Grains & Nuts

Provides fibre and B vitamins and is palatable once cooked, useful for adding a little satiety.

Peanuts are about 49% fat, which can cause stomach upset and may trigger pancreatitis; mouldy peanuts can carry aflatoxins (liver toxic); whole peanuts are a choking hazard for small dogs.

Nuts are not classic poisons, but their high fat content can cause gastrointestinal signs and may trigger pancreatitis in sensitive dogs; mouldy nuts carry a mycotoxin risk.

Cashews are roughly 44% fat, so this heavy fat load often causes vomiting and diarrhoea and can trigger pancreatitis; a whole nut is also a choking risk for small dogs.

Brown rice supplies carbohydrate with a little fibre and B vitamins, and it cooks soft and palatable, so it is often used as the carbohydrate part of a bland diet during gut upset; **plan that diet with your vet rather than mixing it yourself**.

Cooked quinoa adds carbohydrate with a little plant protein and fibre, and its soft texture mixes easily into the usual bowl.

Sunflower seeds are high in fat, so too many cause loose stools or diarrhoea; shells are hard to digest and can choke or irritate the gut, and salted or spiced seeds carry a heavy salt load.

Hazelnuts are high in oil, so too many can cause vomiting and diarrhoea and may trigger pancreatitis; a whole nut can choke a small dog, and mouldy nuts may carry mycotoxins.

Pistachios are roughly 45% fat, so this heavy fat load often causes vomiting and diarrhoea and can trigger pancreatitis; a whole nut chokes a small dog and the hard shells are even harder to digest.

Pumpkin seeds are fairly fatty, so too many cause loose stools or diarrhoea; whole seeds in the shell are hard to digest and can choke or irritate the gut, and salted or caramelised versions carry a lot of salt and sugar.

Dogs commonly develop hind-limb weakness, difficulty standing, tremors and raised body temperature within 12 hours of eating macadamia nuts; the toxic mechanism is unknown but nerve and muscle function appear to be affected.

Sesame is about 50% fat, so generous amounts easily cause vomiting and diarrhoea and may trigger pancreatitis; **whole seeds pass through almost undigested**, while ground seed is better used but also turns rancid quickly.

Flaxseed contains **cyanogenic glycosides**, so raw seeds or large amounts carry a cyanide-poisoning risk; it is also fairly oily and high in fibre, and too much causes loose stools, bloating and diarrhoea.

**Dry chia is risky**: the seeds swell into a gel as they absorb water, so a dry serving, or one taken with little water, can block the oesophagus; chia is also very high in fibre, and too much loosens the stool and bloats the gut.

Pine nuts are roughly 68% fat, so this heavy fat load often causes vomiting and diarrhoea and can trigger pancreatitis; a whole nut is also a choking risk for a small dog.

Cooked buckwheat supplies carbohydrate with a little plant protein and fibre, so it can be mixed in occasionally; **it contains no gluten and is not a wheat**, which still does not make it more nutritious than rice.

Cooked millet supplies carbohydrate with a little B vitamins and turns soft and palatable, so it can be stirred in occasionally.