My Dog Ate Seeds – Should I Be Worried?

Dogs eating odd things is not an uncommon event around the household. For many dogs, their mouth and their nose are their universe, and they are driven by curiosity to put things in their mouth. They will pull things out of the trash, eat interesting things on a walk and find all kinds of things on a kitchen counter if given an opportunity.

Apple Seeds

Many people have heard that apple trees and apple cores are toxic because of the seeds. This is true, albeit, on a very large scale of consumption.

Apple cores with seeds can be fed to your dog as long as they’re in bite-sized pieces.

Your dog would have to eat large amounts of apple seeds to put their overall health at risk, whether she is a labrador or not!. So don’t worry! If your dog eats an apple core, odds are she will likely pass it without incident.

Apple seeds contain a compound called amygdalin which, when chewed or digested is converted to hydrogen cyanide. While the amount of cyanide is toxic in general, it is not considered a problem at the level of the tiny amount in apple seeds and will not involve cyanide poisoning.

Every plant-based fruit contains some naturally occurring ingredient that a dog’s liver will metabolize readily. According to ASPCA Poison Control, a medium-size dog would have to not only ingest but chew up 85 grams of apple seeds in order to ingest an amount of toxicity.

That equates to the amount (and ground-up seeds) of 200 apples. That’s a lot of fruit and bellyache of enormous proportion and not low-calorie with apple slices! As with most editable material that is ingested, their liver will break it down and metabolize it without incident. So, you can feed a sensible amount of apple cores with the seeds to your dog. Cyanide levels are not considered to be anywhere near a level to be concerned about or poisonous to dogs.

Apples are actually a delicious treat and many dogs like to eat apples. If you do feed your dog apples, chop them up so that the segments are bite-sized pieces. Be careful that your dog does not choke on the core if you do feed her apples, hence chopping it into bite-size portions is ideal to avoid her inhaling the whole thing accidentally and damaging her digestive system.

Never allow her to eat a whole apple as this may lead to choking or getting it lodged in her esophagus. Try applesauce. This can be a problem for dogs who don’t actually chew their food but swallow it instead. Apples are a good source of what is called insoluble fiber and a small percentage of dogs may eat an apple or the core and develop GI upset as a result, most commonly diarrhea or softer stools than usual.

This is typically self-limiting and will resolve on its own. You can continue to feed chopped apples incrementally over time, allowing the bacteria in her gastrointestinal tract to adjust. The next time your dog rummages around for something good to eat, don’t sweat the apple core. She simply has an excellent palate and doesn’t like to waste food!

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of iron, vitamin E, and copper for humans, but can dogs eat them too?

The short answer is, yes, dogs can eat sunflower seeds.

However, before you race off and start feeding your pet handfuls of tasty sunflower seeds, there are a few things you should know.

Sunflower seeds are packed full of energy and nutritional goodness and as a supplement or treat, can be a good addition to your dog’s diet. Besides being a tasty and enjoyable treat for your dog, studies have shown can help improve your dog’s skin and coat.

Sunflower seeds also contain a high percentage of vitamin E, which is an essential part of the canine diet and a natural antioxidant that is useful in lowering cholesterol. Vitamin E can also help with the metabolic processes that produce energy within your pet’s body.

However, as with many seeds, sunflower seeds are high in carbohydrates and fats, and for this reason, you should only feed them to your dog occasionally and even then, only in moderation. If you are buying sunflower seeds for your dog, you should purchase the peeled and unsalted variety.

Most dogs will enjoy the soft inner kernel of the seed, but the tough outer husk can cause severe gastrointestinal distress and diarrhea. Salted seeds should be avoided, as too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease in your pet. Sunflower seeds are extremely tasty, and as such, it is unlikely that you’ll have any trouble getting your dog to eat them. Therefore, they can be fed directly to your dog as a snack or mixed into their meal to add flavor.

Dogs can eat sunflower seed butter, and the chances are that they will enjoy it. In fact, you may find that your dog likes sunflower seed butter more than peanut butter. However, as sunflower seed butter is extremely high in calories, it should only be given as a special treat. While feeding your dog sunflower seeds may sound like a good thing to do, the fact is that in most cases, there is no real need to add any supplements to your dog’s diet.

Watermelon Seeds

Dogs get most of their energy from the protein in meat sources and they don’t digest fruits or vegetables very easily or efficiently.

As such, you may be wondering why you’d even consider giving your dog watermelon. Firstly, dogs love watermelon. Most dogs will be delighted to indulge in a juicy piece of this summertime fruit. They love the texture, they enjoy the sweetness, and cold watermelon can be very refreshing for your pooch.

It isn’t all about indulgence, though! Watermelon is packed with antioxidants and vitamins. Most notably, this fruit contains an abundance of vitamin C, which, according to this article from Pets WebMD, dogs cannot synthesize themselves and must obtain from their diets. Not only is watermelon tasty, but it also provides some healthy vitamins for your pooch!

Additionally, watermelon is made up mostly of water, so it can be a great way to keep your pup hydrated, especially if there isn’t a water source readily available. As far as sugar goes, watermelon doesn’t have a high concentration. It’s a naturally sweet fruit with some sugar, but it shouldn’t pose any health issues for most dogs if given to them in moderation.

Dogs with diabetes or those suffering from obesity shouldn’t be fed watermelon at all, but healthy dogs won’t be negatively affected by small amounts of watermelon offered as a treat. No part of a watermelon is toxic to dogs. However, you should always avoid giving them black seeds or the rind. The hard, black seeds often found inside watermelons can pose a choking hazard for your dog, as can pieces of the rind that they might bite off and swallow.

Larger pieces of the watermelon’s flesh can also pose a choking hazard, so make sure to offer bite-sized pieces to your pup without seeds or rind attached to be perfectly safe. While watermelon flesh is safe for dogs, too much can lead to digestive issues that can cause upset stomach or diarrhea, so make sure you only give your pup a few small pieces every so often as a special treat and not as part of their regular diet.

Watermelon is perfectly safe for dogs in moderation.

It can serve as a delicious and nutritious treat that offers hydrations, antioxidants, and vitamins, all of which are essential to your dog’s health. However, you’ll want to be careful to remove all seeds and pieces of rind before offering it to your pooch, as these can pose a choking hazard. You’ll also want to make sure you cut up the watermelon into bite-sized pieces that won’t cause choking in even the most overzealous eaters.

Papaya Seeds

Our diet is so similar to dogs that we overlook the fact that not all food can be suitable.

It’s safe for your dog to eat papaya as long as you remove the seeds.

We need to mind their diet according to their breed and size. It was already proven that fruits can also be healthy for them but can be said for papaya seeds as well. There are lots of dogs that like to eat papaya, some even love them. Here are some things to take note of should you decide to feed your dog some papaya.

It is not just safe to treat your dogs with papayas but it was confirmed to have health benefits too.

Papayas contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber that are nutritious for your dogs. Vitamins K, C, E, and A with antioxidants can help in strengthening the immune system. Vitamins C and its antioxidants further aids in reducing inflammation and healing processes.

Minerals like potassium, folate, magnesium, and calcium can assist in healthy growth, especially if given to puppies. First of all, check the papaya carefully and avoid serving if there are any spots or odor on it. Rinse the papaya and then peel off the skin. Dogs are unable to digest the papaya skin and if they accidentally eat it, it may result in loose stools. Papaya seeds can cause an intestinal blockage so it needs to be removed.

Cut the papaya into bite-like portions and see if your dog likes it. Observe for any adverse effects like allergies and if it shows stop immediately. If there’s no issue continue to give papaya as a treat but make sure that it’s in moderation. Of course, there will always be a risk in eating fruits and that’s no different from papaya. An allergic reaction can occur if the dog at one point eats papaya. Be vigilant with reddening of the skin particularly near the mouth.

Papaya seeds may look soft and edible but they cannot be digested properly which may cause pain when being released.

It is also said that it contains trace amounts of toxic cyanide. If dogs eat too much papaya it can lead to diarrhea because of its fiber content. Other digestive issues may show if it’s severe. Consulting your vet regarding any symptoms that are harmful to your dog is the best cause of action.

Poppy Seeds

Did you just come home to find your dog chomping down on a big loaf of poppy seed bread that they decided to liberate from your pantry?

Should you be worried and call your vet right away or leave your dog to sleep off their carbohydrate overload? Do you even need to be concerned about the presence of poppy seeds within the bread?

While many of us know that some foodstuffs like garlic are definitely not good for dogs, others are a little trickier to figure out if they’re safe or not. The poppy seed falls into the second category, so you may not be sure if it’s necessary to call your vet if you find your precious pup eating something containing poppy seeds.

We’ll take a look at whether poppy seeds are safe for your dog to eat in large quantities, won’t do any damage in smaller amounts, or if they should be avoided altogether. Most of the evidence suggests that a small amount of poppy seeds is fine on occasion. While this might be true, poppy seeds can be dangerous even in small quantities. So, we suggest that this is food that’s left out of your pup’s diet.

Poppy seeds have been collected as food for thousands of years. The seeds can be eaten whole, sprinkled onto baked goods, and ground into poppy seed meal. They can also be pressed into oil. Poppy seeds are banned in Singapore, Taiwan, and China because they contain trace amounts of opiates.

The Czech Republic is the world’s largest producer of poppy seeds, with just under 29,000 tons being harvested in 2016. Turkey and Spain are the next largest producers. Poppy seeds are smaller than one millimeter in length. To make one gram in weight, you’ll roughly need 3,3000 seeds.

Poppies contain two alkaloids: codeine and morphine. While these are used in medical pain relief applications, ingesting an excessive amount can cause damage to your dog’s central nervous system. Poppy seeds themselves contain minimal amounts of both these alkaloids, but it should still be advised to show caution when it comes to allowing your dog access to any foods containing poppy seeds.

Different dog breeds can have sensitivities to particular types of food, and your dog may be affected by a number of poppy seeds that would not affect a dog of a different size or breed. Even though poppy seeds contain only trace amounts of opiates, this may still be enough to affect certain dogs.

Grape Seeds

You may think that you know all the major foods in your kitchen that are potentially toxic to dogs, such as chocolate, coffee, garlic, and onions, just to name a few.

But what about grapes? These tiny little fruits have to be harmless, right?

Actually, no: Grapes are one of the most toxic foods that you can give a dog, and you should do everything in your power to make sure your pet never eats one.

Grapes are extremely toxic for dogs. Just one or two of these little fruits can cause an otherwise healthy dog to suffer kidney failure and die in only a few hours, so there’s no number that’s safe to feed your pooch.

Here’s the strange thing about grapes, though. They’re not toxic to all dogs. Some dogs can eat them without issue. Also, some dogs can eat a few and be fine but can die if they eat too many. It’s not a breed-by-breed thing, either. It varies from individual dog to individual dog.

The Final Thought

That was our thoughts on various seeds that can be eaten by dogs, some dangerous and some not. You should keep an eye on your dog and what she eats, but apples are fine! Just make sure the dog food you feed them is high quality.