

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16 thoughts on “Read This Before Giving Your Dog Almonds!”

  1. Almonds are safe for dogs, but use common sense! If a little is good, a lot is not better. A better alternative than whole almonds is almond butter, but not all the time and not more than 1/2 teaspoon to a tablespoon (depending on your dog).

  2. What about almond flour? A lot of dog treats have almond flour as an
    ingredient.

  3. I use almond flour to make dog biscuits as they do not tolerate wheat flour well. I check with their vet. I would like to know why the flour is okay, but not the nuts themselves?

    They get just one every day and the amount is just 1/2 cup to 6 dozen. Mostly it’s toasted stone oats with fresh pumpkin, olive oil, a 1/2 cup peanut butter, fresh grated carrots, sweet peas, basil and thyme and a touch of agave (about a teaspoon) with a little lactose-free milk.

  4. I have 2 Havanese and when I eat almonds they each get one or maybe two. They seem to handle it very well. Every time I eat almonds they come and stare at me so I have to share with them. I call it almond tax and they insist that I pay it.

    On the other hand, I used to have larger dogs and they always come to me when I eat bananas. But these little dogs don’t want anything to do with the bananas.

  5. You have some very good articles on foods to feed and not to feed. I thought I would mention that a lot of people don’t know that peanuts are not really nuts, although they are called nuts. They are actually legumes and are part of the bean family.

  6. I think this is mainly an issue for small dogs. I have a large Pit Bull who loves nothing more than people food. She eats tons of stuff that she is not supposed to, including lots of nuts, with no adverse reactions. Even foods with chocolate, avocado or onion don’t bother her.

    She has even stolen whole pizzas and significant amounts of guacamole (that’s how I figured out the tolerance). Most dog food, on the other hand, makes her sick (or if she breaks into the cat food). Every time we take her to the vet, she comments on how healthy she is. By contrast, she was sick and malnourished when we rescued her.

    People food makes her happy, so we give her people food. It might not be the healthiest diet, but most people also choose very unhealthy diets in favor of pleasure. If she were a small dog, I would probably be much more careful. She’s literally 40 times bigger than a Chihuahua, so a harmful dose of most stuff for her would actually be pretty big.

  7. Today my dog got into some almonds and regurgitated them up whole. She continued throwing up in addition to the frothy foam. I gave her a small amount of charcoal water, as I couldn’t get much down her without help around. Now she is laying low, taking it easy and hasn’t thrown up in half an hour.

    I am thinking she’s on the mend but called our vet anyway to ask if I should give her Benadryl. They said it wouldn’t hurt. Anyway, activated charcoal is the first thing the emergency room will give a human or a dog in case of poisoning, i.e. drug, alcohol or food. It works like a charm and I consider it nature’s purifier.

  8. I had my dog Tiffany in the car with me and I was eating almonds. I gave her some and she loved it, she ate about five. She woke me up just now throwing up. I’m going to call the vet in the morning. I don’t know what to do but I’m worried. Never again!

  9. My Doberman just ate biscuits made out of almond flour. What should I do?

  10. Almonds have very high-oxalate (Oxalic Acid) content and is best avoided by dogs prone to calcium oxalate stones including kidney and bladder stones.

  11. A lot of ‘human’ food is quite good for your dog and will not hurt them one bit. Almond butter just doesn’t happen to be one of them.

  12. No almonds for dogs! I started feeding my dog almond butter every day. It soon became a morning breakfast ritual for her as I was making my toast for myself. Well, today, she was acting very lethargic and I brought her to the vet.

    They did x-rays, to check for an obstruction, and blood work. All was fine except I believe the vet said something about the possibility of pancreatitis.

    Pancreatitis is caused by excess fat in the diet. The only change was the almond butter. The vet said this is very bad for dogs. I also happened to be snacking on some almonds last night which turned out to be stale. I left them on the table without thinking.

    This morning I noticed undigested almonds in my dog’s stool. This was one of the reasons I brought her to the vet in addition to being lethargic. When I explained the symptoms, the technician looked scared and immediately asked about the amount consumed.

    Almonds have tons of fat. I know it’s the good kind of fat and they recommend almonds for losing weight. But, now my dog has got to be hospitalized for two days. I know they love almonds, but it can lead to pancreatitis fast.

    You have to find a low fat treat. My dogs also love carrots. Try that instead.

    1. Dogs aren’t humans, we love them as if they are but they are dogs. The canine family has evolved different digestive systems than the primate family. So, please, stop feeding your dog human food!

      1. Many folks would agree with you regarding dogs and human foods. Actually, when you think about it, human digestive systems aren’t made for what we consume either!

      2. We make our own food for our dogs and add supplements. There are some good foods, but most of them are garbage and just feeding your dog only kibble is not good either.

    2. I am totally freaking out about this. My little 2 pound Chihuahua just found an almond on the floor I had dropped and ate it. She is so tiny, it doesn’t take much to be toxic for her. I guess I will call the emergency vet after reading this article.

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