Dangerous Foods - Surprising foods that can harm your dog
- Alcohol - Animals can suffer alcohol poisoning. Even small amounts can cause disorientation and illness.
- Avocado - Contains persin, a toxin that can cause heart, lung, or other tissue damage. The seed is also toxic and can cause intestinal blockage if eaten.
- Bones - Cooked bones can be very hazardous for your dog. Bones become brittle when cooked, which causes them to splinter when chewed, causing a choking hazard. Raw bones like chicken necks or beef knuckle bones are generally considered safe and help keep your dog's teeth healthy by removing plaque.
- Bread Dough - Raw bread dough will expand in a dog's stomach and can cause abdominal bloating and pain, vomiting, and disorientation.
- Broccoli - Contains a toxin called isothiocynate. Small amounts may cause stomach upset. Large amounts can cause more harm.
- Caffeine - Beverages with caffeine (like soda, tea, coffee) acts as a stimulant and can accelerate your pet's heartbeat to a dangerous level. Pets ingesting caffeine have been known to have seizures, some fatal.
- Candy (sugarless) - Sugarless candy containing xylitol has been recognised by the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) to be a risk to pets. This compound can cause liver damage and death in some dogs.
- Cat Food - Cat food is not formulated for canine comsumption. It is generally too high in protein and fats and is not a balanced diet for a dog.
- Chocolate - Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. Signs of an overdose of chocolate are hyperactivity, extreme thirst and increased urination. Vomiting and diarrhea, irregular heartbeat and seizures. Seek immediate Veterinary care.
- Corn Cobs - Corn cobs can cause a partial or complete intestinal obstruction. Never allow your dog access to corn cobs.
- Dairy Products - Most dairy products are digested poorly by dogs who have little or none of the enzyme required to digest the lactose in milk. Just like lactose-intolerant people, lactose-intolerant dogs can develop excessive intestinal gas (flatulence) and may have foul-smelling diarrhea. It is best to avoid most dairy products altogether, although small amounts of cheese or plain yogurt are tolerated by most dogs, since these products have less lactose than most.
- Fatty Foods - Rich, fatty foods can be very dangerous to dogs susceptible to attacks of pancreatitis. Often you may not know that your dog is susceptible until a first attack. It is often the smaller, more energetic breeds like miniature or toy poodles, cocker spaniels, miniature schauzers, and other small terrier-type dogs who seem particularly prone.
- Fruit pits - Apple, peach, apricot, cherry, pear, plum and other pits from fruit can cause cyanide poisoning.
- Grapes or Raisins - Although the minimum lethal dosage is not known, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities. The symptoms are gastrointestinal signs including vomiting and diarrhea, and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion. Due to the severity of the signs and the potential for death, the veterinarians at the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) advocate aggressive treatment for any dog believed to have ingested excessive amounts of grapes or raisins, including inducing vomiting, stomach pumping and administration of activated charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy for at least 48 hours or as indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney damage.
- Liver - Since many dog treats and prepared foods contain liver, it may surprise you to find liver on the bad foods list. In small amounts liver is good for your dog, but large amounts can cause nutritional problems because liver has a high content of vitamin A. Vitamin A toxicity, or hypervitaminosis A symptoms are deformed bones, excessive bone growth on the elbows and spine, and weight loss. If left unchecked, hypervitaminosis A has in some cases caused death.Do not feed liver to a dog taking Vitimin A supplements.
- Macadamia Nuts - The toxic compound is unknown but eating as few as six nuts without the shell has been known to cause elevated body temperature, accelerated heartbeat, tremors in the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs have difficulty or are unable to rise, are distressed and usually panting.Some affected dogs have had swollen limbs and showed pain when the limb was manipulated. Dogs did recover from the muscle weakness and pain and it is not known if there have been any fatal cases. Macadamia butter is included in this warning.
- Mouldy or Spoiled Foods - Spoiled food can cause food poisoning. If you wouldn't eat it, don't give it to your pet. Make sure garbage bins are inaccessible.
- Mushrooms - Mushroom poisoning can be fatal if certain species of mushrooms are eaten. The most commonly reported severely toxic species of mushroon in the US is Amanita phalloides, but other Amanita species are also toxic. They can cause severe liver disease and neurologic disorders. The recommendation is to induce vomiting when these mushrooms are ingested and to give activated charcoal, as well. Supportive treatment for liver disease may also be necessary.
- Nutmeg - Nutmeg is reported to be a hallucinogenic when ingested in large doses. Nutmeg has been known to cause tremors, seizures and in some cases, death.
- Nuts - Nuts in general are not good for dogs as their high phosphorus content may lead to bladder stones.
- Onions - Onions cause hemolytic anemia, which means that the red blood cells break down, leaving a pet short of oxygen. Onion poisoning can occur at one time after eating large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. The poisoning may occur a few days after the dog has eaten the onion. Signs of onion poisoning include shortness of breath, vomiting and diarrhea, weakness and little or no interest in food. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected dog's urine making it dark colored. Other symptoms are elevated body temperature, confusion, and increased heart rate. Seek veterinary care immediately.
- Plants - Dogs can become extremely ill or even die from eating poisonous plants. Keep all unknown types of plants and any plants suspected of being poisonous out of reach of your pet. See Poisonous Plants That Can Harm Your Pets.
- Potatoes - Solanum alkaloids can be found in green sprouts and green potato skins, which occur when the tubers are exposed to sunlight during growth or after harvest. The relatively rare occurrence of actual poisoning is due to several factors: solanine is poorly absorbed; it is mostly hydrolyzed into less toxic solanidinel; and the metabolites are quickly eliminated. Cooked potatoes are fine for dogs, actually quite nutritious and digestible.
- Raisins or Grapes - Although the minimum lethal dosage is not known, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities. The symptoms are gastrointestinal signs including vomiting and diarrhea, and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion. Due to the severity of the signs and the potential for death, the veterinarians at the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) advocate aggressive treatment for any dog believed to have ingested excessive amounts of grapes or raisins, including inducing vomiting, stomach pumping and administration of activated charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy for at least 48 hours or as indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney damage.
- Salmon (Raw) - Commonly called Salmon Poisoning Disease (or SPD), this can be a problem for dogs eating a raw meat diet that includes raw salmon. The cause is infection by a an organism found in salmon that eat infected snails. A sudden onset of symptoms occur 5-7 days after ingestion of fish. Initial symptoms include lethargy and anorexia. Peaking of temperature between 104-107 in the first two days and then slowly returns to normal. Persistent vomiting by the fourth day. There is bloody diarrhea within a few days of vomiting onset. The diarrhea is often bright yellow color. There are enlarged lymph nodes.I n the acute stages, gastrointestinal symptoms are quite similar to canine parvovirus. Nasal and ocular symptoms can resemble canine distemper. If left untreated, SPD has a mortality rate of up to 90%. SPD can be diagnosed with a fecal sample and is treatable if caught in time. Treatment may include supportive hydration, an antibiotic and a wormer to kill the parasite. Prevention is simple: cook all fish before feeding any to your dog.
- Salt - Iodized salt and salty foods can cause stomach ailments and pancreatitis. Some dogs, especially large breeds, have been known to gulp too much water after eating salty foods and developed a life threatening condition called bloat during which the stomach fills with gas and twists, leading to a painful death unless emergency treatment is received immediately.
- Table Scraps - Table scraps are not a nutritionally balanced diet for a dog. If fed at all scraps should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat and all cooked bones discarded.
- Tobacco Products - See Second Hand Smoke: A Triple Threat to Pets.
- Xylitol - The sweetener Xylitol has been recognized by the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) to be a risk to pets. This compound can cause liver damage and death in some dogs.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by sunshine on -
My dog loves apples & pears. There are fruits trees in the yard & when they're in season she'll pick them right off the trees & eat on them. She's almost three years old, about knee high.
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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Mehta on -
Manny, my dog, loves carrots. I also give him dog treats a few times a day for a good behavior. It has really helped. Can you give them to many dog treats? Will that do any harm?
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