Caution. The dog should not play with chestnuts.
There is a lot for your dog to discover in autumn: rustling leaves, sticks, and chestnuts invite you to play. But caution is advised with the beautiful reddish-brown fruits. Your dog could accidentally swallow them, which can lead to an intestinal blockage.
When taking your dog for an autumn walk, make sure he doesn’t play with chestnuts or even eat them. Because if the animal swallows the saying, it can be life-threatening. Quick action is required.
Why chestnuts are dangerous for dogs
Chestnuts are nice and round and smooth, so they slide down the esophagus quite easily. Unfortunately, the digestive juices roughen the surface, and your dog can no longer eliminate the foreign body. What follows is intestinal obstruction, and it’s life-threatening.
If you notice after the autumn walk that your four-legged friend suddenly has digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhea, he may also vomit; go quickly with him to the vet as a precaution. Later, symptoms such as apathy, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain will appear, also alarm signs of intestinal obstruction.
If your dog has eaten a chestnut in one piece, it must then be operated out as quickly as possible. This is the only way your four-legged friend can normally eat again.
Chewed chestnuts are not quite so bad.
If your dog has not swallowed the chestnut whole, the risk of intestinal obstruction is not relatively as high. Nevertheless, caution is advised because the reddish-brown autumn fruits are poisonous for the four-legged friends.
Both the green spiny skin and the fruits contain saponins and glycosides that can cause stomach and intestinal problems, diarrhea, and vomiting. However, your dog would have to eat a lot of chestnuts to suffer poisoning. So the greater danger is that he swallows them whole.
Alternatives for your dog during the autumn walk
It is best not to give your dog the idea of playing with chestnuts in the first place. Therefore, do not throw him a saying as a ball substitute to catch it, but instead choose another toy. An absolute ball or another dog toy can distract your darling from the chestnuts and give him just as much pleasure during the autumn walk.