Our furry friends are adorable, loyal, and experts at begging for snacks – there’s no debating this. While it’s often tempting to feed them scraps from the table, it’s important to keep in mind that they can’t eat all of the same foods that their owners can. Various human foods are actually toxic to dogs and cats. Which foods should you avoid feeding your household pet? Below is a list of some items that should stay out of their food bowl.
Chocolate, Coffee, and Caffeine:
Chocolate, coffee, and caffeine all contain methylxanthines, which are toxic to dogs and cats. If ingested by your pet, these can cause vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms, and, in more severe cases, tremors, seizures, and death.
Grapes and Raisins:
Grape and raisins have been known to cause kidney failure in dogs and cats. It’s best not to feed either of these to your pet at all, even in small quantities.
Macadamia Nuts:
Dogs should never be fed macadamia nuts, as it is one of the most toxic foods for them. Symptoms of macadamia nut poisoning in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, lethargy, overheating, and weakness in the back
legs. If your dog has ingested macadamia nuts, make sure to get them to a vet immediately for treatment.
While cats don’t react quite as strongly as dogs, you should avoid feeding macadamia nuts to your feline friends as well.
Nuts (other):
You should never feed macadamia nuts or walnuts to your dog or cat.
While most other nuts are non-toxic to dogs and cats, they’re not a highly recommended snack. Aside from the fact that that any nut can act as a choking hazard for your pet, most are high in fat. If too many are consumed, this can cause obesity and possibly pancreatitis in your pet. Additionally, nuts are often covered in ingredients such as salt, garlic, or chocolate, which can all be harmful to dogs and cats.
So while most nuts aren’t toxic to your fur babies, the lack of nutritional value for them and the risks that they pose put them on the list of foods we wouldn’t recommend.
Alcohol:
Just as in humans, alcohol is also toxic to pets. However, it takes a much smaller quantity to cause damage to your pet. Dogs and cats should not ingest any amount of alcohol. Besides impairing their coordination, it can also cause vomiting and diarrhea, trouble breathing, tremors, coma, and death.
Yeast Dough:
In the same way that it would in a warm oven, yeast dough can rise inside your pet’s stomach if ingested. This can cause bloating and severe discomfort, even potentially twisting your pet’s stomach – a life-threatening situation. In addition, as the fermented yeast produces ethanol, this can lead to alcohol poisoning. Make sure to keep your pets away from yeast dough.
Milk and Dairy:
While milk and dairy products are not toxic in dogs and cats, most furry friends are technically ‘lactose intolerant’. This means that these products can upset their stomach, causing bloating and diarrhea. So while the occasional spoonful of yogurt shouldn’t harm them, owners should avoid giving them dairy products in larger quantities.
Garlic, Chives, and Onions:
Garlic, chives, and onions – in any form – often cause gastrointestinal irritation. Even more worrying is the fact that they can destroy your pet’s red blood cells and cause anemia. While cats are especially susceptible, dogs are also at risk if too much is consumed.
Avocado:
You might be surprised to hear that avocados can be dangerous for your pet. While dogs and cats are safe eating small amounts of the flesh, they should never eat the pit, skin or leaves of the plant. These contain larger concentrations of the toxin persin, which can cause vomiting or diarrhea if ingested in large amounts. Also keep in mind that if your dog accidentally swallows the avocado seed, this can be fatal if it becomes lodged in the throat or intestines.
Raw Meat and Eggs:
Make sure that meat and eggs are fully cooked if you’re going to feed them to your pet. Just like humans, pets can get food poisoning from bacteria found in raw meat and eggs, such as Salmonella and E. coli.
Bones:
While certain raw bones can be safe for dogs to chew, it’s recommended to exercise caution and monitor your dog if they have one. It’s important to never give your dog any bone that can crack easily, or which is small enough for them to swallow.
And remember: Dogs should never eat cooked bones. Cooked bones are more likely to splinter and, if swallowed, can cause severe damage by puncturing the gastrointestinal tract. Small pieces can also cause an intestinal blockage and may require surgical intervention if swallowed.
While dogs are more commonly given bones than cats, keep the same recommendations in mind if you offer one to your feline friend.
Salt and Salty Foods:
Foods that contain large amounts of salt (like chips or other snack foods) shouldn’t be shared with your pet. Apart from making them very thirsty, eating too much salt can lead to sodium ion poisoning. Symptoms that your pet may have eaten too much salt include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, an elevated temperature, tremors, seizures, and, in severe cases, death.
Xylitol:
Xylitol is a sweetener used in foods such as candy, gum, toothpaste, baked goods, ketchup, and other products that are often labeled as “reduced sugar” or “naturally sweetened”.
Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. Even if ingested in small amounts, it can cause your dog’s blood sugar to drop rapidly, which can then lead to liver failure. Symptoms of xylitol poisoning include vomiting, seizures, lethargy, weakness, and impaired coordination.
While there are fewer reports of xylitol poisoning in cats, it’s best to avoid feeding them products that contain it as well.
If you believe your pet has ingested xylitol or any other toxic food or substance, contact an emergency vet or a pet poison helpline immediately.
Image:
- By Kerri Lee Smith on Flickr,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/77654185@N07/23548096188