What Foods Are Toxic To Dogs?
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Several human foods can be toxic to dogs, or cause other health concerns.
Do not feed dogs the following:
Chocolate: Contains theobromine and caffeine, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even death in high doses.
Grapes and raisins: Can cause kidney failure in dogs, even in small amounts.
Green tomatoes: While fully ripened tomatoes are safe, the green part of the plant contains a substance called solanine, which is toxic to dogs.
Rhubarb: Rhubarb is frequently used in desserts. Rhubarb plants contains soluble oxalate crystals, making it toxic to pets If ingested in large quantities. Rhubarb can cause kidney failure in dogs.
Cherries: The stems, leaves, and pits of cherries contain cyanide, a potentially deadly chemical.
Onions, garlic:, leeks, chives: Do not feed a dog any part of the allium family of plants. Can damage a dog's red blood cells and cause anemia.
Avocados: Contains persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs.
Some peanut butters or other nut butters: Peanut butter is a favorite among dogs, so check the ingredients before giving your dog peanut butter or other nut butters, because some varieties contain xylitol.
Macadamia nuts: If you are a fan of macadamia nuts, keep them stored well out of reach of curious paws. All it takes are a few to poison a dog.
Alcohol: Can cause vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, coma, and even death.
Xylitol: A sugar substitute found in many sugar-free gums, candies, and many other things that many people do not normally think about. Xylitol can cause a major insulin release into the bloodstream which dramatically drops the blood sugar quickly after eaten, which can lead to liver failure.
Read this from the FDA for an additional listing of items that include Xylitol and further information to protect your pet.
US Food and Drug Administration - Paws Off Xylitol; It's Dangerous for Dogs
Coffee: Contains caffeine, which can cause restlessness, rapid breathing, muscle tremors, and heart palpitations in dogs.
Tea and tea bags: Teas can be poisonous for dogs. Keep your dog away from your drink and the tea bags used.
Raw or undercooked meat: Recently, some dog owners are following a trend of raw feeding. This trend supports feeding your dog a “raw diet” to simulate what their ancestors ate in the wild. However consider that dogs have been domesticated by humans for 10,000-30,000 years. Raw or undercooked meat and eggs carry bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and listeria that can make humans and dogs sick. If you would not eat a raw piece of chicken breast, you shouldn't feed it to your dog either.
Fatty foods: Can cause pancreatitis, a serious inflammation of the pancreas that can be life-threatening.
Cooked bones: Cooked bones can splinter apart and cause blockages or tears in a dog's digestive system and should be avoided.
It's important to keep these foods out of reach of dogs and not to feed them table scraps or leftovers that may contain these toxic ingredients.
Keep trash in securely covered trash cans so that the dog cannot get in the trash and eat food that is dangerous for them.