How to Not Accidentally Kill Your Dog …
Or in Other Words, Extremely Dangerous Human Food for Dogs!
(read the article or watch the video below)
When you see your dog giving you a sad little look while standing near the dinner table, are you inclined to slip your furry friend a bit of your food?
Sharing food with your dog may appear harmless, but beyond encouraging bad habits and increasing likelihood of obesity, you could be putting your dog's life in danger.
There are a variety of foods and ingredients eaten by humans daily that can lead to severe toxic reactions in pets. Some foods are well known, like chocolate, milk and garlic. Others might surprise you.
In this article, we're going to make particular notice of the most hazardous foods for your four-legged pal.
Dangerous Human Food for Dogs:
Alcohol - Alcohol can result in not just intoxication, loss of coordination, poor breathing, and irregular acidity. It can even lead to coma or death.
Apple Seeds - Apple seeds are extremely harmful for your dog. This is because they contain a natural chemical that releases cyanide when consumed. So, make sure to core and seed apples before you give them to your pooch.
Avocado - Avocados have Persin, which can cause diarrhea, nausea, and heart congestion.
Baby Food - Baby food alone isn't bad, just make sure it doesn't contain any kind of onion powder! And don’t forget, baby food doesn't have all the nutrients a dog depends on for a healthy & well kept diet.
Bones - The risk with bones isn't the dietary content. And their danger isn’t always simply the possibility of choking. Surprisingly, you must be careful with foul and fish bones because they can damage your dog's digestive tract once the bones splinter inside the body.
Candy and Chewing Gum - Besides candy containing loads of sugar, it often also has Xylitol, which can result in the over-release of insulin, leading to kidney failure and even worse- death.
Cat Food – Many dogs love cat food! But cat food has proteins and fats which are beneficial ONLY for a cat and NOT a dog. The protein and fat levels in cat food are far too high for your pooch, thus rendering it unhealthy for dogs… and likely to cause terrible terrible gas.
Chocolate - You've probably heard this before, but chocolate is a DEFINITE NO-NO for dogs. And it's not only about caffeine, which is more than enough to cause harm to your dog alone, but theobromine and theophylline, which is usually toxic.
How do you recognize a dog who ate chocolate?
Look for panting, vomiting, and diarrhea, and you’re your dog’s heart and nervous system checked immediately.
Coffee - The information and rules here are pretty much the same with the same against chocolate. If consumed, this is basically poison for your dog.
Citrus Oil Extracts - Leads to vomiting.
Corn On the Cob - This is a guaranteed method of getting your dog's intestine obstructed. The corn is digested, but the cob gets stuck in the small intestine. If it's not taken out surgically, it can be fatal for your dog. Furthermore, excessive corn kernels can distress the digestive tract too.
Fat Trimmings - While these foods aren’t toxic, excessive consumption can lead to vomiting, diarrhea and gas, and can result in pancreatitis and gastrointestinal issues.
Fish - The principal fish you need to be cautious of are salmon and trout. Raw salmon can be deadly to dogs if the fish is contaminated with a certain parasite, Nanophyetus salmincola. The parasite by itself isn't harmful to dogs, but is usually infected with bacteria called Neorickettsia helminthoeca, which is lethal to canines if not dealt with correctly. However, cooked salmon with no bones, is okay as it kills the parasite.
Grapes and Raisins - This is one that a number of dog owners do not know. Grapes have a toxin that leads to severe liver damage and kidney failure.
Human Vitamins - Some human vitamins are acceptable to use, but the important thing is assessing the ingredients (every one of them - active and inactive) to the vitamins your vet registers for your dog. Make certain there's no iron, as this can harm the digestive system lining, and be toxic for the liver and kidneys.
Liver - Prevent feeding too much liver to your pooch. Liver contains a substantial amount of Vitamin A, which can detrimentally affect your pup's muscles and bones.
Macadamia Nuts - These have a toxin that can slow down locomotory activities, leading to weakness, panting, swollen limbs, and tremors along with possible injury to your dog's digestive, nervous, and muscle systems.
Milk and Dairy Products - While small doses aren't likely to kill your dog, you might get some smelly farts and some awful cases of diarrhea. Why? Dogs are lactose- intolerant!
They don't have sufficient lactase enzymes to effectively digest dairy foods. If you need to give them dairy, consider lactose-free products.
Mushrooms - Just like the wrong mushroom can be deadly to humans, the same goes for dogs.
Onions, Garlic, and Chives - Regardless of what form they're in (dry, raw, cooked, powder, mixed with other foods), onions and garlic (particularly onions) are among the absolute worst foods you might accidentally give your pup.
These are poison to canines. They contain disulfides and sulfoxides (thiosulphate). Both cause anemia and destroy red blood cells.
Persimmons, Peaches, and Plums - If you happen to be lucky enough to live in an area that is home to persimmon, peach, or plum trees, watch out. Persimmon seeds and peach and plum pits leads to intestinal obstruction and enteritis. Be sure there aren't any wild persimmon or other fruit trees that leave seeds growing in your backyard.
Rhubarb and Tomato Leaves - These contain oxalates that can detrimentally impact the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.
Raw Fish – Surprisingly, Vitamin B (Thiamine) deficiency might result from the regular ingestion of raw fish. How do you know? You will notice a loss of appetite, accompanied by seizures, and in exceptional instances, death.
Salt - Much like salt isn't the healthiest item for people, it's much less healthy for canines. An excessive amount of it can result in an imbalance in electrolyte levels, dehydration, and even diarrhea.
Sugar - This is applicable to any food that contains sugar. Make sure you confirm the ingredient label for human foods - corn syrup can be found in just about everything processed. An excessive amount of sugar for your dog can result in dental issues, obesity, and diabetes.
Tobacco - A primary toxic hazard for canines. The consequences nicotine has on dogs are considerably worse than on humans. Nicotine damages your pup's digestive and nervous systems, boost their heart rate, makes them faint, and will lead to death.
Xylitol - A sugar alcohol present in gum, candies, baked goods, and other sugar- substituted products, Xylitol, while triggering no apparent injury to humans, is incredibly toxic to canines. Even a small amount leads to low blood sugar, convulsions, liver failure, even fatality.
Yeast (alone or in dough) - Much like yeast rises in bread, it will expand and rise inside your pup's tummy. Make certain they don't get any! While mild cases will result in gas, plenty of farting, and distress - an excessive amount of it may rupture their stomach and intestines!
Final Point Here:
Examine the ingredients –
Be sure to know what's in the food your giving your pet. The food items above should undoubtedly NOT be eaten by your pooch. You'd be amazed at the number of foods containing sugar and caffeine. Foods you simply wouldn't expect to without first checking the ingredient list.
When in Doubt, Ask Your Dog’s Vet
If your pooch is behaving oddly, or suffering from even minor signs of weakness, lack of coordination, nausea, diarrhea, etc. and you think he may have eaten something he shouldn't have, go to the vet right away. If you wait until you are absolutely sure something is wrong, it might be too late.
Hope this helps!