Pine cones - harmful or not?

Lennon and Mya love to play with and systematically destroy pine cones - they chew them into small pieces, leaving a lovely mess for me to clear up.

Lennon has to bring one back from his walk every day. Now they are becoming a bit scarce (what do you expect, you wally, you've mullered them all?) but I have a secret stash that will keep the gingers going for a while yet.

Apart from the obvious choking hazard (they are alway supervised) are these harmful to them?

Here's today's little offering:



Your thoughts please?

Thanks

He he that looks like my house sometimes too.

I guess they arent good to swallow (maybe are toxic in large doses) but mine, like yours, just chew them and spit them out on the carpet

I haven't heard of them being poisonous and mine certainly play with them, although they don't chew them.

PS how about a photo of them playing with the cones too please

Im glad you asked this. Tilly likes to play fetch with pine cones but there was a voice in the back of my head saying they were toxic or something but no idea where I got that from. Maybe just being an over protective mother!

Thanks guys - Hali - I'll try and get a photo of Len in action for you

I don't know if they are toxic or not but we get millions of the things in our back garden from next doors 50 odd foot tree which overlooks us. Tilly sometimes plays with them. I used to collect them & spray them silver at Xmas

No idea if they are toxic or not, but mine love to play with them when we go on walks!

They run around with them and chuck them all about, swapping sometimes! They don't chew them up though.

i do working trials and these things are actually not permitted as use as an article (for nosework..)...the bits can break off and become lodged in the dog's throat...not good...