Let's start off by saying I love fall, it's my favorite season. I have also discovered that fall comes with some disadvantages. At least one, acorns.
Acorns come from Oak trees and we live in an area loaded with oak trees, white oak, red oak along with all the other trees and although they are amazing source of so many amazing things, shade, cooler temperatures in the summer, beautiful fall foliage, oxygen. They also make acorns and this year there has been a plethora of acorns. Now there are many reasons why the oaks are so loaded with acorns this year. One large oak tree can produce 10,000 acorns! The Farmers Almanac said it's because it was so dry the oaks are trying to procreate as much as possible, folklore says that it's going to be a brutal cold winter. Pick your story all I know is we have a lot of acorns.
We also have a one year old puppy, Reedy, who appears to be a Dachshund - Terrier Mix. He stands at his back 9 inches from the floor. That pretty
much puts him eye to eye with anything laying on the
ground
and he decided he likes to eat acorns. He can scoop up an acorn or two or three and stuffs them in his mouth like a chipmunk. And when I go to get them out of his mouth he tries to swallow before I can get them UGH! So on our walks it's a constant battle. And seems to be one that I lost this past weekend.
The first problem is that acorns can be toxic to dogs. They contain gallontannin which is an acid. This acid is in the outer hard shell and cap of the acorn and can cause gastrointestinal issues for your dog including vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping. In sever cases acorns c
an cause kidney failure and death. Your dog would have to about 6% of their body weight of acorns before toxicity occur. For a dog that weights 10 pounds it's not that much. These are facts I found on the internet so please do your o
wn research.
The bigger concern and the one that Reedy had to deal with this weekend was GI tract obstruction. This of course is deadly
and requires surgery and what we had to deal with this weekend.
Friday night was mostly sleepless for Reedy
and I as his stomach must have been hurting. He vomited once overnight and I hoped that was the end of it. Nope, in the morning he vomited again and there was an acorn in it. He had no appetite and was totally lethargic. Nothing like a trip to the ER vet on a Saturday morning.
Once there they took great care of him, exam, e-rays, ultrasound and the decision was made to do exploratory surgery. They did find two acorns in his small intestines. He did well with the surgery whi
ch probably saved his little life. He spent two nights in the hospital and came home today. Now we have to keep him quiet, short leash walks, no jumping, no stairs, special diet for two weeks. Oh boy, to say the least keeping him quiet will be
a challenge.
I have been sending him reiki since he first started showing symptoms. He has stitches across his belly which will be getting cold laser daily. So after him feeling really sick, spending four hours in the ER, thousands of dollars and a long road to recovery, I am just grateful that he is here with us and still his happy self.
If your pet should ingest acorns please stay cautious and be sure to contact your veterinary professional for help. We send our
heartfelt appreciation to the Doctors and Staff at Upstate Vet for their loving care.
Oh, and he will be wearing a mesh muzzle when he goes outside especially in the fall.