Hazelnuts are round tree nuts sold raw, roasted, chopped, or ground into pastes and spreads for baking and confectionery. They are common in trail mixes, pralines, chocolate bars, cookies, and specialty nut butters. Hazelnuts are rich in fat and calories with a firm crunch.
Whole nuts and nut fragments can be swallowed quickly, especially when mixed into snacks left on tables. Flavored nuts may include salt, sugar, cocoa, or spice coatings. Sweet spreads and dessert fillings add even more sugar and fat than plain nuts.
For pets, fat load and size are the main concerns because both can stress digestion. Whole nuts also create choking and obstruction risk in smaller animals. These risks increase when nuts are eaten from mixed snack foods.
Avoid feeding hazelnuts. If any taste is offered, it should be a tiny plain chopped piece only.
