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Creative Writer,Published Nutritionist, Astrologer, interested in spirituality. Dog lover!

Saturday 21 March 2009

Foods that can harm, or kill your dogs

With Easter approaching, and with it the huge amount of chocolate and hot cross buns, simnel cake around, I want to share with you the human foods that can be harmful, or in the worse cases, fatal to dogs.

Most people are aware that chocolate is a no no for our canine friends; what is more alarming is that few people are aware of how many other, seemingly innocuous foods, that are also to be avoided.

So please read, and pass this on to friends or relatives you have, to help keep our faithful friends happy and healthy.

The most widely known toxic human food is chocolate, almost all dog lovers know this; not all chocolate products are equal in toxicity. Dark chocolate (and cocoa powder) with a high cocoa content is worse than milk chocolate. The ingredient in chocolate that causes the problem is theobromine, it can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, abnormal heart rhythm and in the worst case death. White chocolate doesn't have theobromine, but does have a high fat and sugar content so should be avoided.

Caffeine and coffee should also be avoided as it contains the same compound found in theobromine, and causes the same problems.
*Grapes and raisins; this is a fairly recent discovery. But it is almost more fatal than chocolate!!!!
An unknown compound exists in them which causes renal failure. I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your pet away from these fruits!!!! A very few can be fatal, and by the time the symptoms of toxicity are visible it is often too late, and any treatment would be futile. If your dog eats any amount of grapes or raisins (even only a few) it is vital to get them to a vet within four hours (ideally far less). The treatment is induced vomiting, activated charcoal, an IV drip for a few days to flush out the kidneys. Sometimes even this fails. Please do not wait and see if your dog becomes unwell before seeking help; by the time they do the kidneys may have already been damaged beyond repair. I know a dog who ate just four; the owners got him to the vet quickly, and he was given the regime above; if vets take it this seriously you should. I've also heard of dogs who've not seen a vet till they displayed signs of illness: they all died. Some dogs are not affected, but do not risk it. Also never feed a dog cookies, cake or hot cross buns with raisins in.


Onions; whether raw, cooked or powdered - all forms of onions should be avoided. It has an effect on the red blood cells, causing them to burst, leading to haemolytic anaemia, in the worst cases dogs need blood transfusions to survive. Chives, shallots all have a similar effect, though with garlic a lot more would have to eaten before any bad effects would occur.

Macadamia nuts including macadamia butter, are toxic to dogs.

Avocados, cause vomiting, diarrhoea, and in some cases heart congestion.

Yeast dough (uncooked) causes gas. bloating and can rupture the intestines or stomach.

Raw eggs, they contain a compound which affects a dogs coat and skin.

Xylitol; causes liver failure, it is very toxic to dogs. It is found in a lot of human products such as sugar free sweets, chewing gum, toothpaste, yoghurt's etc.

Bones; frequently seen in vet surgeries, can cause blockages that need to be removed surgically. My sister's dog had to be seen as a medical emergency after giving her dog a raw hide bone (for dogs). Never let your dog have chicken bones.

Corn on the cob; the most common way for a dog's intestine to be blocked, often seen in vet surgeries, (do not confuse with sweetcorn, frozen or tinned)

Salmon, raw or cooked; can contain a parasite, not destroyed by cooking, which affects dogs but not humans. Trout is the same. It is also not recommended to feed dogs any other kinds of fish without cooking them first.

Baby food, due to the presence of onion powder.

Mushrooms, can cause toxicity.

Pits from peaches, apricots cherries etc, and apple pips, contain small amounts of cyanide.

Broccoli, should never account for than 10% of a dogs diet.

Finally nutmeg, and rhubarb leaves are poisonous. And never give your dog human pills or vitamins.

These are the most hazardous foods that your dog is likely to come into contact with.

I hope this helps you to keep your dog safe

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for that I had no idea that so much of our food could harm my dogs I only new of a few items but you have opened my eyes to much more. Many thanks.

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  2. Thanks for sharing this - there were many foods on this list I hadn't realised were harmful, although I'm actually very careful what I feed my little 'rescue' anyway, but it's so easy to give a bit of human food as a 'treat' without thinking.

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