Nothing makes your dog happier than the smell of a treat, whether during training or on their scheduled time for eating. See their tails wag and their eyes sparkle by the sound of their names being called to share a bite or two of the flavorful food in your hands. No matter how they seem to like what you are about to feed them, there are certain foods that you should never even think about giving to your dogs.
Basically, your dog’s anatomy is different from human anatomy and their bodies process food somehow differently. This means that some foods that are common and even healthful for humans may surprisingly be turned into poison when eaten and digested by a dog. Here are but a few.
Chocolates
Humans are to stay away from chocolates to avoid obesity, but dogs have more reason to do so than this. All kinds of chocolates contain a substance called theobromine which are digested and processed by dogs very slowly. Even a small amount of it may become toxic to them causing vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, irregular heartbeats, internal bleeding, tremors, heart attacks, and eventually death within a short span of time.
Onions and Garlic
Both onions and garlic contain thiosulfate that is toxic to dogs. Eating large amounts at once or small amounts regularly – in any form, including powdered – causes your dog to develop and suffer from anemia which later on would result to weakness, vomiting, shortness of breath, and fatal damage to the liver and kidneys.
Raisins and Grapes
Because of their small size and sweet taste, it is easy to think of grapes and raisins as convenient treats for dogs. However, don’t even think about doing so because ingesting even just a small amount of these fruits can cause your dogs to show symptoms of poisoning such as weakness, vomiting, decreased appetite and urination, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Toxins produced in the dog’s body from eating grapes and raisins eventually cause their kidneys to fail leading to death.
Caffeine
This is also another reason chocolates are really bad for your dog. Guzzling coffee and tea have fatally dangerous effects to them because of caffeine. Make sure all caffeinated products are never fed to your dogs, including colas and stimulant drinks, because the effects could be irreversible. It causes serious damage to your dog’s central nervous system, his heart, lungs, and kidneys. Signs that your dog is experiencing caffeine poisoning include restlessness, vomiting, labored breathing, panting, fast heartbeat, lethargy, and seizures.
Alcohol and Yeast
Both alcohol and yeast contain ethanol, a toxic substance which is rapidly absorbed in the body. If your dog consumes uncooked dough or alcohol, they will quickly suffer from low body temperature, depression, and weakness which are generally symptoms of central nervous system and respiratory depression.
Salty and Sugary foods
Giving your dogs chips and candies are not good for their health. It causes imbalance in your dog’s minerals and metabolic enzymes such as sodium and insulin. Too much salt causes sodium ion poisoning, while too much sweets causes an increase in insulin. Symptoms include excessive thirst and urination, vomiting, weakness, and seizures.
Aside from these, be careful too when giving your dogs fruits with seeds, meats with fats and bones, milk and other dairies. To be safe, ask your vet about the best diet for your pet, especially when you notice that their energy levels changed after eating certain foods.
Keeping your dog healthy by deciding what to feed and not to feed your dogs is a huge part of responsible pet ownership. After all, dogs would not know exactly what is harmful to them, especially if those foods are foods you yourself eat. They trust you so much that they would eat almost anything you give them, so it’s up to you to determine those foods that they could and could not munch.
