Oak Tree Danger

[wgregory7]

It is my understanding that the acorns from the oak tree in my back yard can be toxic to my two dogs. The tree is quite large and I don't want to lose it, but I am concerned for my dogs. I know virtually nothing about trees, so please forgive me if this is a ridiculous question. Is there such a thing as sterilizing a tree so they continue to live but don't produce fruit/nuts?

 

[begleytree]

I've never heard of that, I enjoy consuming acorns myself. a tip: oaks with rounded leaf lobes are good eating, pointed lobes are bitter. poisonus? I'm still here. I've heard that one half of the buckeye is poison, thats not true either. For the same reason above.
beechnuts are good, and the shagbark hickorynuts put pecans to shame, except for the cracking part
-Ralph

 

[Elmore]

It is my understanding that the acorns from the oak tree in my back yard can be toxic to my two dogs. The tree is quite large and I don't want to lose it, but I am concerned for my dogs. I know virtually nothing about trees, so please forgive me if this is a ridiculous question. Is there such a thing as sterilizing a tree so they continue to live but don't produce fruit/nuts?

You can neuter dogs but it is a more difficult procedure on trees. I wouldn't worry about it. If your dogs eat and retain enough acorns to do them harm perhaps you're not feeding them enough.
Here is info on the subject : http://texnat.tamu.edu/cmplants/toxic/plants/oak.html

 

[Elmore]

In general White Oak acorns are sweet and Red Oak acorns are bitter. .

 

[treeseer]

"It is my understanding that the acorns from the oak tree in my back yard can be toxic to my two dogs."

How did you come to this understanding? Arborphobic rumors abound.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Ah dunno how HE got the idea, but this is from the link posted just above:

The toxins in oak are complex compounds called gallotannins. These compounds are toxic to cattle, sheep, goats, horses and dogs.

I think I'll make sure my new Lab has enough to eat!

 

[Sheshovel]

Hummmm that's funny deer eat them all the time.Though my dog won't touch them..he's a bit brighter than that

 

[fmueller]

Ive got 3 dogs and we live in a timber full of Oak trees. Once in a while they'll munch on a nut but they've never gotten sick from it. If they eat lots of em I agree with Elmore, maybe your not feeding them enough.

 

[moss]

Here's my short list of critters I've observed eating acorns:
American Crow
Blue Jay
Canada Goose
Wild Turkey
Gray Squirrel
Red Squirrel
Chipmink
Black Duck
Mallard

Ducks love them soaked after they drop into a puddle or pond. They all love them crushed by car tires, makes them go down easier

In short just about everything eats acorns. As Sheshovel mentioned, deer, bear and other forest animals also enjoy them. Canines don't have the gut to process acorns very well so I imagine they'd get a belly ache if they loaded up on too many of them. Dogs being very smart won't continue to eat something that hurts their stomach. I've never seen a dog eat an acorn but I wouldn't put it past a labrador retriever, they'll eat anything.
-moss

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i think the there used to be such a thing as flour made from the starch of oak nuts.

 

[Sheshovel]

Right and the native Indians also used acorns to make flour but they soaked out or boiled out the poisons 1st,to make them edible I think.They ground them in holes in the great granite boulders around here and Acorns were a mainstay of the native diet.
They actually named certain tree's after certain people and you had to ask permission of that person in the tribe to gather under his or her tree.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

From the linked website:

"As little as 6 percent of an animal’s body weight of dry plant material may be enough to cause oak poisoning."

So...pooch weighs fifty pounds, they need to eat 3 pounds of acorns or so, the site says "dry", for poisoning. That's a lot of eating.

One fall I gathered a bunch of acorns and soaked them to remove the tannin. It took a lot of work but they were good eating. I'm still here...but what does that say?

 

[johnha]

I have two retrievers, the younger one likes to eat the acorns and hickory nuts in our yard. Doesn't seem to bother him at all. Better nuts than the wife's furniture.

 

[sheisonthemoon]

Add one english mastiff and wild pig (boar)to the list of acorn eaters, my other dogs tend to stay off the acorn diet (perhaps from the belly ache theory) or they just prefer the snacks they know i'll eat.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

From the linked website:

"As little as 6 percent of an animal’s body weight of dry plant material may be enough to cause oak poisoning."

So...pooch weighs fifty pounds, they need to eat 3 pounds of acorns or so, the site says "dry", for poisoning. That's a lot of eating.

I should have read a bit more! :blush:

"The toxin is in the dose." Arsenic used to be used for treating sleeping sickness. Many things that are toxic in LARGE doses are actually beneficial in low doses. (A phenomenom known as "hormesis".)


So I suppose if the dog really loves acorns, and munches on them every day, a LOT on them every day, you could have a problem.


Or if it's a little yapper dog, maybe you could have a problem more easily. But then, if you have a little yapper dog, you already have a problem.

 

[fmueller]

Heres one of my big yappers.

 

[fmueller]

and another

 

[fmueller]

And another

 

[gumneck]

Here's my short list of critters I've observed eating acorns:
American Crow
Blue Jay
Canada Goose
Wild Turkey
Gray Squirrel
Red Squirrel
Chipmink
Black Duck
Mallard

Ducks love them soaked after they drop into a puddle or pond. They all love them crushed by car tires, makes them go down easier

In short just about everything eats acorns. As Sheshovel mentioned, deer, bear and other forest animals also enjoy them. Canines don't have the gut to process acorns very well so I imagine they'd get a belly ache if they loaded up on too many of them. Dogs being very smart won't continue to eat something that hurts their stomach. I've never seen a dog eat an acorn but I wouldn't put it past a labrador retriever, they'll eat anything.-moss

They'll eat anything goes for one breed I know. The wife's great dane can't pass on a cat turd!

 

[fmueller]

I think they're all like that. Goats have nothing on dogs when it comes to eating crap.