Vets warn about acorn danger to dogs

Four month old Labrador puppy Merlin now wears a muzzle to stop him from eating any acorns

A veterinary practice has warned dog owners about the danger their pets face from eating acorns.

The social media post from Seadown Vets in Hampshire follows a number of cases where dogs have had to undergo surgery to remove acorns which had become stuck in their intestines.

Four-month-old Merlin, a Black Labrador puppy, was one of the dogs which had to have surgery. He has now made a full recovery.

Veterinary surgeon Catherine Boeree said she had not seen anything like it before and put it down to the number and size of acorns this year, adding: "They certainly seem to be whoppers this year, three [cases] in three weeks is an awful lot."

Veterinary surgeon Catherine Boeree has operated on three dogs in three weeks to remove stuck acorns

Merlin's owner Jemima Downing, who is herself a veterinary nurse, took him to the surgery after he started vomiting and went off his food.

When anti-sickness medication failed to help him, x-rays revealed a blockage in his small intestine meaning he needed an operation.

"I was quite emotional about it," said Ms Downing. "I'd only had him two months and he's quite a baby. It was really quite distressing, but I knew it would be the best thing for him."

Despite having oak trees in the garden, it did not cross her mind that an acorn would be behind it.

She said: "Foreign bodies are usually things like stones, or toys which are broken up, so when it was an acorn I was quite surprised actually. But then looking at the garden this year, the floor is covered with them."

Merlin has now recovered from his operation

Acorns contain a toxin that can be poisonous to some animals such as cattle and horses, but this does not seem to be so much of an issue for dogs.

"They are poisonous but they have to be eaten in larger quantities and we don't generally see that in dogs," Ms Boeree said.

"I've never known dogs crunch and chew large volumes of acorns and as I understand it, they taste a bit bitter, so it tends to be more of a problem with horses. With these dogs, it's just that they have swallowed them whole."

Ms Boeree said the main symptom to look out for which might suggest an acorn had become stuck was if a dog was vomiting over a period of more than six to 12 hours.

She explained that it was more of a problem for small to medium size animals, as even large acorns may well pass through a big dog without getting stuck.

It also depended on the personality of your pet, Ms Boeree said.

"Saying you are only going to walk your dog on a lead for all of the months that acorns are on the floor is a bit unrealistic if I'm honest as most dogs will happily run around and enjoy their lives without eating a very large acorn that gets stuck," she said.

"I think if you have a dog that's prone to eating silly things then keep a very close eye on them or, as Jemima is doing, walking with a muzzle to stop them eating acorns."