Can dogs eat pecans?

Pecans, like walnuts, can harbor moulds such as Aspergillus and Penicillium. Some produce aflatoxins, which damage the liver, and others produce tremorgenic toxins. Old or poorly stored nuts and those fallen from trees are most likely to be affected.

The risk from a single fresh pecan is low, but there is no reason to take it.

Pecans are about 72 percent fat, one of the highest of any nut, and a single half has around 10 calories. Fatty foods can cause vomiting and diarrhea and may trigger pancreatitis in dogs that are prone to it.

Whole pecans in their smooth brown shells are the size and shape of a large olive. Dogs that crack them open swallow sharp fragments. Swallowed whole, a pecan can lodge in a small dog's gut.

Pecan shells are also used as garden mulch in some areas. Dogs may chew and swallow the pieces, which can be sharp and may carry mould.

Pecan pie is made with corn syrup, sugar, butter and eggs, and pralines are pecans in caramel. These are high in sugar and fat. Candied and spiced pecans on salads add sugar and sometimes cayenne. None of these are dog treats.

In the southern US and parts of Australia, pecan trees drop nuts in autumn. Clear fallen nuts regularly, especially after wet weather when mould grows quickly.