It feels good to treat your pet to human food every once in a while. Those puppy-dog eyes are hard to resist as they watch you eat and try to convince you that they are starving! It makes you want to give them a taste of everything you eat. But beware: Giving in to those eyes and giving dogs human foods can actually harm them.
In 2007, the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center received more than 130,000 calls. Most cases of animal poisoning were caused by common human foods and household items.
Many foods we enjoy can be dangerous to animals. It's best to stick to pet food and a diet recommended by your vet. Here are a few of the most toxic foods that can harm your pet:
Bad news foods Avocados They contain a toxic component called persin, which can damage heart, lung and other tissue in many animals. This fruit is very toxic to dogs, cats and most animals.
Beer Alcoholic beverages can cause the same damage to an animal's liver and brain as they cause in humans. But the effects can be deadly on animals since they are much smaller than us. The smaller the animal, the more deadly the effects can be. Even a small amount of alcohol may cause vomiting and damage the liver and brain.
Nuts Walnuts and macadamia nuts are especially toxic. Effects can be anything from vomiting to paralysis to death. Within 12 hours of eating the nuts, pets start to develop symptoms such as an inability to stand or walk, vomiting, hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), weakness, and an elevated heart rate. These symptoms can be even worse if your dog eats some chocolate with the nuts. The effect can cause kidney failure, often leading to death.
Chocolate Chocolate contains theobromine, which can kill your pet if eaten in large quantities. Dark and unsweetened baking chocolates are especially dangerous. Giving your pup a piece of chocolate cake or even letting him lick the chocolate icing on the cake could cause him to become ill. Theobromine can also cause a dog or cat's heart to beat very rapidly or irregularly, which could result in death if the pet is exercising or overly active.
Candy Candy or anything containing Xylitol (a common sweetener found in some diet products) can cause a sudden drop in an animal's blood sugar, loss of coordination and seizures. If left untreated, the animal could die.
Caffeine Coffee, tea or any product that contains caffeine stimulates an animal's central nervous and cardiac systems. This can lead to restlessness, heart palpitations and death, depending on how much the animal consumes.
Grapes and raisins Grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill them. And the effects are cumulative, which means that even if a dog eats just one or two grapes or raisins regularly, the toxin that builds in his system will eventually kill him.
Onions Onions are another common food that can be highly toxic to pets. They can destroy an animal's red blood cells and lead to anemia, weakness and breathing difficulties. Their effects are also cumulative over time.
Medicine Hide medicine from your pets just like you would from your children. The most common cause of pet poisoning is from animals ingesting a medicine or drug normally prescribed for humans.
And this is not just because furry pals are getting into their pet parent's medicine cabinets. In many cases, pet owners give their feline and canine friends an over-the-counter medication to ease an animal's pain. But acetaminophen and ibuprofen, the active ingredients in many common pain relievers, are extremely toxic to dogs and cats. They can cause gastric ulcers, liver damage, kidney failure and sometimes death.
Good news foods There are a few things that you CAN give to your furry pal. However, you should always consult a veterinarian before introducing a new food item to your pet.
Although these foods are normally harmless, some animals have sensitive gastrointestinal tracts. So even these healthy treats should be avoided if they cause gastrointestinal upset for your pet. Keep in mind that these and other "extras" should not make up more than 5 to 10 percent of the pet's daily caloric intake.
Lean meats Any cooked lean meat should be fine for most dogs. High-fat meats, chicken skin and fat from steaks or roasts are not recommended. Ingestion may lead to gastrointestinal upset or even pancreatitis. This can be a very painful condition for dogs. In addition, most companion animals do not need extra fat in their diets. Never give your pet meat with the bone in it. Animals can choke on the bones, and they can splinter as well.
Vegetables Carrot sticks, green beans, cucumber slices and zucchini slices are all OK.
Fruit Apple slices, orange slices, bananas and watermelon are all OK. Make sure the seeds have been taken out; seeds are not good for your pet!
Baked potatoes Plain baked potatoes are fine, but make sure they are cooked — no unripe potatoes or potato plants.
Bread Plain cooked bread is fine; just make sure there are no nuts or raisins added.
Rice and pasta Plain, cooked pasta and white rice are OK. Often veterinarians recommend plain rice with some boiled chicken when gastrointestinal upset is present.
In case of emergency Despite all the precautions you take to keep your pet pals safe, accidents do happen. That's why the ASPCA, Humane Society and animal advocates advise pet owners to keep the telephone numbers of their local veterinarian and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — (888) 426-4435 — in a prominent location.
Common signs of poisoning include muscle tremors or seizures; vomiting and diarrhea; drooling; redness of skin, ears and eyes; and swelling and bleeding.
If you suspect your pet has consumed, inhaled or come in contact with a toxic substance, stay calm and call for help immediately. If you see your pet consuming anything you think might be toxic, seek emergency help immediately even if she or he is not exhibiting any symptoms.
Thanks so much for sharing this information. I have a dachshund with a taste for everything its nice to know that her diet isn't going to hurt her. If I eat an orange she will eat a few slices and stuff like that but my husband was trying to tell me dogs stomachs couldn't handle that sort of stuff.
Bread is not a good idea for a dog...The fiber in bread keep a dogs anal glands from releasing (yeah, it sounds creepy) and makes the anus itchy to the dog, causing him to constantly lick himself...Bread, a little bit, once in a while isn't bad, but avoid breads that contain cornmeal... Also, avoid any dog foods that contain "corn", it's not healthy for their digestive system... I have 2 HUGE puppies, 98 and 76 lbs and just turned 2 yrs old each...I found out about the bread from my vet...
Absolutely great post and thanks so much! Us humans don't often think about what we feed our fur babies as long as they scarf it up and wag their tails afterwards! I'm printing this post to put on my work bulletin board - as we have many dog owners where I work! Thank you for sharing this!
This is a great post with some good information! Thanks grandma!
Unfortunately, I found out about the chocolate about 9 yrs. ago when my oldest daughter left her Easter basket on the floor in her bedroom. Our poodle got hold of her chocolate bunny that night.
The next day was a nightmare that she almost didn't live through. It took a blood transfusion and a week at the vets before she got better.
So glad you posted this for all of us that don't know about all the deadly foods that are around our pets!
I'm so very glad you are finding this info helpful. As soon as I came across this article, I knew I had to share it with the neighborhood. Any info that can help us be better fur parents has to be good! ;~)
Thanks. so much for this list. As a mom to a one year old pup (he must think he's a goat because he will try to eat ANYTHING!) this is sure to come in handy. We just had a scare yesterday with a wild mushroom in our yard that Tanner ate. Please be sure to check your yards, they sprout up so quickly. It was just a small one that he ate, but it could have ended badly if our 7 year old son had not seen Tanner eat it. I did call the Poison Control number and they advised me on how to enduce vomitting (that was and experience). Fortunately I had a fresh bottle of hydrogen peroxide on hand as well as medice droppers left over from my children. If you have a pup like mine or even an older dog...please keep the peroxide and dropper on hand. You never know what they can get into.
Is that a Pom I see? I LOVE poms! Does this board have a picture gallery?
Thank you for the great article! I didn't know about the grapes. I thought raisins were bad because they swell when water is added and might cause problems if they aren't chewed up.
My poms love apples and oranges. I'm going to print your article and hang it on the fridge! We have teenagers who like to feed our dogs anything they'll eat.
Isn't ice and ice cream bad for dogs as well? I can't remember.
Thank you - your post was very useful! I knew chocolate, coffee and candy wasn't good for dogs but I didn't know about grapes, raisins, onions or nuts. I will be printing this off and handing it out to all dog owners I know. I will also give a copy to my vet so she can hand this out too.
Thank you for posting this. We need to educate ourselves and others how to keep our dogs safe. I knew most of these, but never heard the ones about avocados and nuts.
Thank you for the time you took to write all that!!! You are a sweetie and I am going to write down the foods you listed. I have a Cairn Terrier (Toto) named Gizzmo and he sits next to me when I eat cuz he knows that I will feed him little bites but not until after he has already eaten his food 1st.
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