We all love our dogs and sometimes it’s hard to deny them a little food off our plate. Especially when they turn those big beautiful eyes on you and act like they haven’t eaten in forever! However, some foods can cause serious health problems and even death when consumed by dogs. Whether they had permission to eat these foods or not, here is list of 10 foods that your dog should never eat.
Alcohol
Any kind of beverage or food containing alcohol- wine, beer, mixed drinks etc- are not good for you dog. Dogs are very sensitive to ethanol alcohol. It only takes a little bit of alcohol to have the same effect on your dog that it does on you. Ingesting alcohol can cause your dog to vomit, have diarrhea and can even lead to problems with breathing, coma, or death. Just like with humans, the smaller the dog, the greater affect alcohol has.
Avocado
Avocados contain the toxic substance called persin. Persin is not only found in the fruit but it’s also in the leaves, bark, and seeds of the plant as well. The avocado plant can cause severe issues if consumed by birds, rabbits, and larger animals like horses. However, this toxic substance is known to cause only stomach issues such as vomiting or diarrhea for dogs and cats. If your dog should ingest the avocado pit, take him to the vet right away, as the pit can obstruct the gastrointestinal tract.
Bread Dough
While the majority of the ingredients in bread dough arent too bad for your dog, the yeast in uncooked bread dough can cause some serious damage. The moist and warm environment of the stomach is the ideal environment for yeast to grow. As the yeast colonies grow, it can expand the stomach and produce gas. This can cause immense pain and can rupture the stomach and/or the intestines.
Caffeine
Caffeine, when consumed in large quantities by your dog, can cause serious issues for your dog including death. Symptoms of caffeine poisoning are heart palpitations, bleeding, rapid breathing, and restlessness. Unfortunately, there are no antidotes for caffeine poisoning. Keep your dog away from items such as coffee (the grinds and beans as well as the drink), tea, chocolate, energy drinks, and soda.
Chocolate
Chocolate has a sort of double whammy in terms of it being bad for dogs. On top of the caffeine found in chocolate, there is also a toxic agent called theobromine as well. The higher the concentration of chocolate the more dangerous it is for dogs to consume it. For instance, the milk chocolates that you can find around Halloween time will definitely make your dog sick if they eat it. If they get into dark chocolate, baker’s chocolate, or cocoa powder, the results could be deadly.
Fat Trimmings and Bones
Even though it feels like giving your dog the extra fat and bones from your meal just makes sense, you could be actually harming your dog more than giving them a treat. The extra fat found in the trimmings can actually cause pancreatitis in your dog. The cooked bone can also splinter and become a choking hazard, cause an obstruction, and/or lacerate their digestive system.
Grapes/Raisins
Even though the anti-oxidants found in grapes are fantastic for humans, for whatever reason grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. Just a small amount can cause a reaction in dogs include vomiting, lethargy, and depression. It’s yet to be determined why dogs react this way to grapes.
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts also contain an unknown toxin that causes severe symptoms in dogs. Just eating a handful of nuts can cause dogs to have violent tremors or weakness in their hindquarters, fever, and vomiting. Be sure to bring your dog to the vet if your dog experiences extreme symptoms after eating macadamia nuts or if your dog ingests both chocolate and nuts.
Moldy Foods
There are a wide variety of molds that will grow on food. Some of these molds produce toxins called tremorgenic mycotoxins. These toxins can cause life-threatening problems if eaten by dogs. Dogs can experience muscle tremors that progress into total body tremors and convulsions. Tremorgenic mycotoxin poisoning can lead to death if left untreated. To prevent this, remove all fallen fruits or foods from your yard and do not feed them any moldy food. If you wouldnt it, your dog shouldnt either.
Onions and Garlic
When any form or type of onion or garlic is eaten by your dog, it can cause fatal problems. These two foods contain compounds that destroy red blood cells in dogs which is called toxicosis. The stronger the food in terms of quantity, the more harm it will do to your dog. Symptoms of toxicosis appear 3-5 days after eating the vegetables and appear as weakness or being tired after mild exercise. Your dog could also have orange or dark red urine as well. Severe toxicosis will require a blood transfusion in order to treat it.