Warning: These Foods Are Toxic For Dogs

Title: Warning: These Foods Are Toxic For Dogs
Author: Ken Charles

Warning: These Foods Are Toxic For Dogs
18 Household Foods You Should Never Feed Your Dog.

Does your dog eat table scraps? Does he beg for food
(successfully) while you're having a meal? Do you put the
remains of your family meal into his feeding bowl?

Some of these foods can kill your dog!

NOTE: You will see that many of these foods cause similar
symptoms, so it can be difficult to identify which
ingredient is the culprit, especially if you feed your dog
assorted table scraps or servings of meals which you eat
yourself. Many of these foods cause damage to the liver and
kidneys and may also affect the heart.

Chocolate: Most dogs love chocolate. It's so easy, when
you're eating a chocolate bar, to give the dog a piece,
just as a reward for being your friend. I'll bet the kids
do the same.

Chocolate contains caffeine and bromethalin, both of which
are poisonous to your dog. Dark chocolate is more
dangerous, because it is more concentrated. A dog can
consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is
not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous. Dark
Baker's chocolate is the most toxic to your dog.

Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include difficulty in
breathing, vomiting, arrythmia, abdominal pain, diarrhoea,
tremors, staggering, fever, increased heart rate, and can
result in seizures, coma and death.

Grapes and Raisins can cause acute renal failure in dogs.
Just one serving of raisins can kill a dog. Symptoms
include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and lethargy.

Mushrooms can be deadly. Never feed your dog pizza or any
other food containing mushrooms or let your dog chew on
mushrooms found in your yard. Mushrooms can cause a wide
range of damage, including abdominal pain, drooling, liver
damage, kidney damage, vomiting diarrhoea, convulsions,
coma and even death.

Coffee, Cocoa and Tea and indeed, anything containing
caffeine (like chocolate). Symptoms are similar to those
for chocolate and include staggering, laboured breathing,
vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, tremors, fever, heart
rate increase, arrythmia, seizures, coma and death

Xylitol is an artificial sweetener even a small amount can
cause liver failure and death. Dr. Eric Dunayer, who
specializes in toxicology at The Animal Poison Control
Center of the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, said that dogs ingesting substantial
amounts of items sweetened with xylitol could develop a
sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss
of co-ordination, and seizures.

"These signs can develop quite rapidly, at times less than
30 minutes after ingestion of the product. Therefore, it is
crucial that pet owners seek veterinary treatment
immediately," Dr. Dunayer said. He also said that there
appears to be a strong link between xylitol ingestions and
the development of liver failure in dogs.

Pips and kernels of various fruits can contain cyanide!
Whilst the fruit itself is perfectly good for dogs, care
should be taken that they do not consume the pips and
seeds. Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and
apricots, apple core pips all contain cyanogenic
glycosides, which cause cyanide poisoning.

Tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmia. Tomato
plants are the most toxic, but tomatoes themselves are also
unsafe.

Onions and Garlic can cause oxidative damage to the red
blood cell membrane, resulting in hemolysis, or the
rupturing of red blood cells and causing difficulty in
breathing, diarrhoea, liver damage, vomiting and
discoloured urine. Although garlic has the stronger taste
and smell, onions are much more toxic but both are very
dangerous.

Pizzas can be potentially dangerous because most of them
contain either onions, or tomatoes or mushrooms, or a
combination of all three.

The dangers of excessive salt in the diet of humans are
well recognized and documented. With a much smaller body
mass, dogs are particularly vulnerable to the same sort of
cardiovascular problems and also to kidney damage.

In the same way that excessive salt is harmful to both dogs
and humans, animal fat and fried foods are hazardous.
Excessive fat can cause pancreatitis.

Macadamia Nuts and Walnuts: Macadamia nuts can cause
weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. Limit all other nuts
as they are not good for dogs in general, their high
phosphorous content is said to possibly lead to bladder
stones.

Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures and death

Avocados: The fruit, pit and plant are all toxic. They can
cause difficulty in breathing and fluid accumulation in the
chest, abdomen and heart.

Antifreeze is certainly not a food but it has a smell and a
sweet taste which is palatable to dogs. It is very toxic to
dogs and just a small amount can cause renal failure. Dogs
should be kept well away from any suspicious looking spills
of liquid, particularly in any garage areas.

Some Commercial Dog Foods contain toxins and poisons which
are not neutralized in the rendering process and which are
prohibited from human foods. A full report, from vets and
other authoritive sources can be found from the link below;

About the Author:

Ken Charles is the webmaster at
http://www.allabout-dogs.co.uk which covers all aspects of
dog ownership, including Dog Foods, Dog Breeds, Dog
Training and Dog Health.

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