Beware – Poisonous Foods For Your Dog

This week we have a very informative article, regarding poisonous foods and how they affect your dog, from I Love Veterinary.
(Special shout out to Cruz for posing for our blog post this week – isn’t he adorable)?

Sometimes it can be tempting to want to slip your pup a treat from the dinner table but that small reward could cause harm to your pet. Educating yourself on poisonous food for dogs is the best way to prevent any possible toxicities for your beloved companion.

Other than poisonous foods, there are a lot of medications that we use that are poisonous for our pets. You can find out more about the Human Medications that are Poisonous to Pets here.

10 poisonous foods you should be aware of

We’ve often heard about the main foods that can cause harm to our dogs, but there are a list of poisonous foods that you may not know about! Some of these include:

Chocolate

Coffee

Xylitol (artificial sweetener)

Grapes and raisins

Yeast dough

Onions

Garlic

Citrus

Macadamia nuts

Avocados

How do these foods affect dogs?

Chocolate: The toxic ingredient in chocolate is theobromine, which is similar to caffeine. Small amounts of chocolate ingestion can cause gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. In excess, chocolate ingestion can lead to a rapid heartbeat, hyperactivity,tremors, and even seizures.

Coffee: Like theobromine, caffeine can cause severe toxicity in dogs. Dogs don’t have the ability to metabolize these substances like we do, so these toxins will build up in their system. Caffeine ingestion can lead to hyperactivity, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, tremors, and seizures.

Xylitol: Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that is found in many sugar free food items. When even small amounts of xylitol are consumed in dogs, it can lead to dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and liver failure. Symptoms include weakness,vomiting, lethargy, collapse, and seizures.

Grapes and raisins: Grapes and raisins are extremely toxic to dogs, and can lead to acute kidney failure. There is no way to know just how many grapes will make a dog have kidney issues, so the safest option is to always refrain from offering them. Some symptoms of grape poisoning include lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, and change in urine production.

Yeast dough: Yeast dough will continue to rise in a dog’s stomach when it is consumed, leading to dangerous results. This can cause abdominal pain, gastrointestinal upset, and even GDV (bloat). Since GDV is considered the mother of all emergencies due to its severity, yeast dough should always be avoided.

Onions and garlic: Onions and garlic can cause red blood cell destruction, leading to life threatening anemia in dogs. Symptoms of onion and garlic ingestion include lethargy, weakness, pale gums, elevated respiratory rate, vomiting, and collapse.

Citrus: The toxic component in citrus fruits is the citric acid. In excess, citric acid can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and even light sensitivity in dogs.

Macadamia nuts:Scientists still haven’t found the exact toxin in macadamia nuts that causes harm to dogs, but we do know that these nuts can lead to serious complications. A dog eating macadamia nuts can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, hyperthermia, and overall depression. 

Avocados: Avocados contain an ingredient called persin, which is toxic to dogs. Persin can cause gastrointestinal upset, leading to severe vomiting and diarrhea.

Summary

While so many foods are completely harmless to us, they can wreak havoc on your dog’s well-being. You may have your pets best interest in mind when feeding them a special treat, but it’s best to always do your research before offering them any human food. Don’t forget to keep these poisonous foods away from your pup, and always research new items of food if you are interested in offering them to your canine friend!