Foods Poisonous to Dogs

By Sally Gutteridge | Food & Treats

With the recent food recalls in the news, and E.Coli infections, it’s obvious that food poisoning can happen to humans. However many dog owners don’t know that certain food can also be poisonous to dogs. Although a lot of owners love to give their dog table food, some different types of food can be poisonous to dogs and very dangerous. Here is a list of some of the major foods poisonous to dogs:

1. Chocolate– While most of us enjoy eating a delicious piece of chocolate, chocolate can be very lethal to your dog. It’s not the chocolate itself which is harmful to your dog, but rather the theobromine contained within the chocolate. Theobromine can cause different reactions in dogs; if your dog has epilepsy, then theobromine can trigger epileptic seizures. Other effects include cardiac irregularity, internal bleeding, cardiac arrhythmia and death.

2. Walnuts– Walnuts are considered a very healthy food for humans; however walnuts (amongst many other kinds of nuts) can have harmful side effects on dogs and are considered poisonous to dogs. Because of their high phosphorous content, walnuts can potentially give your dog bladder stones.

3. Onions– It’s not like your dog will enjoy eating those stinky things anyways, but you should definitely avoid feeding your dog onions. Onions, especially raw ones, are known to cause hemolytic anemia in dogs. Hemolytic anemia is where red blood cells are removed and destroyed from toxic compounds.

4. Potatoes– Poisoning from potatoes have been known to occur for both humans and dogs. This is from the Solanum alkaloid that is found in green sprouts and green potato plants. However, this doesn’t mean that all forms of potatoes are bad for your dog. Mashed and cooked potatoes are actually quite nutritious and healthy for your dog, but stay away from raw uncooked potatoes.

5. Turkey Skin– When Thanksgiving rolls around, the last thing you want to do is feed your dog leftover turkey. Turkey Skin has been found to cause acute Pancreaitis in dogs. Pancreaitis is where the pancreas becomes inflamed and can lead to bleeding in the gland, tissue damage and infections.

6. Sugarless Candy– Candy may be a great treat for kids, but they are definitively a big no-no for dogs. Some candies contain a compound called xylithol which can lead to liver damage and death in dogs.

7. Sugar-Free Gum– Another one that most people don’t know about is sugar-free gum, specifically those that contain xylitol as the artificial sweetener (xylitol can also be found in human toothpaste and mouth wash). It can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) for days, thereby causing seizures, and sometimes even liver failure. Both of which can cause death in severe cases.

8. Grapes– One grape wouldn’t be toxic to your dog, however one study which was done by the ASPCA handled a study of 140 dogs and the effects of grapes on the dogs. A third of them developed symptoms of vomiting to kidney failure – however they say that the dog had consumed between 9 ounces to 2 pounds of grapes.

If you’ve fed any of these foods poisonous to dogs recently, it’s recommended you contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. It is important to note that different types of foods can have different effects on your dog. Some dogs may be more tolerant than others, so please be very cautious when giving your dog any type of food that he doesn’t regularly eat.

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  • Puppylove says:

    I love this book.. I know that it’s over a year old but it’s still a great resource.

    http://members.optusnet.com.au/poisonous2pets/index.html

  • While this is a great list to forewarn dog owners of the dangers of human foods, some *Toxic* foods can provide to be beneficial in moderation. And some *Toxic* foods fail to be specific. Take chocolate for example. There are MANY types of chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate. As a general rule of thumb DARK chocolate is the most harmful and potentially deadly as it contains much more condensed cocoa. Milk chocolate on the other hand, isn’t such a big deal unless you have a tiny tiny dog. Generally your dog must consume 1 ounce per pound of dog for it to become harmful. So if your dog is 20 lbs it must eat 20 ounces of milk chocolate for it to be serious. I am a dog groomer and after Christmastime I get to hear all the stories of dogs getting into holiday chocolates and how many thousands of dollars they spent at the vet for their dog getting into milk chocolate when the whole thing could have been avoided due to ill education about dogs and chocolate. Another *Toxic* food that has been proven beneficial in small amounts is garlic. In a small amount, garlic oil is extremely helpful in getting rid of yeasty ear infections. (Yes I’ve tried this!) But please don’t just take my word for it. Do your research before feeding or applying any of these *Toxic* foods!

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