Can Horses Eat Walnuts?

Nuts are an extremely popular and versatile food and are eaten by both humans and many different animals.

Nuts are a great source of protein and are relatively cheap and easy to acquire.

One of my favorite nuts it the walnut but not all animals are able to eat them.

But what about horses?

Well, I was curious about this and decided to do some research and am excited to share it with you today.

So, without wasting any more time, let’s answer the question “can horses eat walnuts?”

The answer to this question is no, horses are not able to eat walnuts. There are a few different types of walnuts but none of them are suitable for horses to eat. While walnuts are not directly capable of poisoning horses, they can cause various digestive issues and other problems. The real danger with walnuts occurs when walnut shavings are used as part of your horse’s bedding as this can be extremely toxic to your horse.

Walnuts are a great snack for humans and other animals, but they may not be the best thing to give to your horse.

But how are walnuts harmful to horses, what are some of the signs to look out for when it comes to walnut poisoning, and how to treat walnut poisoning in horses?

We are going to explore all of these questions and more in this article as we dive deeper into the topic of can horses eat walnuts.

Let’s get into it!

 

Are walnuts safe for horses to eat?

The answer to this question is no, walnuts are not safe for your horse to eat.

While walnuts themselves aren’t necessarily toxic to horses, they can result in various digestive issues and other problems occurring and, as a result, should not be fed to your horse.

Where walnuts become truly dangerous is when the shavings from the tree are used as bedding for your horse.

While the nut itself is not particularly toxic to horses, the shavings from the tree are very toxic and can result in many negative side effects for your horse.

If your horse spends time sleeping, walking in, or eating any of these shavings it can develop laminitis, depression, fluid build-up in the legs, colic, and other illnesses.

It is, therefore, recommend that you do not include these shavings into your horse’s bedding.

 

Are all walnuts harmful to horses?

The answer to this question is yes, all types of walnuts and walnut trees can be harmful to horses.

They will all have different levels of toxicity, but you should not let your horses eat any type of walnut.

Of the various types of walnuts available, the black walnut is definitely the most toxic to horses.

Black walnut trees are popular, however, as they are used as windbreaks on pastures and are planted along fence rows.

If you have black walnut trees on your pasture and you are thinking of letting your horses graze there it would be in your best interest to remove those trees as they are a potential threat to the health of your horses.

 

Can horses eat walnut trees?

No, horses should not eat walnut trees.

As mentioned above shavings from the walnut tree can be extremely toxic to horses.

These shavings are taken mainly from the trunk of the walnut trees making the tree itself toxic to horses.

Your horse should, therefore, avoid eating any branches or bark off of walnut trees.

 

What are the signs of illnesses due to walnut shavings?

There are many different issues that can occur as a result of your horse being around walnut shavings for too long.

In this section, we will look at the symptoms of a couple of the major consequences.

 

Laminitis

Walnut shavings in a horse’s bedding can result in a hoof disease known as laminitis.

Laminitis is an extremely common and painful condition that affects horses.

It affects the tissues that bonds the hoof wall to the pedal bone in your horse’s hoof.

This can result in the pedal bone rotating or sinking within the hoof under the weight of the horse as it walks, trots, or runs.

Laminitis usually produces swelling and inflammation within the hoof and causes severe pain to your horse.

If you notice any swelling or if your horse becomes restless or starts walking funny this may be a sign that it has laminitis.

 

Colic

Colic refers to abdominal pain and encompasses all gastrointestinal issues that a horse may face.

Walnuts and walnut shavings negatively affect your horse’s digestive system and cause it a large amount of pain and discomfort.

 

How to treat a horse that has eaten walnuts or has been around walnut shavings?

If your horse has consumed one or two walnuts, there is no need to be concerned as this is not a large enough quantity to cause any significant long-term damage to your horse.

If your horse, however, consumes a large number of walnuts, especially black walnuts, or eats any part of the tree such as branches or the trunk then you should get it to the vet as soon as possible.

Your vet will be able to identify the best cause of action and will provide advice on what you should do in the moment and moving forward.

If your horse has come into contact with walnut shavings, remove it from the shavings immediately and wash its legs with soap and water.

This will help prevent any further absorption of the toxins.

If your horse was in contact with the shavings for a long period of time, then it may have developed laminitis.

If your horse is showing any signs of laminitis, you should contact your vet immediately and have it checked out.

In the end, the best way to stop your horse from experiencing any of these negative side effects is to ensure that you remove any walnut trees, especially black walnut trees, from their immediate vicinity and not use any walnut shavings in your horses bedding.

There are many other healthy and safe alternatives that you can use for bedding and either treats that you can give to your horse.

 

 

In conclusion, no, horses cannot eat walnuts.

Walnuts can cause many different digestive issues and other problems for your horse.

Furthermore, if you use walnut shavings in your horse’s bedding this can result in many negative consequences and harmful illnesses to develop such as laminitis.

This is because walnut shavings are very toxic to horses.

Of all the different variations of walnuts, black walnuts are definitely the most toxic to horses and should be avoided at all costs.

If your horse comes into contact with any walnut shavings or consumes any walnuts, you should contact your vet immediately and have them checked out as soon as possible.