1. Chocolate: This one almost everyone knows but do you know why? It’s the mainly theobromine that is the problem. Animals metabolize theobromine at a much slower rate than humans so they are at a higher risk of poisoning. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, baker’s chocolate of approximately 0.02 oz/lb of a dog’s body weight is sufficient to cause symptoms of toxicity. For example, 2.25-ounce of baker’s chocolate would be enough to produce symptoms in a 20-pound dog, while a 60% cacao chocolate bar is 60% as toxic as the same dose of baker’s chocolate; however, other types of chocolate (such as milk chocolate candies) contain significantly less theobromine and requires the dog to ingest more before showing symptoms.
2. Grapes: You may not suspect grapes would be bad for your pet but they are. Grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure in your pet. Dogs are at a higher risk than cats but the risk is still there. Unlike other toxic foods it is unknown why grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in pets.
3. Garlic and onions: It’s the Allium in garlic and onion that is toxic to pets. It is rare for a dog or cat to eat enough garlic or onion to cause problems but the risk is there for damage to their red blood cell production.
4. Macadamia nuts: Healthy for humans but are not for your pet. Though not fatal for dogs and cats they can cause weakness in the legs and even tremors.
5. Avocado: The chemical Persin, found in all parts of the Avocado is highly toxic to dogs and cats. Even birds and horses are highly susceptible to persin. Without veterinary treatment can cause death in dogs and cats.
6. Alcohol: Most people know not to give booze to the family fur baby but alcohol poisoning is more common than you may think. The main reason for the commonality is that ethanol is found in more than just booze. Rum-soaked fruitcake or unbaked dough containing yeast result in alcohol poisoning and other life-threatening problems. Unbaked bread dough will expand in the warm, moist environment of the stomach and can result in a bloated stomach (called bloat), which can then progress to a gastric-dilatation volvulus (GDV), which is a twisted stomach. Also, when the yeast in the unbaked dough is fermented, it results in the production of carbon dioxide (causing the bloat) and alcohol. Alcohol from the fermenting yeast is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and results in alcohol poisoning quickly.
7. Food that has gone bad: This one should be obvious as well. If it’s bad for you it’s bad for your pet. Wait a minute you say….haven’t we all seen a stray eating something from the garbage? In reality spoiled food is not a good choice for your pet. It may have bacterial contamination (salmonella, e.coli) which can be life threatening. Moldy items (pasta, bread, cream cheese) can produce toxins that cause tremors and seizures. Dogs and cats in the wild may not have a choice on what to eat, but yours do.
8. Caffeine: Caffeine is another reason chocolate is bad for your pet. Caffeine poisoning cannot be treated and there is no known cure. While 1-2 laps of coffee, tea or soda will not contain enough caffeine to cause poisoning in most pets, the ingestion of moderate amounts of coffee grounds, tea bags or 1-2 diet pills can easily cause death in small dogs or cats.
9. Bones and leftovers: Some people think it’s a natural thing to give a dog leftovers especially a bone but this practice can cause serious health problems. Not only can bones splinter and cause obstructions and lacerations to the throat and intestines but feeding leftovers can lead to pancreatitus, regulation of blood sugar and digestion problems.
10. Ice Cream: Feeding Ice Cream to your pet can cause relatively serious intestinal problems that can lead to internal bleeding and when this happens the chances of survival drop pretty steeply. Although it’s not lethal in small amounts, it’s still something that you just shouldn’t do. Usually, after eating ice cream, dogs will get diarrhea and start scratching themselves like crazy.
11. Raw Meat and Fish: Raw meat and fish can contain bacteria that can cause various bacterial infections, including food poisoning. Certain kinds of fish such as salmon, trout, shad, or sturgeon can contain a parasite that causes “fish disease.” or “salmon poisoning” caused by infection with a type of rickettsia, Neorickettsia helminthoeca. If not treated, the disease can be fatal within 2 weeks. In fact, mortality reaches 90% if untreated!
12. Drupes: What the heck are drupes you ask? Drupes are fruits that have a hard stone pit surrounding their seeds. Choking hazard, intestinal obstructions and inflammation are obvious hazards. Plus, all drupe pits (plus apple and pear seeds) contain cyanogenic glycosides that can result in cyanide poisoning. Cyanogenic glycosides interfere with the ability of the blood to release oxygen into the tissues, resulting in suffocation even though there is oxygen in the bloodstream.
13. Raw eggs: They might have been good for Rocky Balboa but they’re not for your pet. First of all, there is a chance of a Salmonella infection, same as in humans, but more importantly if a dog was fed raw eggs for a long period, he may experience problems with Vitamin B regulation. Raw eggs contain an enzyme called avidin and excessive amounts of raw egg white could cause a biotin (B vitamin) deficiency resulting in skin and hair problems. the whites also contain enzyme inhibitors which can interfere with digestion, especially in very young and old animals.
14. Milk: (Mainly for cats) Milk has adverse effects on most cats. Milk is a baby-food and is not a natural food for adult cats. Cow’s milk is suitable for cows, but contains lactose which adult cats cannot digest. This results in stomach upsets, diarrhea and intestinal discomfort. Cats seem to like milk and there is a longstanding tradition of giving milk to cats. The higher the fat content in the milk, the less lactose it contains so a small treat of cream may be safe for some cats. Some cats can tolerate evaporated milk as the high temperatures have changed the composition. Alternatively, use a lactose-free milk such as Lactolite (made for humans), Whiskas or Felix (made for cats). Evaporated milk may also be tolerated. Cats that have a balanced diet and water available really don’t need milk and it’s best not to get into the habit of giving them milk.
15. Salt: I’m pretty sure no one is feeding salt to their pets but just in case here is why you shouldn’t. Salt can cause vomiting, excessive shaking, excessive urination and dehydration, and in case your pet wanders into a salt mine, excessive amounts of salt, will cause sodium ion poisoning that’s rather difficult and painful to treat. Treatment for salt poisoning includes administration of IV fluids, electrolyte monitoring, treatment for dehydration and brain swelling.
16. Hops: In case any of you pet lovers are also beer makers here’s why you should keep the hops away from your pet. Ingesting hops can lead to hops poisoning causing uncontrollably high temperature and restless behavior followed by excessive panting. Possibly even a hangover!
Hopefully these tips will help keep the family fur baby happy and healthy.
Til next time……
Clinton County Humane Society 