Are Pits and Seeds From Stone Fruit Dangerous for Dogs?

Stone fruits — peaches, cherries, apricots, and plums — have flesh that's generally fine for dogs in small amounts, but the pits present a double risk: they contain amygdalin, a compound that releases cyanide when metabolized, and they're also a significant choking and intestinal obstruction hazard purely from their size and hardness, arguably the more common real-world danger of the two.

A dog getting into a bowl of cherries or picking fallen fruit under a backyard tree is the typical scenario, and it's often hard to know exactly how many pits were swallowed versus just the flesh eaten around them.

Symptoms to watch for: from the cyanide compound, difficulty breathing, dilated pupils, and bright red gums in significant exposures (this requires a meaningful number of crushed pits, not just one swallowed whole). From obstruction: vomiting, straining, lack of appetite over the following day or two.

What to do right now: estimate how many pits may have been swallowed and whether they were likely crushed (chewed) or swallowed whole — whole pits are more of an obstruction concern, while crushed ones raise the cyanide question more directly.

When it's an emergency: any breathing difficulty, or any signs of an obstruction (repeated vomiting, straining, not eating) in the days following.

## Related Reading

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This is general information, not a substitute for an actual assessment of your specific pet, weight, and situation. If you're ever unsure whether something your pet ate needs immediate attention, a quick video vet consultation can tell you in minutes whether to monitor at home or head to a clinic.