Toxic human foods your precious pooch should never get his paws on!
We get it – it’s hard to resist those gorgeous big brown eyes staring straight into our souls. Sometimes we can’t help but give our furry members of the family a little treat from the table – it can’t do any harm, right? Wrong. In fact, some of the foods we eat are dangerous foods for dogs, most of which might surprise you!
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The Top 11 Dangerous Foods for Dogs
1. Xylitol
A commonly used artificial sweetener that has done the rounds in many households thanks to the well-known banting diet. This sweetener is commonly found in baked goods, diet foods, candy, gum and even toothpaste. And whilst it can certainly help us to curb that sugar craving, it doesn’t have the same beneficial effect on dogs.
Xylitol can cause your dog’s blood sugar levels to drop dangerously low, leading to liver failure. The early symptoms of ingestion are vomiting, coordination problems and lethargy and eventually, seizures.
Even very small quantities can be fatal and result in acute liver disease and blood-clotting disorders in dogs. If you think your dog has consumed xylitol, you need to seek urgent medical care.
2. Chocolate
Who remembers the Oreos advert on TV where the sweet little boy saying to his dog “Mom says chocolate isn’t good for dogs, but you can have the rest of my milk?” Well, turns out there is a lot of truth to what that little boy said. But he got something wrong about the milk part, but we will get to that in a bit.
In any case, chocolate contains a stimulant known as theobromine which is poisonous to dogs. This stimulant affects the heart, kidneys, central nervous system and the guts. Signs of theobromine poisoning typically start to occur between 4 and 24 hours after your dog has ingested chocolate. Signs include: diarrhoea, hyperactivity, vomiting and seizures.
Read: When to take your pet to the vet: 5 warning signs
3. Caffeine
Caffeine, like chocolate, is also a stimulant. Our dogs are more susceptible to the effects of caffeine than we are. Letting your dog have a few laps of your coffee or tea is unlikely to cause any real harm, but if your dog swallows a whole bunch of coffee beans or tea bags, then they could be in serious danger. The signs and symptoms of caffeine poisoning are similar to those of chocolate toxicity.
4. Garlic and Onion
Did you know that these vegetables can cause gut irritation, stomach issues and potentially result in red blood cell damage and anaemia in dogs?
Particularly toxic are onions and signs of onion poisoning can sometimes only occur a few days after your precious pooch has eaten an onion. These signs include weakness, vomiting and breathing issues.
All forms of onions can be dangerous for dogs – dried, raw, cooked or even dehydrated. Do not let your dog get into your leftover pizza or Chinese take-out as these are well known foods for containing onion, garlic and chives. As well as this, a number of prepared sauces and gravies also contain onions or garlic powder.
5. Avocado
Avocados contain an ingredient known as persin. Too much of this can cause diarrhoea or visiting dogs. If you have an avo tree at home, make sure you keep your dog away from it as persin is found in the leaves, seeds, bark and the fruit.
6. Alcohol
The same way that alcohol damages our liver, our canine friends suffer from similar consequences. But the thing is, it takes a lot less for alcohol to do damage to our dogs. Just a few sips of wine or liquor can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, coordination issues, breathing problems, coma and death. The smaller your dog is, the worse the impact of alcohol will be.
7. Raisins and grapes
It might seem like a harmless treat to sneak your dog a grape or even a raisin, but these ‘treats’ can cause kidney failure in some dogs. It is unknown what the exact toxic substance found in grapes and raisins is, but dogs who already suffer from underlying health conditions are thought to be at greatest risk, making these fruits extremely toxic for dogs.
Make sure your dog steers clear of hot cross buns, mince pies or fruit cakes of any kind. Signs of poisoning will likely show within a day, excessive vomiting and lethargy are commonly displayed.
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8. Dairy
It turns out, that little boy who told his dog to enjoy the rest of his milk was not doing what was best for his furry bestie (if you’re confused, scroll back up to check out the section on chocolate).
Many of us have been tempted to give our dogs a bowl of milk or let them share our ice cream on a hot day, but dairy can result in diarrhoea and a host of digestive problems in dogs.
9. Bones
Treating your dog to a bone or two is a common mistake to make. Our dogs can choke on bones, develop intestinal obstructions from swallowing pieces of bone, damage their teeth from chewing bones and suffer from an internal injury as a result of bone splinters splintering the digestive tract.
If you do give your dog a bone, then make sure you keep an eye on her and do not give your dog cooked bones as these are known to splinter easily. Try to stick to larger bones that cannot get swallowed and stuck in the intestines.
10. Macadamia Nuts
Did you know that just 6 (raw or roasted) macadamia nuts can make your dog ill? In just 12 hours after ingesting, these nuts can cause your dog to suffer from depression, tremors, weakness, vomiting and an increased temperature.
These symptoms can last from 12 to 48 hours. Plus, if your dog eats chocolate containing macadamia nuts, the symptoms can be much worse and even result in death. It is advised that you contact your vet if you think your dog has ingested macadamia nuts.
11. Yeast dough
Before baking your bread, the dough will need to rise. Which is what will happen in your dog’s stomach if he eats raw dough. As the dough rises inside the stomach, it can stretch the abdomen and result in serious pain.
If you suspect your dog has eaten something she shouldn’t, it’s always advised that you phone your vet immediately. If the symptoms are severe, get immediate professional help from your vet.
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