Ensuring the health and well-being of our canine companions begins with understanding what foods are safe and what should be kept out of their reach. While dogs can enjoy a variety of human foods, it’s crucial to be aware of potential hazards. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the foods your dog should avoid, helping you make the right choices for your furry friends.
For the following foods, toxicity can be variable based on the type and size of the animal eating the food, how much they ate, and how long ago they ate the food. If you have any concerns about your pet eating something harmful, it is best to contact your veterinarian as soon as possible to determine what next steps should be taken.
Alcohol:
- Ethanol is found in a variety of products including alcoholic beverages, mouthwashes, perfumes, and some types of antifreeze. Ingestion can cause intoxication, leading to sedation, vomiting, coordination issues, breathing difficulty, and even coma.
Avocado:
- Contains a substance called persin which is found in both the fruit and the leaves. Persin is toxic to caged birds, rabbits, mice, sheep, goats, and horses, while dogs and cats are rarely affected by persin. However, due to the higher fat content, dogs that ingest large amounts of avocado can be at risk for pancreatitis. Although toxicity for dogs is thought to be low, there have been some reported cases of dogs and cats experiencing heart, liver, and kidney damage similar to what occurs in goats, sheep and horses poisoned by avocados.
Bones:
- While we enjoy giving treats to our furry friends, giving bones is not recommended. Bones can splinter, and result in intestinal perforation and/ or blockage. Chewing on bones can also lead to tooth fractures which can cause pain and reduction in intake.
Caffeine:
- Caffeine is a methylxanthine (like theobromine found in chocolate) that is harmful to pets. Caffeine can be found in beverages such as tea, coffee, as well as in some soft drinks, and guarana products. Stimulants like caffeine can cause restlessness, increased heart rate, and, in severe cases, death.
Chocolate:
- Chocolate contains a methylxanthine, theobromine, found within the cacao seeds. Theobromine can be toxic and lead to cardiovascular and respiratory problems which can cause symptoms ranging from restlessness to seizures and coma. The type of chocolate will impact how unsafe it is, with darker chocolate having significantly higher amounts of theobromine, meaning even the smallest amounts can be potentially very dangerous. White chocolate on the other hand contains much lower amounts of theobromine. Chocolate also contains caffeine, although in lower concentrations than other caffeinated products.
Citrus Fruits:
- While vitamin C is an essential nutrient for humans, dogs can actually make their own vitamin C without having to eat it in their diet. Citrus fruits can be consumed by dogs, although if eaten to excess, may cause gastrointestinal upset in dogs, and the essential oils may also be toxic. Additionally, some medications can be impacted by citrus fruits, changing absorption or metabolism.
Dairy (in Lactose-Intolerant Dogs):
- Lactose-intolerant dogs may experience digestive upset, including diarrhea and abdominal pain. Additionally, some dogs may experience digestive upset due to a higher fat content found in the dairy product offered, and not necessarily a lactose-intolerance.
Garbage, compost, and moldy foods:
- While we may not intend for our dogs to get into the garbage, sometimes they do! Foods that have mold in particular can cause problems including digestive upset, such as diarrhea and vomiting, as well as potential neurological impacts, such as sedation, tremors, even seizures and death. If you are throwing out food, be sure to keep it from being accessed by animals, and this is true of compost material too.
Garlic and Onions:
- The Allium species of foods, including onions, garlic, leeks, chives are tasty, aromatic, and often included in many human cooked dishes. However, these foods contain compounds that can cause oxidative damage to red blood cells, which damages them and may lead to anemia. Other more significant signs exhibited include vomiting, diarrhea, and convulsions.
- Cooking, drying or other processing does not make these safe to eat.
Grapes and Raisins:
- The fruits of grapes and their dried products (raisins, sultanas, and currants) are associated with kidney failure in dogs, even in small amounts. There is considerable variability in each dog’s susceptibility to toxicity as some dogs have been known to consume them with little concern, while others have gone into full kidney failure after only a very small ingestion.
- Cooking, drying or other processing does not make these safe to eat.
Mushrooms:
- Some varieties of mushrooms contain toxins that can be harmful to dogs, leading to symptoms like vomiting, seizures, and even death.
Nuts (especially Macadamia Nuts):
- Macadamia nuts are the known problematic nut when ingested by dogs. They can cause weakness (particularly hind limb weakness), depression, lameness, abdominal pain, vomiting, and tremors in dogs.
- Nuts are also high in fat, which may not be tolerated by some dogs.
Raw Eggs:
- Feeding raw foods such as raw meat or eggs increases the risk of bacterial spread. Some examples include risk of Salmonella or E. coli contamination exists with ingestion of raw foods. In particular, consumption of raw eggs is problematic due to the avidin contained in uncooked egg whites. Avidin, found in uncooked egg whites, binds biotin which is an essential nutrient for dogs.
- Cooking eggs destroys avidin and allows eggs to be consumed safely and ensures appropriate biotin absorption.
Too Much Salt:
- Excessive salt intake can lead to sodium ion poisoning, causing symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, and, in severe cases, death. How quickly the intake occurs can impact how harmful the problem becomes. Don’t forget about unsuspecting sources of high salt items like children’s play-doughs and homemade Christmas ornaments, which may seem unappetizing to us, but can be quickly consumed by silly dogs and lead to problems requiring veterinary care.
Xylitol:
- A sugar substitute found in many sugar-free products including gum, candy, bread, cookies, other baked goods, and even some peanut butter brands. Xylitol is used in many human products and is very tasty to our pets, but ingestion can lead to rapid insulin release, causing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) immediately after ingestion as well as liver failure over the long term.
Note: There may be other foods your dog should avoid based on their allergies or dietary restrictions. It’s important to keep these in mind when choosing or switching to a new dog food.
***It also is important to remember, if you have any concerns about your dog eating a potentially dangerous item, the sooner you address it, the better. If you suspect your pet has ingested something harmful, please call your regular veterinarian or a pet poison control center immediately.***
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (1-888-426-4435) Animal Poison Control | (888) 426-4435 | ASPCA
- Pet Poison Control Center (1-855-764-7661) 24/7 Animal Poison Control Center | Pet Poison Helpline®