5 Surprising Foods That Are Poisonous To Dogs
A while back I posted about five surprising foods that can be harmful to dogs that many people don’t know about.
Dogster member Mr. Henry had sent over the info because he wanted to make sure all his pals stayed healthy. In the article garlic and onion are mentioned as being potentially dangerous, something I hadn’t realized until I read about it.
I just received a message from Bo’s friend Angel Mica letting me know she just found out about the danger of those foods. I thought if she didn’t know there may still be many others who don’t and the message is worth repeating.
Here’s a list of several natural and seemingly healthy human foods that are harmful or even toxic to dogs.
Garlic & Onion: Though treated as a health food and often taken in supplement form by humans, garlic (along with its alliaceae cousins onions and leeks) is toxic-sometimes deadly-for pets, with reactions ranging from stomach damage to acute dermatitis to asthmatic attacks. Pets By Nature reports the story of a Pennsylvania woman who lost her Newfoundland to garlic poisoning: “Within two weeks of feeding a popular garlic supplement available at most pet stores and over the Internet, her Newfoundland developed a bleeding ulcer and perforated intestine.” The dog did not survive.
Grapes & Raisins: While not as toxic as members of the onion family, consumption of grapes and raisins can cause vomiting, dehydration and, in large quantities, kidney failure. The exact toxin present in grapes is not known, but scientists have established that both commercially and privately cultivated grapes, as well as raisins, present a risk.
Avocado:
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), avocado leaves, fruit, seeds and bark contain a toxic substance called Persin, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal unpleasantness in dogs. While a medium-sized dog would have to consume a substantial quantity of avocado (picture a big bowl of guacamole) to become seriously ill, even a little bit is enough to cause an upset tummy.
Macadamia Nuts: Not widely consumed outside of Hawaii, macadamia nuts pose a stealth risk to canine health. The nuts can cause macadamia nut toxicosis, resulting in soreness, stiffness, and listlessness, according to Working Dog Magazine. The condition usually passes in 48 hours, but can lead to shock in severe cases.
Nutmeg: This popular spice, commonly used to season cakes, vegetables and even lasagna, should never be found on your dog’s dinner plate. Nutmeg, which has mild hallucinogenic properties, can cause seizures, tremors, central nervous system problems in dogs. In severe cases, shock and death have been reported.
Looking for Fido friendly snacks? Grab your leash and run on over to read about some healthy foods that can be added to your dog’s diet.
* The picture above is Tank, he knows the importance of healthy snacks.
Thanks for posting this, I needed it :-]
My mom knew only because she went hunting for woofday cake and treat recipes for me. Before using it because my tummy is super sensitive (just like me) she checked poisonous foods for pups on the ASPCA site section on People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets.
there may be some misunderstanding about this entry but to clear it up..
we’ve known a LONG time about garlic and onion mate..
it came about this way:
we were horrified today to receive a catster email about the dangers, but nothing for dogs.. [FUR shame!]
thanks VERY MUCH tho for helping spread the word.. it’s sad more people don’t know about anemia or IMHA..
another thing to be watchful for:
people come by and take off coats..some toss on a bed- if carrying spare change, it can fall out & be missed.. JUST make sure no one drops pennies- as ingested pennies can be as hazardous as garlic & onions where IMHA is concerned.
with woof..
have a Yappy holiday 1 & all.
Thanks for adding that Angel Mica & Mel. When I rec’d your message it had been passed on to me and it wasn’t really clear, except to please get the word out. We had posted before about anemia and IMHA but I forgot that onions and garlic were mentioned.
it’s so important to let Dogsters know about the causes of IMHA and anemia. If you would like to learn more please go to Angel Mica’s page, it’s got a lot of information that could possibly save your dog’s life.
Also, this holiday think about donating a few dollars to help fund Mica’s IMHA research. Even if you don’t have any money, stop by the Forum page and let Angel Mica and her mom Mel know you’re thinking about them.
http://www.dogster.com/forums/Plus_Informational/thread/558808/1
Interesting that Macadamia nuts were found to be harmful. Macadamia nuts are high in fat though and should be reason enough not to increase risk to your dog. DoggieMart have a variety of Dog health products available at http://www.doggiemart.com.au/c-10-dogs-health.aspx which may assist in dog diet needs.
A full list of health awareness and food that dogs should not eat include :
Alcoholic beverages, Baby foods that contain onion, Bones from fish, Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine.Citrus oil extracts, Fat trimmings, Grapes and raisins, Hops, Human vitamin supplements containing iron, Large amounts of liver,Macadamia nuts, Marijuana, Milk and other dairy products.or intestines, bread containing yeast.
I knew about all but the nutmeg, but that doesn’t surprise me, because enough nutmeg can be toxic to humans, too.
That’s a great photo of the puppy with the big carrot! Possibly the best puppy (and dog) chew toy around — healthy, biodegradable and won’t harm your puppy if consumed.
Oh, and by the way, it isn’t really the caffeine that’s toxic to dogs and cats, but theobromine, which is found in chocolate and tea and other things.
Brent mentioned milk and other dairy products not being good for dogs. I give my Chessie, Molly, a couple of spoonfuls of plain fat free yogurt after breakfast and another couple of spoonfuls after supper to aid her digestion. I asked my vet about this and she said if was fine. That is the only dairy product I give her.
As for garlic, I used to work with a woman who gave he two German Shepards garlic every day to ward off fleas and tics. She claimed the dogs never has fleas or tics and they suffered no ill effects. I use apple cider vinegar to help control fleas as I am hesitant to use any pesticide based flea treatments after Molly had sever muscle spasms after being treated with Frontline.
The ACV works to an extent. Has anyone else had experience with natural non-pesticide based flea treatments?
Every dog I have ever had has had SMALL ( note SMALL) amounts of garlic in the food I have cooked for them… and not one has EVER had a complication from it..
Same for grapes… they have all had( those that wanted.. and not all did) the occasional grape or 4…
Milk… they have all had a SMALL amount daily if they wanted it..
Yoghurt….. EXCELLENT if it is the live yog which will settle bad stomachs and put back GOOD bugs into their sytems specially after many medications take the good as well as the bad bugs out.
Not ALL animals are harmed anymore that ALL humans are by many and varied things. I guess like everything else in life… there are no hard and fast rules.. but many sensible things to consider.
My dog would not touch any of those things even if he had the chance, he is a meat lovin dog.
Thanks for this post! I will remember this.
And, Flicka, Angel gets plain, all-natural yogurt on top of her food too, and she loves it.
Thanks for the updates..Petey drinks milk from our cereal bowl and has for yrs. I never knew about the dairy, but did know about all the others.
I have a couple of Staffordshire Bull Terriers. What I do is cook up large amounts of meat and vegetables in a big pot and then freeze most of it in containers so that I take out whatever is needed each day. The dogs love it and they look great. They won’t touch dog biscuits anymore. I put in reasonably good cuts of meat, nothing too fatty. But do check with the vet, as each dog’s needs are different.