Went Camping. There was black walnut everywhere. We think he ate a husk or some fruit. He is sneezing and wheezing/ coughing intermittently like a kennel cough. He pees and poops. Don’t see any husk coming out (yet). Should we go to ER tonight or Vet tomorrow if get in?

Thank you for your question. I apologize for the delay, this platform is not set up for urgent emails. I hope that he is okay, and that all went well for him.

I noticed my dog walking around with the husk of a walnut in her mouth today. It’s been about 6 hours and she seems fine. The only symptom could possibly be panting but she was playing g hard with her sibling so I’m assuming that was the reason for the panting. She seems to be twitching a little in her sleep but she usually does that a little, I’m not sure if it could be considered a tremor or not because I’ve never seen what a tremor looks like in a dog. I’m just a worried dog parent..how long after ingesting walnut hulls would she begin to show symptoms of walnut poisoning? How long after could she begin to show them?

Walnut husks generally become toxic to dogs due to the growth of a mold on the husk which is actually what causes the symptoms to present; symptoms are usually visible within a few hours of ingestion but if Scout was just carrying around the husk in his mouth then he may not of actually ingested any of the mold. You should keep a close eye on Scout and look for any symptoms listed on this page; twitching or tremors can be difficult to distinguish especially if Scout is a twitcher normally whilst sleeping. If you notice anything else concerning or altered behaviour call your Veterinarian. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM

I've heard of using black walnut to help get rid of giardia in dogs. My 4 month old puppy is now going to be on her 3rd round of medicine to get rid of this stubborn giardia but I would like to give her something else in addition to knock this icky parasite out once and for all. She is 5lbs right and and from my research, they say one drop of liquid black walnut per 10lbs of dog. Do you have any recommendations? Is there a risk of her getting black walnut poisoning from using the liquid black walnut?

The extract of any plant or product can be dangerous and the concentration of the product you’re using needs to be taken into account as two products of black walnut liquid may have differing concentrations so only use products intended to be used on animals which have a dosage chart. True black walnut poisoning comes from the mold that grows on the husks of the black walnut not the black walnut itself. Before using any product you should check with your Veterinarian as other ‘added’ ingredients in human preparations can be toxic for dogs. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM https://wagwalking.com/treatment/natural-giardiasis-remedies

our yard is full of black walnut husks and small brances which he walks on. Sometimes he chews on the sticks and is always walking on the brown or black husks from the walnuts.Comes in house and chews hard and quite long on all his feet.one foot even shows some blood at times

It is the mold that grows on the black walnuts which is dangerous for dogs, although it is possible that walking on the husks may cause irritation to the paws which is causing Jake to chew on them. You should try to clean up the debris from black walnut (husks, branches etc…) and clean Jakes paws to remove any dirt and to look for any injury; keep him under observation for a day or two and see how he goes, if you have further concerns have your Veterinarian check him out. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM

My dog licked a squished black walnut on the ground for only a second beforw i stopped her. This was only about 30 minuets ago and she has shown no signs of black walnut poisoning, but im still very worried about her. If she hasnt actually eaten it and only licked it for a moment, will she be okay? Also, about how long does it take for the first symptoms to appear.

If Ruby just licked the squashed black walnut she should be alright, just rinse her mouth out to be on the safe side; black walnuts are not poisonous themselves but it is a mold which grows on them which may cause symptoms of poisoning. Monitor her for the time being and if you notice any symptoms visit your Veterinarian. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM