My dog ate an apricot pit. Is it toxic or will it cause obstruction?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Apricots and the pits can be toxic (cyanide poisoning) but a dog Reggie's size would need to ingest many pits at once to get close to a toxic dose of cyanide. Clinical signs of toxicity would be expected rather quickly if a toxic dose was ingested, so if no signs after a few hours of ingestion then he is likely fine. I would certainly try to prevent him from eating these though. Number one, they are toxic and, number two, the pits can cause a blockage in the intestines which would require emergency surgery to correct. It is better to be safe than sorry and prevent ingestion altogether. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Oh, dear! With peach pits, there are two main concerns: if it was chewed up quite a bit before swallowing, there is a chance of a toxicity issue since peach pits do contain small amounts of cyanide. If he swallowed it whole, it's very likely to cause an intestinal obstruction as it moves through his GI tract, which would require surgery. If he just ate it, I would recommend having him seen by a vet right away - he/she can give an injection to safely induce vomiting so that, hopefully, he will throw it up and you won't need to worry.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There is probably nothing to worry about for Huxley. The poisonous part of the pits are contained in the inner kernel so unless the pit is cracked open and the kernel missing, im not worried about that. That gnawing probably resulted in only tiny bits -if any- of the pit being swallowed. A dog this size is unlikely to have problems with that. Of course he may have a sensitive stomach or have gotten into something else in the trash that would cause a problem. If you see more than 3 episode of vomiting, severe lethargy, or loss of appetite lasting more than 8 hours, see an emergency vet to make sure he’s ok. Best of luck to you and Huxley!

Sorry that it's taken this long for a response. This is unusual, so there must have been a technical error. It's difficult to know for sure, but it's definitely a concern for causing an obstruction in the stomach, or intestines. Unfortunately, the only option at this time is to wait and see if it passes OK. Normal GI transit time is 3-5 days for such things. During this time you would just be waiting to see if he has any signs of an obstruction. Signs of an obstructions are vomiting, not defecating, acting very painful/depressed and a decrease in appetite. If you notice these signs, then Wookie would need to go to the vet immediately for emergency surgery.  I hope that helps and all is well with Wookie.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Cherry pits can sometimes cause gastrointestinal obstruction. The symptoms of obstruction include vomiting, poor appetite, abdominal pain, lack of stools. The signs usually start within 24-48 hrs. If Nene chewed the pits, there is a small chance of cyanide intoxication. The signs to look for are panting, red gums, disorientation. They normally start a few hours after toxin ingestion. However, if Nene ate only two pits, he will likely pass them in his stools and he will not show any worrying symptoms.

If there are no signs of distress, abdominal discomfort, lethargy, inappetence, vomiting, diarrhoea or straining to defecate, I would not be worried about it as it is likely to pass through the whole intestine.

It is important to recognize that plum pits can be dangerous. They contain cyanide which is toxic to dogs. They can also cause an intestinal obstruction in such a small dog. I would be worried about the vomiting. If the vomiting continues or she starts showing any other symptoms of being sick then you need to get her to a vet ASAP.