It’s quite obvious to see that dogs love food.
If your dogs are anything like mine then I’m sure you know, they will eat quite literally anything you put in front of them. Usually within about 2-3 seconds. It’s tempting to indulge our pets with treats or leftover parts of our meal but we need to remember that dogs are physiologically different from humans. There are a lot of different types of food which we can eat that are actually dangerous for dogs to eat. Let’s look at 5 common foods which are dangerous for dogs to eat.
1. Chocolate
Some people don’t believe that chocolate can harm dogs, but it’s true! Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine and a great deal of caffeine which is toxic to both cats and dogs. Chocolate can poison our pet dogs and make them extremely ill. Symptoms include diarrhea, increased heart rate, vomiting, and in extreme scenarios seizures.
2. Salty Ham, and Fatty Trimmings
A common thing I see is people giving their pets leftover food from their meals which sometimes include ham, gammon, or even fat trimmings. Although extremely tasty these items can make our dogs very uncomfortable. Salt and fat in large quantities can cause indigestion problems not to mention the usual vomiting and diarrhea not to mention pancreatitis.
3. Jelly or Sugary Fruit products
Lots of Jelly and fruit paste products contain a sweetener called xylitol which is known to be harmful to pets. You might be thinking can dogs eat jelly? Surely they can. But no! both jelly and a great deal of similar sweet products such as peanut butter, sugar-free candy all contain xylitol.
There are many articles about Xylitol recently people are surprised to find out that a sugar substitute is actually worse than sugar itself. If you do decide to give your precious pet a “human treat” which seems to be sugary or sweet make sure to check the packaging to ensure Xylitol is not present. Xylitol can cause issues with blood sugar, seizures, and even liver failure.
4. Avocado
Avocado contains a toxic called persin which causes vomiting and diarrhea in dogs. Persin is actually a fungicidal toxin that has the potential to cause huge damage to our pets. Persin is present in basically every part of the avocado fruit, pits, leaves, and even the actual plant, so I recommend you avoid it at all costs!
5. Onion & Garlic
Onions and garlic both cause damage to red blood cells which can lead to a variety of illnesses in dogs. If you are a big fan of Indian food make sure you keep your taste to yourself! Eating a large amount of either Onions and Garlic can lead to anemia in dogs. Read a more in-depth article about whether dogs can eat garlic here.
Other things to consider:
Caffeine, Alcohol, and Fizzy drinks should all be avoided although not food all of these drinks cause issues including bloating. Bloating is extremely bad for dogs and can have serious health implications.