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Things Your Dog Shouldn’t Eat

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If you are a new dog owner one of the first things that you need to learn is what foods your dog shouldn’t eat. Certain foods that are favorites of humans are actually quite harmful for dogs. Keep these items out of the way so that your four-legged friend can remain healthy and vibrant.

a graphic of a dog with title text reading Things Your Dog Shouldn't Eat

Alcohol

It may seem harmless to feed your dog a little beer or wine, but the harmful effects of alcohol have an even greater influence in dogs, especially smaller ones. According to Web MD, symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, coordination problems, and coma.

Chocolate

Many dog owners are aware of how bad chocolate is for dogs, but it is worth repeating. Certain ingredients in chocolate, such as caffeine, are toxic to dogs. Darker chocolate has more of these ingredients, but all chocolate should be avoided.

Garlic and Onions

Garlic and onions can be very toxic to dogs, and larger doses can lead to anemia. If your dog shows symptoms such as vomiting, weakness, dullness, and breathlessness you should bring him into an emergency animal hospital, as he may need a blood transfusion.

Dairy Products

Milk, cheese, ice cream, and other dairy products should be avoided by your dog. Most dogs lack the enzymes necessary to break down the milk fat and sugars that these products contain. If ingested, dairy products can cause digestive issues such as diarrhea, gas, and vomiting, and eventually lead to other food allergies.

Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts have been found to be extremely harmful for dogs, and it only takes a few for serious muscle weakness, vomiting, and rapid heart rate to occur. Keep your dog away from these nuts and any foods that contain them, such as cookies or chocolate.

Bones and Fat Trimmings

Many people think that feeding their dogs table scraps is harmless, but that is not the case. Bones offer numerous hazards, such as choking, lacerations of the digestive system, and obstructions. Fat, whether it has been cooked or not, can lead to pancreatitis.

Fruit

Many types of fruit can be harmful for your dog. Plums and peaches contain pits, which can lead to obstruction in the digestive tract. The pits also contain cyanide, which is poisonous to both dogs and humans. The core of an apple is also cyanotic and needs to be avoided. Grapes and their dried form, raisins, can quickly lead to kidney failure in dogs.

Salt

You may be tempted to share your salty pretzels or chips with your dogs, but this is not a good idea. Ingesting too much salt can lead to symptoms such as excessive urination, depression, diarrhea, vomiting, increased body temperature, seizures, and tremors.

 

While the amount of damage varies depending on the type and size of the dog, it is smart to avoid these foods altogether.

7 thoughts on “Things Your Dog Shouldn’t Eat”

    • Only some fruit is harmful. I would never feed my dogs fruit with pits anyway and I don’t think most people do. I didn’t know about apple cores until this article though. If you think about it, using your logic makes sense (aside from grapes ) since the things that are harmful to dogs in fruit are things we wouldn’t eat either (e.g. the pits or the apple core).

      Reply
  1. I knew some of these, but not others. I am working hard to cut back on the “snacks” I give my puppy that come from the table. By doing that, I will cut out any of the bad foods too. Thanks for a great list.

    Reply
  2. Good tips — I didn’t realize that about onions and garlic… I will have to keep an eye out for those in scraps! We have a mini schnauzer, and used to feed her fat trimmings off our cooked steaks. She ended up getting sick and we took her to the vet, who told us exactly what you said… we shouldn’t be giving them to her! lesson learned.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. I never knew that dairy products are bad for my dog. I’ve always fed her dairy products from my plate. Not any more, though. Thanks for the info!

    Reply
    • Hi Stephanie, I am also guilty of feeding my dogs fat cut from our steaks and pork chops. I had no idea before how harmful it was!

      Reply

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