Top 5 most Dangerous Foods for your Dog

Dogs become so much a part of the family that it’s hard to differentiate them from ourselves. We share our home, our happy moments and our not so happy ones so it’s natural to feel at ease when it comes to sharing our food as well. Especially if they put on a beggars face right next to you…

The problem is that some of the food that causes no harm to people might be extremely dangerous for your dog.

Things you would have never thought could be harmful, some of which are actually really healthy for people, could intoxicate and kill your pet.

Below we’ve made a list of the most dangerous foods for your dog, the top 5 things they should never be given to eat.

Avocado

First entry is the most surprising one, since avocados have so many health benefits for humans and is also the least dangerous.

Still, because they contain persin, an oil-solube toxin, avocados can provoke vomiting, diarrhea, and for dogs sensitive to the substance even death.

This is definitely a case of better safe than sorry so never, under any circumstance give your dog avocados. If you have an avocado plant in or around your house make sure the dog can’t reach it because persin is present in even larger quantities in the plants leaves and in the shell of the fruit.

Chocolate

Likely the one everybody has heard at some point, chocolate, because it contains the substance theobromine, can cause serious harm to your dog.

As a general rule, the darker and purer varieties tend to have higher levels of theobromine, but the substance is found also in milk chocolate, glazing, cooking chocolate and of course in cocoa powder, which contains up to 26 mg of theobromine per gram, making is extremely toxic to dogs.

If your dog has consumed chocolate the only thing to do is a quick visit to the vet. Do not attempt any home remedies as the most extreme cases can involve abnormal heart rhythms, seizures, tremors, or death.

A very important aspect is how soon is the dog going to be treated, with the prognosis for a poisoned dog that is treated quickly being usually good.

Grapes and raisins

This is a shocker for most dog owners, but when consumed by dogs, grapes or raisins can lead to huge problems such as kidney failure and even death.

The confusion comes on account of the seemingly arbitrary nature grapes affect certain dogs and cause no harm to others. It is not clear why and there is no method of checking except feeding the dog and taking the risk, which is highly not recommended!

Another problem is that there can be no major symptoms for a while, with dogs just becoming lethargic or vomiting without you noticing. On the long term though it has been documented to have potential horrible results so better err on the side of caution with this one.

Xylitol

This is a component found in candies, gum, baked good or other sugar-substituted items. Although it is completely safe for humans, when it comes to dogs it proves to be extremely toxic.

The worst part is that even small doses can lead to seizures, low blood sugar, liver failure and even the death of your dog.

It might be tempting to share your treat with your pet, but it might be the wrong decision. Give dogs appropriate treats that were made for them or make sure to read the label of the food product before you share. If it says Xylitol, DON’T DO IT!

Onions and Chives

As much as it’s unexpected and seemingly harmless, onions are poison for dogs. It doesn’t matter what form they’re in. They can be raw, cooked, dry, EVEN POWDER and they’ll still damage the health of your dog. Onions are among the worst things your dog can eat.

That it because they contain sulfoxides  and disulfides. Both these substances can cause damage to red blood cells or cause anaemia.

The real problem is that signs of the poisoning will occur a few days after they ate onions so it’s difficult to figure out that they are the root cause at first.

Usually poisoning will happen either because of a large dose or because of small regular doses being consumed in a matter of days.

It has to be restated that onion in any form will cause damage to your dog so be aware when deciding to share your take-away food or Chinese food (highly likely to contain onions) or ready to eat meals etc. Remember, it doesn’t matter if the stuff is cooked or in powder form.

Although the list for potential dangerous and harmful foods for your dog is long, the list above is made up of major “no-no’s” that should never be tried on your pets. Even if the animals do not display clear signs of feeling ill, none of the ingredients above are healthy for your pup and could be the reason for a shortened life, so make sure your dog avoids them.

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