"Protect Your Dogs from the Wrong Foods"
Don't Kill Your Dog With Poisonous Foods
There is an old saying that goes, “You are what you eat”. When it comes to dogs, it should be rephrased, “You are what you get fed or can get hold of”. To a dog, everything looks like food and, when provided by a pet owner or left within reach, there is no ability for the animal to discern what is healthy and what may cause problems.
It is up to you, as a dog owner, to provide a healthy balanced diet for your dog. And, it is also your responsibility to make sure that your pet can’t make a buffet out of the remnants of dinner, the bones from that Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket or the remains of that Saturday night get-together.
This is another of those cases when it is better to prevent the problem than be forced to solve it. Store all food and supplements carefully out of reach of your dog. If you suspect that your dog has ingested any of these, take the product and the dog to the veterinarian immediately and be more careful in the future.
Here are some to specifically avoid:
- Alcoholic beverages can cause intoxication, coma and death.
- Baby food sometimes contains onion powder which can be toxic to dogs.
- Bones from fish or poultry can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.
- Cat food is generally too high in proteins and fats and can affect digestion.
- Chocolate, coffee, tea and other caffeine contain theobromine, theophylline and caffeine which can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous systems.
- Fat trimmings can cause pancreatitis.
- Fruit pits can cause digestive obstructions.
- Grapes and raisins contain an unknown toxin that can damage the kidneys.
- Hops can cause panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures and death.
- Human vitamin supplements containing iron can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the liver and kidneys.
- Liver, in large amounts, can cause vitamin A toxicity affecting muscles and bones.
- Macadamia nuts contain an unknown toxin that can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
- Marijuana can depress the nervous system, cause vomit and cause changes in heart rate.
- Milk and other dairy products can sometimes cause diarrhea if the dog has an insufficient amount of the enzyme lactase. (There are lactose-free products for your dog.)
- Molding or spoiled food or garbage can contains multiple toxins that can affect many organs, as well as digestion. You never know what is in that pile of garbage!
- Mushrooms can contain toxins that affect multiple systems in the dog’s body, cause shock and result in death.
- Onions (raw, cooked or powder) contain sulfoxides and disulfides that can damage red blood cells and cause anemia.
- Persimmon seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
- Potato, rhubarb and tomato leaves and potato and tomato stems contain oxalates that can affect the digestive, nervous and urinary system.
- Raw eggs contain an enzyme called avidin which decreases the absorption of biotin, a B vitamin. This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs can also contain Salmonella – a problem for dogs and humans.
- Raw fish can result in a thiamine (B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures and – in severe cases – death.
- Salt, if eaten in quantity may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
- Sugary foods can lead to obesity, dental problems and possibly diabetes mellitus – sound familiar?
- Table scraps, in large amounts, should never be more than 10% of a dog’s diet. If they are fed, fat should be trimmed from the meat and small bones should not be fed.
- Tobacco contains nicotine which affects the digestive and nervous systems. In a dog it can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma and death.
- Yeast dough can expand and produce gas in the digestive system causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach and intestines.
