Question
I just moved into my house this past fall & I have an unusual berry/nut like tree in my front yard.  My dog ate one of the berry/nut and became sick, but the berry could not related at all.  But they did have to remove this "foreign object" from his stomach because after a week it did not pass through his system (later of course I identified the object as a sliver of this nut). I would love to know exactly what type of tree this is and if it is perhaps part of my dog's problem.  The house we moved into is 95 years old so the vegetation is well established and I am located within the city limits of Atlanta.  The tree is approximately 20 feet tall and 15-20 inches in diameter.  The berry is soft to touch and has a hard nut inside.  I do not recall what this tree looks like with vegetation in the spring/summer.  The squirrels do not eat the berry/nuts.  When it rains the berries are very mushy.  I saw your email address on a previous page ([email protected]) and will email you a picture as well.  Thanks for your time and expertise!  I look forward to hearing your thought...Alli  

Answer
This tree is a Chinaberry. Some birds can eat the fruit without harm but it is generally considered a poisonous plant. And in Georgia on the invasive plant list because it can be spread by birds. A few berries would not seriously harm an animal but many berries can be severe. Here is a couple of web links that will give you more information on Chinaberry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bead_tree

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=328

http://texnat.tamu.edu/CMPLANTS/toxic/plants/chinaberry.html