Unhealthy and Toxic Ingredients For Dogs

During college days I had a friend who was also my roomie. We gradually became very close and started sharing our personal stuff with each other. She often used to mention Bella whenever she spoke about her family.

Every day she used to talk through video calls with Bella and always got excited! One day I went to her house during our holidays and the first thing I wanted was to meet Bella!

The moment I entered her house, came a small puppy running towards me and my friend shouting to that puppy “Bella wait, Bella wait”. I wondered how can Bella be a dog! But I realized how humans get attached to dogs as own family.

I have seen many friends calling their pets as brothers and celebrate their birthdays too! That love towards these dogs make us share all the delicious food with them because we can’t resist watching those cute puppy dog eyes while we are eating.

But all the dog lovers must be aware of many unhealthy and toxic ingredients for dogs. Even if your dog has eaten these foods in the past with no problems, they could be causing serious issues that you are not aware of.

Learn which ten items are particularly dangerous to your dog.

1. Xylitol

Candy, gum, toothpaste, baked goods, peanut butter and some diet foods are sweetened with xylitol.

It can cause an insulin surge through your dog’s body that can lead to a drop in blood sugar and liver failure. Early symptoms include vomiting, lethargy and coordination problems.

Eventually, dog may have seizures. Liver failure may happen within just a few days. So check the list of ingredients in your ingredients before you share them with your dog.

2. Alcohol

Alcohol has the same effect on a dog’s liver and brain that it has on people. But it takes a lot less to hurt your dog.

Just a little beer, liquor, wine, or food with alcohol can be bad.

It can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, coordination problems, breathing problems, coma, even death. And the smaller your dog, the worse it can be.

3. Avocado

Avocados have a substance called as persin.  Persin is present in the leaves, seed, and bark as well as the fruit of avocado.

While consuming its seed can become stuck in the intestines or stomach and obstruction could be fatal. It may cause diarrhoea or vomiting in dogs.

Well, if you have an avocado plant in your house or in your yard, your dog may overindulge in unripened fruit and persin, but the real danger comes from the seeds, stems, and pits, all of which are difficult to digest and can cause choking or gastrointestinal blockages, which can be fatal.

4. Chocolate

Chocolate tops the list of bad foods for dogs. It contains a stimulant called theobromine (dark chocolate has the highest content of this) which is toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure.

It can cause  dog to vomit, diarrhea, and become overly thirsty, but on the more extreme side it can cause abnormal heart rhythms, seizures, death.

5. Coffee and Caffeine

Caffeine can be fatal.  Watch out for coffee and tea, even the beans and the grounds. Keep your dog away from cocoa, chocolate, colas, and energy drinks. Caffeine is also in some cold medicines and pain killers. Think your dog had caffeine? Get your dog to the vet as soon as possible.

6. Grapes and Raisins

Raisins are in many of the foods that we love to eat such as cakes, biscuits and cereals so it’s not just the fruit form we should be concerned with.

The active ingredient which causes the toxin is unknown, however both grapes and raisins may cause severe liver damage and kidney failure.

It’s best to keep the grapes and raisins out of reach of your dog.

7. Macadamia Nuts

Keep your dog away from macadamia nuts and foods that have macadamia nuts in them.

Just six raw or roasted macadamia nuts can make a dog sick.

Look for symptoms like  muscle shakes, vomiting, high temperature, and weakness in his back legs. Eating chocolate with the nuts will make symptoms worse, maybe even leading to death.

8. Onions and Garlic

The onion family, whether dry, raw or cooked, is particularly toxic to dogs and can cause gastrointestinal irritation and red blood cell damage.

Signs of illness are not always immediate and can occur up to a few days later. No matter what form they’re in (dry, raw, cooked, powder, within other foods), onions are some of the absolute worst foods you could give your pup.

They contain disulfides and sulfoxides (thiosulphate), both of which can cause anaemia and damage red blood cells.

9.  Salt

Just like salt isn’t the healthiest thing for humans, it’s even less healthy for dogs.

Salt can cause a condition called sodium ion poisoning, not to mention excessive thirst or urination.

Symptoms of eating too much salt might include vomiting, diarrhoea, high body temperature, and seizures, in addition to bloat, as is the case with bacon. Salt can be fatal, so keep it to a minimum in the foods you share with your pup.

10. Cooked Bones

Giving your dog a raw uncooked bone to chew on is great, but avoid cooked bones at all cost. These can easily splinter and in large quantities cause constipation or at worst, a perforation of the gut which can be fatal.

Conclusion

Also avoid giving your dog fat trimmings and bones, persimmons, peaches, raw meat and fish, raw eggs, sugary foods and drinks, yeast dough, your medicines. Don’t let your dog near these products, as they are toxic and can lead to potential poisoning, choking, gastrointestinal issues, and death. Stick to a diet approved by your vet, or research some healthy foods that you can share with your dog. Resist that cute face and keep most of your human food to yourself. If consumed, even small amounts of these items can be fatal so always act immediately and take your dog to the vets.