URGENT Raw Almonds from Italy can kill!

Hello,

Tragically, my fiancée and I lost our Green Cheeked Conure this morning. We are probably going to have a necropsy done to determine cause of death, but based on the circumstances of his death, we are convinced that he died from eating a bitter almond from a tub of raw almonds we purchased from Whole Foods. The almonds are the Whole Foods brand and are imported from Italy.

Chico had a horrible end. He went into respiratory distress, lost consciousness and died within 15 minutes of eating a small amount of the almond. We took him to the vet, but there was nothing they could do. After he died, I tasted the same almond he had been eating and it was very bitter and made my tongue feel numb and strange.

We have been doing some research and have discovered that Italy still has bitter almond trees mixed in with the sweet variety grown here in the U.S. in their orchards. It is possible to have the bitter, poisonous type, mixed in with Italian sweet almonds imported into this country. Pasteurizing the almonds makes them safe to eat, but raw bitter almonds are so poisonous, that perhaps as few as 10 almonds can kill a 150 pound person, less for children.

Please do not feed imported raw almonds from Italy to your bird!

Rest in peace Chico.

Bruce

I'm so sorry about Chico. How awful.
I know that you must be devastated.

Thanks for the warning, Bruce.

Oh my goodness! How horrible for your bird and for you to lose your feathered friend! Thanks for the heads up!

I am so sorry for your sad loss of Chico. Deepest sympathy to you and your fiancé. We appreciate the warning.

I'm so sorry to hear about Chico, my condolences. Thank you very much for the warning info!

Here is an article from the LA Times about bitter almonds in our food supply.

The Case of the Tasty But Poisonous Nut - Los Angeles Times

I should also mention that he went into convulsions and that only heat gets rid of the toxin in bitter almonds. If it's pasteurized, it would have to be from heat, not chemicals. Steam pasteurization might work, I just don't know. Of course, it's illegal to sell bitter almonds in the U.S., and all commercially available almonds in the U.S. are pasteurized even when marked raw. Hopefully no bitter almonds snuck in and if they did, I hope they're heat pasteurized. It's illegal to grow bitter almonds in the U.S.

I am so sorry to learn you lost Chico from a totally avoidable incident, and appreciate your sharing the information in a time of grief.

My birds enjoy almonds from Costco; don't have the package but will have to check closely to determine the origin.

I'm now a bit paranoid to share ANY almonds with the birds after reading this thread and the article.
The grief and pain you and your fiancé must be going through. Again, I'm so very sorry for your loss.

You have my condolences. I did not know there were sweet and bitter almond varieties. Were the nuts shelled or unshelled? Since peanuts have the potential to be toxic due to mold, is it possible that unshelled almonds can be also because of the holes. Something I have pondered since I buy fresh nuts in bulk at the grocery store.

Thanks for sharing. Very interesting.

The almonds had no shell. I wondered about mold as well, which I've heard is a problem with peanuts. The taste was extremely bitter and did not taste like mold. We are having the nut tested.

I'm so sorry for your tragic loss. How awful it must have been to witness this. You have my deepest sympathies. Take solace in the fact that Chico's passing was swift.

Thank you for sharing this vital information to us. My sun conure adores almonds. I buy them raw from Fresh and Easy. Would feeding roasted almonds be a safer alternative to giving raw ones?

I am so very sorry for your loss. Let us know what the necropsy shows.