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Pet Safety - What Not to Feed Your Dog
Posted by: Kendra McCord | Tags: Bad Foods for Dogs, Dog Allergies, Dangerous Foods
We all have a tendency to humanize our pets but the important thing to understand is that dogs have a very different digestive system than their human counterparts. For those of us that like to spoil our pets with scraps of the foods and various other tasty treats we eat, it is important to know what is and what is not OK to feed our little loved ones. There are a surprising number of foods that can affect our dogs in numerous ways - leading to any number of symptoms.
Alcoholic Beverages - can cause intoxication, coma, death.
Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources - Can cause obstructions or laceration of the digestive system.
Baby food - Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. (Please see onion below.) Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.
Cat food - generally too high in proteins and fats. Plus it has pictures of cats on it.
Chocolate, Coffee Tea and Other Caffeine - contain theobromine and caffeine, which can be toxic and affect the heart perhaps fatally.
Fat trimmings - Can cause pancreatitis.
Hops - Unknown compound causes increased heart rate, seizures, and death.
Human vitamin supplements containing iron - Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs, including the liver and kidneys.
Liver - in large amounts can cause Vitamin A toxicity that affects muscles and bones.
Milk and other dairy products - Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.
Macadamia nuts - contains an unknown toxin that can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscles.
Marijuana - can depress the nervous system and cause vomiting and changes in heart rate.
Moldy or spoiled food, garbage - can contain any number of toxins that cause vomiting and diarrhea and also affect other organs.
Mushrooms - Wild-growing mushrooms - even the backyard variety - can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.
Onions - Contains sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia.
Peach and plum pits - Can obstruct the digestive tract.
Persimmon seeds - Can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
Grapes & Raisins - newly discovered to contain unknown toxins that may damage the kidneys when consumed in large quantities.
Raw eggs - Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin, a B vitamin. This can lead to skin, hair and coat problems. Raw eggs also may contain salmonella.
Raw fish - Can result in a thiamine (B Vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and sometimes death. The problem is more common if raw fish is fed regularly.
Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves; potato and tomato stems - Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. This is more of a problem in livestock.
Salt - large quantities may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
String - can become trapped in the digestive system and entwine around internal organs.
Sugary foods - Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and diabetes.
Table scraps - Should never make up more than 10 percent of the diet, if that.
Tobacco - contains nicotine, which damages the nervous and digestive systems. Can result in rapid heartbeat, 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.
Citrus oil extracts - Can cause vomiting.
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