Sunflower seed
CautionShelled, unsalted sunflower seeds are fine within the AKC's limits: 10 to 20 seeds a week for small dogs, 20 to 40 for large dogs. Never let a dog eat the hulls, and salted seeds risk salt toxicosis.
This food guide has not been reviewed by a veterinarian. It summarises general information from sources and should not be used to decide whether a food is suitable for an individual dog or to assess an emergency.
Check before feeding
Check the precautions before sharing
Risk depends on preparation, ingredients or amount. Read the precautions below; body weight alone cannot establish a safe portion.
Signs and health concerns
This list includes both observable signs and conditions identified through examination or testing. It cannot establish the cause or whether an exposure is safe.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain
- Intestinal blockage
- Tremors
- Weakness
- Salt poisoning
- Seizures
More about this food
The American Kennel Club calls sunflower seeds one of the healthier human foods to share with a dog occasionally. They carry vitamin E, selenium and linoleic acid, which is why they turn up in coat-and-skin supplements. Three conditions come attached, and skipping them changes the story completely.
Hulls first. The AKC says plainly not to let your dog eat sunflower seed shells, because the husks are extremely hard and cannot be broken down during digestion. Undigested hulls scrape the stomach and intestine, and in volume they mat together and obstruct. This matters because the American default is seeds in the shell -- ballpark and dugout seeds, the kind people crack and spit. Dogs do not spit. Repeated unproductive retching, a tight painful belly, or no stool passing means go in.
Salt second. The AKC warns that the salt in packaged seeds is harmful and can cause salt toxicosis, with muscle tremors, weakness and gastroenteritis. The Merck Veterinary Manual places clinical signs in dogs at 2 to 3 g/kg of sodium chloride, with an acute oral lethal dose near 4 g/kg. One thing you must not do: do not take away water. Merck warns that lowering serum sodium too quickly drives water into the brain and causes cerebral edema, so leave water available in small amounts offered frequently and let the clinic handle the correction.
Quantity third. The AKC's number is 10 to 20 seeds a week for a small dog and 20 to 40 a week for a large dog. Past that, the fat and fibre irritate the gut and you get vomiting and diarrhea.
The exposure people forget is the bird feeder. Black-oil sunflower seed spills under a feeder, hulls and all, and a dog will hoover it up with no way for you to estimate the amount. Squirrel and hamster mixes are the same problem.
Bottom line: shelled, unsalted, within those weekly numbers is fine. A dog that ate hulls by the handful, emptied a bag of salted seeds, or is trembling or wobbly needs a call now -- your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Do not induce vomiting at home.
Frequently asked questions
- My dog ate seeds in the shell. Is that dangerous?
- Hulls do not break down in digestion, so they irritate the gut and can mat together and obstruct. A few usually pass in the stool, but a handful or more, repeated retching, or no stool passing means go to the clinic.
- How many sunflower seeds can I give?
- The AKC's limit is 10 to 20 seeds per week for small dogs and 20 to 40 per week for large dogs. Note that is per week, not per day, and it applies only to shelled, unsalted, plain seeds.
- He eats spilled seed under the bird feeder.
- That is the riskiest version, because it is in the shell and you cannot judge the amount. Move the feeder out of reach, and if he has eaten a lot, watch for vomiting, a distended belly and stool output and call your vet.