Lesser Known Food Toxins for Dogs – Pet tip 243

Most dog owners are aware that many dogs will eat almost anything. This is especially true of puppies and younger dogs. It is for this reason that houses need to be dog proofed or puppy proofed. Good house proofing will keep dogs away from medications, poisons inedible objects etc. and this is a great start. We know that even though dogs eat the weirdest stuff, the greatest temptation comes from foods that they are not supposed to eat. By now most dog owners know that chocolate is a MAJOR ‘no no’ and certain types of chocolate can actually kill a dog. Other known foods that are toxic to dogs include onions, garlic and Macadamia nuts. This article will focus on a few of the lesser known foods that are toxic to dogs.

One of the problems in deciding if a food is good for our dog or not is that we tend to use our own human logic to make the decision. We intuitively know that pizza is bad for dogs because it is full of fatty cheese (and onions). We know fatty cheese is bad for humans so we don’t give it to our dog. We DO know that fruits and vegetables are great for us, and so many of us think it’s okay to feed those foods to our dog. STOP right there! This is faulty logic. Dogs and humans look different, act different and require different nutrients to thrive. The rule is simple, if you are not positive that it is good for a dog, don’t give it to your dog.

Grapes and raisins are a great example. They are healthy foods for humans and toxic to dogs. They have caused kidney failure in some dogs and are to be 100% avoided. We do hear plenty of stories about dogs that just love grapes and don’t die so why all the fuss? Even though some dogs don’t die, their kidneys are being damaged in the long term and their life-spans are being compromised. Although we are not sure about the minimum amount of grapes a dog has to eat in order to die, we do know that eating close to 10 ounces or more of grapes can be fatal. At the end of the day it’s just not worth it. Do not feed dogs grapes or raisins.

Bread dough is another food that most dog owners don’t know is really bad for dogs. Bread dough has yeast in it and will expand in the stomach of a dog when it is eaten. This is an extremely serious emergency and can cause a whole host of problems and complications.

There are many other ‘human’ foods that dogs should not eat. For a fuller list please consult the ASPCA or talk with your vet.