Living in a house full of canine lovers and having grown up around my grandparents, I was always well acquainted with dogs. My grandparents had various pet dogs starting from Labradors to German Shepherds. As a child, I always wondered if I could give them the same foods that I often indulged in.
One day, I gave Lassy (our pet dog) some chocolate. The rest, as they say, is history! My grandfather gazed at me – all crouching tiger-like since our dog was in a horrific state after vomiting from an upset stomach.
Clearly, we ended up taking our dog to the vet. Eventually, everything did turn out fine, but I was officially banned from feeding anything to our dogs thereafter. That incident alarmed me about not just injurious, but lethal foods that should be kept at a mile’s distance from our dogs.
Here’s a comprehensive guide that will help you avoid the worst foods for your canine friend:
- Onions and other Allium Vegetables:
Although allium vegetables such as onions, garlic, shallots and so on are extremely beneficial to human health due to their antifungal and antibacterial properties, for dogs, however, they can prove to be fatal. They contain compounds that can cause gastroenteritis and impair a dog’s red blood cells, reducing their oxygen flow, leading to anaemia.
There are no early signs of allium poisoning but after a while dogs suffer from blood transfusion leading to fatigue, feebleness, and orange- to dark red-tinged urine.
All forms of allium vegetables are toxic to dogs, whether it’s the leaves, juice or processed powders, such as onion and garlic powder.
- Avocados:
You might want to give your life for a bowl of guacamole, but sharing it with your dog will surely take its life away.
That’s right! Avocados are absolutely DEADLY for your dogs. Although, avocados are full of vitamins and minerals it also consists of a fungicidal toxin called Persin, which has a negligible effect on humans but can be seriously detrimental to your beloved pet canine.
The seed of an avocado is the most dangerous because it could potentially block the gastrointestinal tract, catapulting your dog to the dangers of surgery.
- Milk and other Dairy Products:
The USDA food pyramid has advised us about regular intakes of milk and dairy products for stronger bones and metabolism since eons. But recently, dairy products have developed a bad reputation since apparently it aggravates an irritable bowel, acne, and cancer.
Co-incidentally, it has quite the same effect on canines too. Like humans, dogs can become lactose intolerant over time. Dairy products can upset your pup’s digestive system as well as trigger food allergies.
- Sugary Foods and Xylitol:
Unlike the most foods, too much sugar has the same effect on dogs that it has on people. It can cause your dog to be obese and slowly decay their teeth. It can even lead to diabetes.
Xylitol, an artificial sweetener, found in toothpaste, sugar-free candies and baked goods can have a cathartic effect on humans. For dogs, however, an excess of Xylitol could prove terminal because it aggravates a rapid release of the hormonal insulin. This upsurge of insulin leads to hypoglycaemia (lowered sugar levels). This can further lead to nausea, fatigue, and loss of coordination. Seizures and liver failure can result within a few days.
- Raw Meat, Eggs, Fish, and Bones:
Contrary to popular belief, raw proteins are actually terrible for your dogs.Raw meat and eggs can contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli that can cause food poisoning in both dogs and humans. Even fat trimmings from meat, both cooked and uncooked, can cause pancreatitis in canines.
Raw bones might seem regular to feed your pups with since it’s has been seen and done for ages, but it is only apt for wild dogs. For the domestic ones, it can be very dangerous as it can potentially choke them, cause blockages in the gut and even lead to intestinal damage.
Fishes such as salmon, trout and so on can also have a parasite that causes “fish disease” or “salmon poisoning disease.”This can lead to vomiting, fever, and big lymph nodes. So beware!
6. Chocolates and Caffeine:
Chocolate and cocoa-based products contain stimulating substances such as theobromine and methylxanthines which can be enormously toxic to dogs – the darker the chocolate, the greater the risk.
Even a small proportion of chocolate or caffeine could leave your dog with nausea, diarrhea, increased thirst, abdominal discomfort, lethargy, muscle tremors, irregular heartbeat, seizures, and even death.
Unlike your feline pets, canines have prying tongues so keep your chocolates and caffeinated beverages well away from them.
- Fresh Fruits and Dried Fruits:
Grapes, raisins, and currants are highly toxic to most dogs. The seeds and stones of some fruits such as apples, plums, andso on apparently contain a chemical called amygdalin, which can cause a digestive upset.
Short term adversities can lead to diarrhea or nausea but it can get much worse, leading to kidney failure.
- Bread or Raw Yeast and Alcohol:
When raw bread dough is put inside an oven, it rises up while cooking. That’s exactly what happens when your dog eats raw yeast. The dough inflates dangerously in their stomach, causing gas to accrue in your pet’s digestive system.
This can be painful and can cause their stomach to bloat, and potentially twist, becoming a grave emergency.
Also, when the yeast ferments the dough to make it rise, it makes alcohol that can lead to alcohol poisoning. This can prove fatal since consuming alcohol even in minute proportions could lead to lethargy, seizures, nausea, heart attack, lung failure, or even death.
Concluding…
Always remember dogs and humans don’t share the same metabolism or bodily characteristics. Thus, dogs should be kept at arm’s length from human food and just be fed appropriate, healthy dog food, whether it’s homemade or commercial. However, if your dog ingests something mistakenly, contact your vet immediately.
About the Author:
This article was written by Rafidah Rahman who’s a content writer at Feedfond. She loves to read and dance in her spare time and write about her inflicting thoughts.
