Is it ok if your dog eats windfall fruit?

If your dog is the type to eat anything and everything, you’ve probably even surprised yourself at times at how weird some of the items you’ve had to look up are in order to find out if they’re dangerous to your dog or just something of an inconvenience.

When it comes to windfall fruit, this is actually one of the more common if random things that opportunistic dogs might snack on, and it can be more appealing to dogs than you might at first glance think.

So, is it ok if your dog eats windfall fruit? Well, most dogs will get away with doing so unscathed, but windfall fruit can be dangerous to dogs too, and in a number of different ways.

In this article we’ll give a comprehensive answer to the question “is it ok if your dog eats windfall fruit,” and explain the risks and potential problems it can cause to them. Read on to learn more.

What is windfall fruit?

What actually is windfall fruit? It is simply fruit from a tree that has fallen to the ground on its own, without being picked. This usually happens because the fruit is getting to the point of being overly ripe, or can occur as a result of extreme weather like wind and rain shaking fruit from the branches of the tree.

Windfall fruit is fruit you find on the floor; perhaps in an orchard or even in the street from a tree that has some of its branches growing over a wall.

Is it ok to let my dog eat windfall fruit?

It is not a good idea to let a dog eat windfall fruit, and you might not think that most dogs would be bothered about doing so anyway; but many dogs will eat absolutely anything they come across, and in fact, one of the main risks to dogs of eating windfall fruit may also serve to make it more appealing to them too.

What makes windfall fruit dangerous to dogs?

So, why is windfall fruit potentially dangerous if your dog eats it? Let’s take a look. There are actually several different ways in which windfall fruit can pose a risk to dogs, all of which add up to making it something you should stop your dog from getting their teeth into sooner rather than later!

Fermentation

Windfall fruit is often overly ripe; this contributes to it dropping from the tree. As part of the natural breakdown and decay fruit goes through when this happens, the sugars in the fruit start to ferment, which makes it smell and taste sweet – and is an important part of the process or turning some fruits into alcoholic drinks, like apple and pear cider.

However, alcohol is toxic to dogs, even that found in fermenting fruit – and this can also make the fruit smell and taste sweet, and so, make it more appealing to your dog.

Eating fermenting windfall fruit can result in alcohol poisoning for your dog, and even if this does not occur, will give them acute and potentially painful diarrhoea.

Wasps and stings

That sweet fermenting smell can attract wasps; and yes, the alcohol produced by it makes the wasps drunk! This in turn tends to make wasps more aggressive than normal, and so your dog eating windfall fruit places them at risk of getting stung, either by inadvertently eating an apple or other fruit with a wasp on it, or by angering the wasps around the fruit too.

Mould and other toxins

Fruit left on the floor will soon grow mould, and become colonised by a range of other fungus and bacteria, any of which can be dangerous to dogs. Some of this might cause digestive upsets and some might be toxic, so it is never a good idea to let your dog eat fruit that has been lying on the ground.

Maggots and bugs

Bugs, maggots and other critters can all be found in windfall fruit, none of which are going to be good for your dog to eat. They’re apt to cause digestive upsets at best, and may be harmful to your dog in general.

Fruit stones

Some windfall fruit like plums has stones, and these can be a problem for your dog if they ingest them. There’s the risk they pose to your dog’s teeth, and they could also cause an internal blockage; as well as posing a choking hazard.

Digestive upsets

Finally, dogs are not designed to eat a large amount of fruit in their diets, although fruit certainly makes up a small part of the diet of dogs in the wild.

But eating a significant amount of windfall fruit, particularly if it is overly ripe, is apt to result in an acute digestive upset. This will of course be a problem for you as the dog’s owner, and may result in significant bloating and trapped wind for the dog, which can be painful; and is usually followed by a bout of diarrhoea.