Dog – Eating Persimmon Fruit

Q: I have two Golden Retrievers and for a month or so I have noticed that the male dog’s stool has contains lots of pumpkin-like seeds.(Sorry about that)

We have about nine acres in Grayson and even after eight and a half years I still see something new. I finally yesterday found where those seeds were coming from. It’s a sweet fruit the size of a large grape, light plum in color and has at least four seeds. The tree has a leaf that looks a little like a small oak leaf. Would you venture a guess?

A: It is the considered opinion of my tree ID experts that the fruit is persimmon and the leaves are water oak. Go back to the tree and trace the fruiting branch back to the ground. I’ll bet the fruit is coming from a different tree than the one from which you collected branches.

Lots of animals eat persimmon ….even dogs! But remember that the seeds can cause bowel inflammation and obstruction for a persimmon-eating pooch.