Believe it or not, peach (apricots, cherries, and plums) pits can be fatal to your dog. These pits are dangerous for three reasons. For one thing, your dog can choke on them, causing anoxia and death within minutes. In addition, the pits can cause a blockage in your dog’s intestine, which can also be fatal. However, the main reason that peach pits are dangerous to your dog is that they have amygdalin in them, which is toxic, and can cause kidney failure and death within a few days. The foliage of the peach tree is poisonous as well, so if you have any peach (apricot, cherry, or plum) trees on your property, you should be sure your dog is not able to get to the downed fruit, stems, or leaves. Your dog can get acute poisoning if a large amount of peach pits or foliage is consumed at one time, or chronic poisoning if a small amount is eaten over a period of time. The latter is equally as toxic because a dog’s body is unable to process or rid the body of the amygdalin, so it just builds up until a toxic amount is reached.

Peach pits are poisonous to your dog because they (as well as apricots, cherries, and plums) have something called cyanogenic glycosides (amygdalin) inside them, which is a form of cyanide. This toxin slows down the enzymes in your dog’s body that are essential to transport oxygen in the blood. If your dog eats enough of them, amygdalin poisoning can be dangerous and even fatal. For example, if you have peach trees, and your dog eats the peaches off the ground, it will not take too many to make him sick. As a matter of fact, the stems and leaves are also toxic, and can be dangerous for your dog if he consumes too many of them.

The symptoms of both acute and chronic peach pit poisoning are similar, but with chronic poisoning, the symptoms are much milder and come on slower. This makes chronic poisoning much harder to diagnose. The most common symptoms of peach pit poisoning are:

 Types

The cause of peach pit poisoning in dogs is the accidental or intentional ingestion of peach pits, which have toxins in them. The amygdalin (cyanogenic glycosides and amygdalin) slows down the body’s ability to deliver oxygen through the blood to the tissues and organs. This slowly suffocates the body, causing loss of consciousness, coma, cardiac arrest, and death among others.

Your veterinarian will be able to diagnose your dog through your description of his symptoms and what you believe he ate. Additionally, the veterinarian will need to know about your dog’s medical history, any previous illnesses and injuries, and changes in behavior or appetite. The veterinarian will do a complete physical examination, which includes heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, temperature and reflexes.

It is also necessary to complete some tests on your dog, such as a complete blood count (CBC), biochemistry profile, blood gas, and urinalysis. The veterinarian will also perform liver and kidney function tests, as well as some radiographs (x-rays) to determine the amount of damage that has been done. Kidney and liver biopsies may also be needed.

Even if you get your dog to the veterinarian right away after the symptoms have started, treatment may not be successful. By the time the symptoms are evident, the damage done by amygdalin is not reversible, and can be fatal. However, the veterinarian will admit your dog to the hospital and provide oxygen and IV therapy. There are several medications that are effective for peach pit poisoning, which are hydroxylamine hydrochloride, dimethylaminophenol, and amyl nitrite.

The chances of recovery are poor if there has been a severe toxicity. If your dog recovers, lifespan can be shortened depending on the amount of kidney and liver damage that is already done.