There are many toxic foods for dogs for you to know about! Our dogs are members of the family, our companions, and our confidants. And as their parents and caretakers, it’s only natural for us to want to spoil them and sometimes share the food we consume with them. But some foods and treats can pose serious risks to their health.
While some human foods are perfectly safe for dogs, some are very unhealthy and downright dangerous, so it’s critical to learn which foods your dogs can and can’t eat.
Toxic Foods for Dogs
Alcohol and Marijuana
Alcohol is toxic for dogs. Not only in drinks but in small quantities in syrups and raw bread dough. alcohol in dogs may lead to ethanol poisoning. This causes tiredness, lack of coordination, vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures and ultimately death.
Marijuana has a similar effect. It depresses your dog’s nervous system and causes vomiting and changes in heart rates.
Chocolate
Chocolate is dangerous for dogs. It has a high level of theobromines which can affect your dog’s heart and nervous systems.
Human Foods
Human foods are generally high in protein and fats. It’s not recommended to feed your dog human foods, especially table scraps. Fats should be trimmed from meat because they cause pancreatitis and bones should not be fed to dogs.
Fruit and Vegetables
Fruits and Vegetables are rich in vitamins, fibre, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and phytonutrients not found in meat.
But are fruits and vegetables good for dogs?
Dogs are natural carnivores and don’t need vegetables like humans. Adding additional fruit and vegetables to a dog’s diet has the potential to make the diet unbalanced. While it’s okay to feed your dog some fruit and vegetables, here is a list of the ones to avoid:
| Food Type | Issues |
|---|---|
| Pits and Seeds | Can cause obstruction in digestive tract. |
| Grapes from Raisins | Can damage kidneys |
| Onions and Garlic (raw, cooked and powder) | Contains sulfoxides and disulphides- can damage red blood cells and cause anaemia. |
| Nuts (Brazil nuts, walnuts, pecan nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts and peanuts) | Unknown toxin, affects digestive and nervous systems |
| Potatoes | Contains solanine which can cause a variety of complaints including diarrhoea, vomiting and confusion |
| Rhubarb | Can cause damage to the nervous system, kidneys and digestive tract. |
| Tomato leaves & stems | Contains oxalates, affects the digestive, nervous and urinary systems. |
Undercooked or raw eggs and fish
Feeding your dog raw eggs and fish can be fatal! Raw eggs contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of vitamin b, this can lead to skin and hair coat problems for your dog.
Feeding your raw fish is also dangerous, this can result in a thiamine (Vitamin B Deficiency) that leads to loss of appetite, seizures and ultimately death.
Bones from fish, poultry or other meat sources may cause obstruction or laceration in the digestive system.
What happens when you feed your dog the wrong foods
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Increased body temperature
- Rapid breathing or heart rate
- Seizures
- Death
If you suspect that your pet has ingested toxic foods for dogs, contact your veterinarian immediately!
If you need assistance with finding your perfect pup, contact The Dog Broker SA.
