Plums! ...and a Labrador

Zulu

Hi folks,
quick question - are plums safe for Labradors?

A neighbors plum tree overhangs our garden & the fruit are ripening. I'm a little concerned a recent trip to the vet for an upset tummy may have been caused by plums. From what I can see online, plums are grand, but the pits/pips aren't. That said, I didn't think plums grew in Ireland! Are their "crab-plums" (similar to crab-apples)? Are these also ok for a dog to eat?

To be honest, I could be in big trouble if they're poisonous, as the tree has shit loads of fruit on it.

The birds seem to like the fruit.

ppink

I have a plum tree and they are just normal plums, not sure what crab plums are. My tree is loaded with fruit also this year.

I would not let my dogs have free access to anything like that. One plum is probably no harm but some of my dogs would eat the lot:eek:.

Can you either put up a net to stop them falling into your place or cut off the branches overhanging your property?

I would always be safe than sorry with these things.

I just thought if the birds are eating them then they must be ripe so cant you pick them and either eat them or give them back to your neighbour. They do ripen fully off the tree also.

Knine

A couple of plums won't do any harm but labs tend to overeat and a belly full of plums could very easily lead to complications such as bloat (Gastric Torsion) as the dog may simply keep eating them. Fruit is also acidic so would upset his stomach in large amounts.

So I would definitely try to limit his access to them,

Perplexed22

Any advice on feeding tuna to a lab? My one is mad for it so I replace some of her normal grub with it from time to time (I rinse the brine off it first) but I often wonder is it safe or is there some good reason it only appears in cat food?

Zulu

As far as I know it's all good.

I'd be wary of giving too much, as I'd be wary of eating too much myself. The heavy metals tend to accumulate in the larger predator fish. ...but we'd be taking massive amounts here I'd imagine. (note: this opinion is solely based on hear-say and rumor, so take it as much)

toadfly

Perplexed22 wrote: »

Any advice on feeding tuna to a lab? My one is mad for it so I replace some of her normal grub with it from time to time (I rinse the brine off it first) but I often wonder is it safe or is there some good reason it only appears in cat food?

Sardines in oil would be much better than any fish in brine even if it's rinsed off.

gregers85

A few plums wont do any harm haha my german shepherd is a disaster for robbing apples from our tree,it is only a small tree (dont worry not crab apples!) and she doesnt even stop just runs right by turns the head and snatch haha she is also a terror for digging up our veg patch and eating our spuds and carrots lol healthy girl we raised haha


Tillygirl is right! I would not feed my dogs any fish in brine!! I would give mine sardines, salmon or mackeral

antocann

my dog is a feker for apples , loves them , would eat the odd plum , never done any harm

Perplexed22

TillyGirl wrote: »

Perplexed22 wrote: »

Any advice on feeding tuna to a lab? My one is mad for it so I replace some of her normal grub with it from time to time (I rinse the brine off it first) but I often wonder is it safe or is there some good reason it only appears in cat food?

Sardines in oil would be much better than any fish in brine even if it's rinsed off.

Thanks for that - I'll switch to oil rather than brine - the amount I give her (1/4 small tin weekly) is so small there shouldn't be too much oil in it

boomerang

I'd be worried about him eating the plums whole - the pits are quite sharp, and if he eats a lot of the plums the pits could cause a blockage. I'd discourage him as much as possible.

I'd imagine eating a lot of plums would have a laxative effect!

irelandspurs

Our cairn terrier died from swallowing a peach stone

Zapperzy

gregers85 wrote: »

(dont worry not crab apples!)

Are crab apples poisonous? We've a crab apple tree in the garden but don't think he goes near the very little fruit thats on it.

Zulu

I just found out this weekend that they're not. I've always believed that they were!

Also @ boomerang... ...pits?!? aren't they called pips???

ppink

Pits? Pip?.......I thought they were stones:D


Crab apples are not poisonous (I think!!). Well I have one dog who goes mad for them and she is ok. Not that I let her but she always seems to find them in the fields.

Zulu

hummmm, so it transpires she's copped on I'm concerned about the plums (or at least that I want them) & she's started bringing them into me! She's not eating them (when I'm around at least), so I think we're ok.
I am concerned about the choke hazard, so I reckon I'm going to have to cut the branches back.

carwash_2006

Yeah, I would cut them back alright. We had a cairn that used to eat windfall apples at a great rate, we used to have to restrict her access to the back garden during apple season for her own safety as she had no limits at all.

With plums I would be most worried about the stones building up in the tummy and needing an operation to be removed, or as Boomerang suggested causing an injury due to being sharp.

gregers85

Zapperzy wrote: »

Are crab apples poisonous? We've a crab apple tree in the garden but don't think he goes near the very little fruit thats on it.

HaHa no they aren't poisonous but eating a few could give you a little tummy ache!!