Monday, July 1, 2013

Food Safety for Dogs

Some things are obvious not to give a dog to ingest, such as caffeine, alcohol

puppy teapartyBut did you know that onions and garlic are dangerous for a dog to ingest?  Even though both are good for us, they are toxic to your dog as they destroy a dog’s red blood cells.  This includes every kind, whether it is raw, powdered, dehydrated, or cooked.  Even small frequent amounts over time are dangerous. (Be aware that some baby foods contain onion powder.)

Most all of us have heard that it isn’t safe to give a dog chocolate.  That is true.  Theobromine is the toxic agent in chocolate and it is in all forms, including white chocolate.  Chocolate can cause gastrointestinal issues, as well as heart arrhythmia, seizures, tremors, and potentially death.

If dogs ingest macadamia nuts or avocados, it can be fatal, and takes very little to make them sick.  Nutmeg is also toxic to your K9 pet. 

Raisins and grapes cause kidney failure in dogs. 

As with people, ingesting raw eggs, meat, or fish may cause food poisoning.  With dogs, raw eggs inhibits the absorption of B vitamins.  Raw fish contain bacteria that can cause “fish disease” in dogs and may be fatal within 2 weeks if untreated. 

Dogs should not have any kind of seeds or pits.  Peach and plum pits contain cyanide, which makes the pits dangerous to both us and dogs.

Unbaked yeast dough ferments and swells in their tummies and will cause severe pain and possibly alcohol poisoning.

Watch out for foods that are sweetened with xylitol, as it can cause a dog’s blood sugar to dive dangerously low and it can cause liver failure.  Xylitol is also found in toothpaste, so even if Rover needs a little breath refreshing, don’t use your toothpaste. :)

Milk and dairy products should be avoided because it can upset their tummies.  

Fat trimmings is unhealthy to dogs, just like people, as well as too much sugary foods, which can cause blood sugar issues in our beloved loyal friends. 

Bones can splinter and cause obstructions and small bones can cause choking hazard.

Heavily salty foods such as chips or pretzels can cause ion poisoning.

Whew!  That is a lot to remember, so I made a graphic for you that you are welcome to use. 

Foods dangerous to dogs from sweetteaandsimplicity.blogspot.comDangerous foods for dogs free graphic (click to enlarge)
(Background dog graphic is from thegraphicsfairy.com)
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12 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks ! This is a useful reminder and pretty enough to post in the kitchen.

Christina Paul said...

This is the cutest safety guide I've ever seen-I bet pet stores would carry these- did you ever make one for cats?

Jazzmin said...

What a wonderful post! Thankyou! I have always wondered about all the things I should avoid feeding my dog... or more like the things that might fall on the floor that I need to pick up before she can get them and make her sick. This is so helpful to find them all in one place :)

~I hope you have a blessed day~

Wife, Then Mama said...

Good to know, I guess I will have to quit using my dog as a garbage disposal for the onions we use to flavor our slow cooker meals, but that we hate to eat.

Anonymous said...

So sweet of you to follow my blog. Thank you for visiting me and leaving a comment.

Happy 4th of July!

:)Hope

Reginas Cottage said...

hello mrs.smith,
thanks for the tips!!!
have a great weekend,
regina

Wife, Then Mama said...

I wanted to let you know that I featured your blog post as one of my "Friday Favorites". You can check it out at http://wifethenmama.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-purpose-of-life_5.html

Mrs. Smith said...

Thank you to each of you for your comments!

Joan Jay, I am so glad that you like the graphic and can use it for your kitchen!

Christina, I haven't made one for cats, but that is a good idea. I was honored by your sweet comment!

Jazzmin, we have a little poodle that is more like a pig than a dog, and have to be really careful what she eats. One time I dropped a piece of raw onion on the floor and she even gobbled that up before I could get it! I can't imagine a dog liking uncooked onions! I'm so glad that you visited!

Rachel, we have always used our dogs as garbage disposals too! :) I am so honored that you featured my post! Thank you! That was so nice and thrilled me to pieces!

Hope, I am glad to see you and I hope that you had a happy 4th, too!

Regina, thank you for visiting and commenting! I hope you will stop by again.

Stephanie said...

This was very informational. Some of the foods I knew about and the dangers they can be to dogs, but I had no idea about a lot of the other foods you mentioned. I don't have a dog at the moment, but I will certainly remember this for future use. Thanks, my friend, for the great information.

Have a blessed week!

Hugs to you :)

Anonymous said...

Mrs Smith,

thank you for all the information. I didn't realize that all of those were unhealthy for our sweet puppies.

I wanted to let you know that I was in need of a summer change so I will now be posting at Sweetbriar Cottage. I hope to see you there!

Pam said...

This is such great information, Mrs. Smith. I knew some of these, but I had no idea about the macadamia nuts or avocados--and we eat those two things a lot around here! I am glad to know, so I can be careful not to drop any of those macadamias! I've been a bit out of the blog world for a bit, so I've missed you, but glad to be back reading again. Have a great day!

Mrs. Smith said...

Stephanie, it is always wonderful to see you here! Thank you for all of you thoughtful comments!

Gina, I understand wanting a summer change, and I look forward to visiting you there. Thank you for letting me know!

Pam, I am delighted to see you! Thank you for all the comments that you left me yesterday! I am hopping on over to your blog right now! :)

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