What NOT to Feed Your Canine

Posted on 2016-01-18 16:44:00

Tweet

It’s the rare dog owner who hasn’t fed table scraps to their furry best friend at one point or another- after all, how can you resist those big brown eyes asking for the last piece of your bacon? Although there are many edibles that are safe for our tail-wagging friends, there are others that pose a significant danger to your pup. Here’s a list of foods to keep out of reach!

• Avocado – Although this delicious green fruit is wonderfully healthy for humans, large amounts can cause stomach upset for dogs, and the pit poses a choking risk, or could cause a bowel obstruction
• Alcohol –Alcoholic beverages or substances containing a large amount of alcohol (like some mouthwashes) can be a canine health hazard, causing vomiting, diarrhea, stumbling, lethargy, difficulty breathing, tremors, a change in blood pH, coma and even death, in severe cases. Alcohol-soaked desserts and shooters are particularly tempting for dogs, so put your pup away when the party starts!
• Bread Dough – Fresh bread may be lovely, but the raw dough can be dangerous. The warmth of a dog’s stomach makes the yeast multiply, causing the dough to expand; this can put enormous pressure on your pup’s diaphragm, causing breathing problems, and the yeast also produces alcohols.
• Bones – Cooked bones, especially from poultry like chicken or turkey, can easily splinter and cause damage to your furry friend’s gut. Even large beef bones, which some dog lovers give as chew toys, can cause teeth to break.
• Tea, Chocolate and Coffee – Theobromine and caffeine are the dangerous ingredients in these foods, causing vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, and occasionally heart arrhythmias, tremors or seizures. Just a few ounces of dark chocolate can be toxic!
• High Fat Foods – Large amounts or the sudden introduction of fatty foods like bacon, turkey leg or fried cuisine can increase your dog’s risk for pancreatic inflammation, a highly painful condition that may cause vomiting, diarrhea and lack of appetite.
• Fruit Pits and Corn Cobs – Besides being a pretty large choking hazard, they may also cause intestinal blockage.
• Onions, garlic –These foods can cause a breakdown of important red blood cells, bloody urine, weakness and a high heart rate.
• Grapes and Raisins – The exact cause of grape toxicity are still unknown, but eating grapes has been associated with kidney failure in our canine companions.
• Xylitol – Many sugar-free foods (including some chewing gum brands) now contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener. Unfortunately, ingesting it can cause your dog’s blood sugar to drop rapidly to dangerous levels, even as soon as 20-30 minutes after eating the product. Signs of xylitol toxicity could include disorientation, stumbling, collapse, seizures, or even liver failure in extreme cases.

Dogs can be enormously creative when it comes to finding ways to get to tasty foods, and accidents can happen. To keep your pup safe, keep a close eye on your countertops and lock away your garbage can to prevent your dog from getting into serious trouble with dangerous edibles.