THE MILD weather during September might lull us into a false sense of security, but the nights are drawing in and the harvests are coming home. With it comes a warning to dog owners: don’t let them eat any acorns.
While mighty oaks can grow from the thumb-sized tree droppings, they can be fatal to pets as one Reading couple found out after their much-loved pooch ate 25 on a walk.
Four-year-old Ollie, a Border collie-mix, was adopted from an animal rescue centre in San Antonio by Rachel Lake and Cory Smith. The couple moved from heat-baked San Antonio – and start a new life with Ollie 5,000 miles across the Atlantic.
Three months after they arrived in the Ding, Rachel and Cory were talking to another dog owner in a park, and Ollie decided to eat some of the acorns that had fallen from a tree.
“We must have been stood there for 20 minutes or so then, just as we were finishing up, out of the corner of my eye I saw Ollie chewing up an acorn and swallowing it,” Rachel said.
“We didn’t think too much about it because acorns look so harmless, but it began playing on our minds a bit.
“Then we did some Googling and discovered that acorns are not harmless at all and are in fact poisonous for dogs because of the tannins they contain.”
They didn’t know how many he had scoffed, and he wasn’t looking ill, but they decided to get him checked out.
“We are mightily relieved that we did,” she said.
As it was the weekend and her regular vets was closed, Rachel called Vets Now, and staff arranged for Ollie to be admitted straightaway to Vets Now’s Reading pet emergency clinic.
After a couple of hours at our clinic, Ollie has brought up 25 acorns and was well enough to head home with Rachel, who is a business data analyst, and Cory, who works in cyber security.
“It was really frightening for us – even the thought of losing Ollie was incredibly upsetting. We think of him as part of our family,” she said.
“When we first took him in it was as foster carers because he’d developed kennel cough and couldn’t be adopted full-time before he was better. Our job was to look after Ollie while he returned to full health, at which point a family in Seattle were planning to adopt him.
“But the adoption fell through – which is just as well because we instantly fell in love with him.
“We’re lucky to have the kind of jobs that enable you to try out living in a new country, and that’s why we’ve ended up here in the UK.”
She continued: “Acorns aside, Ollie’s lifestyle is much better in the UK than in Texas because the weather is so much cooler here and places here are much more dog friendly.”
“But with autumn coming up, we’re really keen for other owners to be aware of how dangerous acorns can be for dogs.”
She praised the Vets Now team which operates out of Castle Veterinary Surgery in Tilehurst Road.
“The whole team were brilliant with Ollie and very kind with us as well,” she said. “We are really grateful to them. But in the nicest possible way we’re hoping that we and Ollie don’t need to see them again for quite a while.”
Emergency Vet Dave Leicester, head of telehealth at Vets Now, says this is a reminder that while owners might not think much of letting their dogs pick up an acorn, they can cause serious complications if ingested.
“Acorns look small and unthreatening, but they really are very dangerous to dogs if consumed in large quantities. The tannins in acorns are a type of chemical that is toxic for dogs and can lead to fatal liver and kidney failure. They also pose the potential risk of causing an intestinal blockage,” he explained.
“If your dog has eaten acorns or you think they might have done then it’s important to contact your vet or, out of hours, your nearest Vets Now immediately to ensure your dog receives treatment as quickly as possible”
For more details, log on to: www.vets-now.com
