The great outdoors is a wonderful place for us and for our dogs. Happy and healthy dogs get multiple chances a day to walk, run around, and sniff, well, as much as possible outside. But nature contains more than a few hazards that can cause gastrointestinal distress, or worse, for dogs. Below, find some inedible hazards that you should keep your dog away from, so you keep your outdoor adventures fun, and healthy.
Acorns
Fall has its many charms, which can include cooler temps in which to walk your dog. But on those brisk walks, keep an eye out for acorns scattered beneath oak trees. These tree nuts encased in a hard shell are toxic to dogs if ingested, likely due to the tannins, which are considered antinutrients—that is, they make it difficult for the body to digest actual nutrients.
If dogs eat a large quantity of acorns relative to their size, they may suffer from stomach issues. The signs include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Dehydration
- Liver or kidney failure, in rare cases, if ingested excessively over time
If your dog has eaten a small amount of acorns, it most likely won’t result in digestive distress, or an obstruction, unless your dog is very small. If large enough quantities of acorns are consumed over time it could cause kidney and liver damage, and even death. This is rare for dogs, and is usually an issue for larger animals like cows, but it can happen.
Depending on where in the U.S. the oak trees are, acorn season can begin in August and end in December, but acorns fall primarily in September and October. Be aware that every two to five years, oak trees go through a process called “masting” where they drop a larger number of acorns than usual. If there is an oak tree in your yard or on your usual walking route, watch your dog carefully or avoid the area altogether.
Standing water
Standing water is a breeding ground for all sorts of infectious diseases as well as a collection area for potentially dangerous chemicals. These stagnant pools are especially disconcerting because we tend to have no idea what’s actually in them. For that reason, it’s a good idea to make sure your dog avoids the murky shallows entirely and gets their drinking water from a fresh source.
Standing water has been known to house parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium, which cause gastrointestinal issues, and bacteria like Leptospira, which is transmitted through other animals’ urine and can lead to kidney or liver failure and even death if left untreated. Any body of water could contain chemical runoff with harmful fertilizers or the highly dangerous blue-green algae (more on that below).
Observing any signs of sickness in your dog after they have lapped up standing water is reason enough to reach out to a vet. Those signs can include, but are not limited to:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Seizures
- Tremors
- Decreased appetite
- Abdominal pain
Avoiding standing water altogether is the best line of defense. Always keep your dog on a leash and away from standing water, and remember to bring a dog bowl and water dispenser along with you on walks.
Blue-green algae
Blue-green algae, or an overgrowth of toxin-producing cyanobacteria, is naturally occurring in lakes, ponds, rivers, and other standing water. Under conditions like stagnancy, warm weather, or lack of rainfall, the algae can grow into a bloom on the surface of the water. It produces several toxins, or cyanotoxins, the most dangerous of which are microcystin and anatoxin, which cause liver and neurological damage. Pets shouldn’t ingest any water that may contain blue-green algae. Though there are treatment options, it’s extremely dangerous: there is no antidote and it can lead to death.
The signs of blue-green algae toxicity may appear an hour after ingesting it, though which signs your dog is presenting depends on the kind of cyanotoxins present in the algae. The potential signs are:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Weakness
- Pale gums
- Collapse
- Drooling
- Muscle tremors
- Difficulty breathing
- Muscle rigidity
- Paralysis
- Seizures
Though there is no antidote to blue-green algae poisoning, there are some treatments, so be sure to take your dogs to the vet if he or she is suffering from any of these signs. Be vigilant around water with your pet and familiarize yourself with what the algae can look like. Don’t be fooled by the name; while some of these dangerous algae blooms are indeed blue-green, others are reddish-brown, or appear as foam, or scum. It can look like paint on top of the water, or appears in clumps or striations (New York State has a gallery of these harmful blooms here).
Animal feces
Chalk this one up to the great and wonderful mystery of dogs: Some of them will occasionally eat other animals’ poop. The practice of poop-eating is called coprophagia and, though there are many theories as to why dogs do it, there’s no definitive reason. Is it dangerous? Eating poop, no matter if it’s deer poop or rabbit poop, cat poop or human poop, is not only gross, it could make your dog sick.
Dogs acting strange or sick after ingesting poop should prompt you to seek out the advice of a vet. In deer poop, there can be bacteria—like E. coli or Leptospira—or parasites. Raccoon poop can contain the parasite B. procyonis, which leads to a Baylisascaris infection. (These bacteria and parasites can transfer to humans too, so it’s best not to risk bringing them home.) To reduce any chance of this strange habit from causing serious harm, it’s best to dissuade dogs from consuming feces of any kind. Read more about how to prevent poop consumption here.
Compost
Composting, or the managed decomposing of organic materials, is good for the environment insofar as it recycles food waste into nutrient-rich (and free) fertilizer. But if you have a composting station in your backyard or one in the neighborhood, be sure to monitor your dog around it: the decomposing process presents potential harm to them, particularly if they eat moldy or fermented foods, or toxic plants. Likewise, some of the foods added to the compost pile could cause issues.
Every compost pile has a different makeup, and there may be foods that are not suitable for dogs in its depths. Grapes or raisins are both compostable and, if ingested, cause a whole host of problems for pups. Ditto alliums like onions, leeks, chives, and garlic.
Another major hazard in compost is mold, a natural occurrence as food decomposes. Some mold may cause mild gastrointestinal issues. On the other hand, mycotoxins can cause serious harm. These are produced in fungus that grows on all sorts of crops and food, like cereal, nuts, dried fruits, apples, coffee beans or grounds, and more.
Finally, a byproduct of fermentation is ethanol, which can cause serious problems if dogs ingest it.
Clinical signs of toxicity will vary depending on what food was in the bin, what kind of mold they ingested, whether they consumed ethanol, etc., but may include:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Agitation
- Seizures
- Tremors
- Stiffness
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Increased or decreased urine production
- Ataxia, or the loss of muscle control
- Recumbency, or inability to stand up from a lying down position
- Depression
- Pneumonia
- Hypothermia
An emergency trip to the vet may be warranted depending on what was ingested and the clinical signs your dog displays. Call your vet if you notice the above symptoms, so they can help you determine the best course of action. Still, the best way of handling the danger that compost poses is to prevent your dog from getting into it. If you have a bin in a space that your dog shares, like a backyard, make sure it is closed and locked.
Mulch and fertilizer
It’s not just compost. Sometimes dogs can’t resist a big bag of commercial fertilizer or mulch, often thanks to its enticing ingredients like corn or corn cobs. Most of the time, ingesting fertilizer causes mild gastrointestinal upset or presents a choking hazard, but if the fertilizer contains things like insecticide it can cause additional problems.
Likewise, mulch ingredients can cause issues. A popular (and expensive) variety is made with cacao bean hulls, a byproduct of chocolate production. Like actual chocolate, the hulls contain theobromine, which is toxic to dogs if consumed.
Take your dog to the vet if you see the following after they eat mulch or fertilizer:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Hindlimb weakness/pain
- Uncoordinated walking
- Tremors
Keep lawn treatments in places that dogs can’t get to, and check ingredients before spreading them around the yard.
Poisonous plants
There are many (many) outdoor plants that are toxic to dogs. It’s a list so long that the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center compiled and alphabetized a list of these dangerous inedibles for pups, plus their clinical signs, and you may develop carpal tunnel just by scrolling through it all. (The good news: They also have a list of plants that are not dangerous for dogs and it’s at least as long, if not longer).
These plants grow across all seasons and in various parts of the U.S. Just a sampling of the plants that are toxic to dogs and yet popular in home gardens are tulips, hostas, azaleas, sago palm, aloe, carnation, chamomile, and lilies. If you suspect your dog has ingested such a plant, first identify what it is, cross-check it with the list, and call your vet if the plant is toxic to dogs. Though the clinical signs of toxicity may differ depending on the plant ingested, if they exhibit signs of sickness—from vomiting to diarrhea to lethargy—it’s a good idea to go ahead and get them to a vet.
