Many dog owners like to spoil their pets with treats, especially as your dog starts showing you their “puppy eyes” as soon as they see you munch on tasty foods. As a caring and loving dog owner, it’s easy to give in and share whatever food you’re eating.
However, the truth is that not all food that humans eat is safe and suitable for your dog’s body. As a dog owner, it’s your responsibility to be fully aware of the dos and don’ts when it comes to your pet’s food. Although you want to spoil your pet with all the delicious food on your plate, you need to prioritize their wellbeing first and ensure that they only eat food suitable for their diet.
As a responsible dog owner, you also need to be mindful about the unattended food your dog can get their paws on. To help you out, here are seven foods your dog should avoid eating:
Chocolate
You’ve probably heard this before and perhaps doubted it for a moment, but this isn’t just an urban legend. Humans can consume the ingredients found in chocolate, but they can be dangerous and even deadly for dogs.
Chocolate is rich in toxic substances like methylxanthines and theobromine, both dangerous for your dog’s metabolic processes. Once consumed, your dog may first experience diarrhea and vomiting. If they had consumed large amounts of chocolate, that might even lead your dog to have seizures, tremors, irregular heart function, extreme dehydration, and potentially death.
For this reason, it’s important to keep chocolate away from your pets. Save those chocolates for yourself instead.
Avocado
While fruits are excellent and nutritious, not all of them are good for your dog. One of these is the Avocado fruit.
Avocados are rich in Persin, which can cause your dog to suffer from diarrhea, heart congestion, and vomiting. The most hazardous part of the avocado that your dog should avoid is the pit. Not only is it full of Persin, but it’s also a choking hazard. If your dog has consumed the avocado pit, call your vet, and then take your dog to the clinic. In case your dog has eaten a small amount of avocado, they may be OK, but be on alert and closely monitor your dog for any signs of health issues.
If you want to feed your dog fruit, one good option is mangoes. Mangoes are rich in vitamins and minerals that can strengthen your dog’s immune system. However, make sure you thoroughly peel the mangoes and remove the pit so that your dog can ingest them safely. You can find more information here about the proper way of serving mangoes to your dog.
Macadamia nuts
In simplest terms, macadamia nuts are poisonous to dogs. These nuts have high-fat content, which can cause stomach irritations, high body temperature, and vomiting.
The dangers of macadamia nuts don’t end there. For some unknown reason, these nuts are so toxic that they can cause paralysis, shivers, nausea, severe weakness, and diarrhea, all of which can only be treated through hospitalization.
Symptoms can even worsen and be deadly if your dog has consumed chocolates with macadamia nuts.
Raw meat and fish
Dog owners are highly discouraged from feeding their pets raw meat and fish. Salmonella and E. coli infections don’t only affect humans, but they can also occur in canines, especially in dogs whose immune systems are not entirely healthy or fully developed. Raw fish and meat can be contaminated with bacteria that can cause food poisoning if consumed. If your dog has ingested raw meat, it’s vital to take them to the vet immediately. Some symptoms may include fever, vomiting, and enlarged lymph nodes.
However, some vets may also suggest adding raw meat to your dog’s diet. But this is only possible if the raw meat underwent proper preparation to ensure it’s safe to eat and not contaminated. So, before you decide to switch to a raw meat diet for your dog, make sure to consult the vet first and be informed about the necessary food preparations to avoid feeding your canine with contaminated meat, risking their health.
Garlic and onions
These two famous food ingredients may be delicious for human dishes, but they’re bad news for dogs.
Eating large quantities of garlic and onions could lead to food poisoning and cause your dog to be severely weak, experience vomiting, and eventually lose appetite. Not only that, but these can also destroy your dog’s red blood cells, which can lead your dog to suffer from hemolytic anemia. Treatment requires hospitalization.
Dairy
Almost all dog breeds are lactose-intolerant, which means all kinds of dairy products may cause your dog to have gastrointestinal problems, vomiting, and extreme diarrhea, which could also lead to hospitalization.
This is because your dog’s digestive tract can’t process cow milk products. Dogs don’t have enough enzymes to break down sugar and milk. Feeding them with dairies that are high in fat content could lead to pancreatitis. Therefore, it’s best to save the ice cream for yourself.
Raw dough
Suppose you unintentionally left your unbaked dough on the kitchen counter while running a quick errand. If your dog ate some dough, the yeast could be dangerous and even life-threatening.
After your dog eats some dough, the yeast will continue to expand in the dog’s stomach, causing pain and blocking their intestinal tract. In the worst cases, this could cause your dog to have a twisted stomach, also known as gastric-dilation volvulus. For this reason, avoid leaving raw dough lying around the kitchen.
The bottom line about foods your dog should avoid eating
Take note of all the food listed in this article, and be mindful of keeping your dog away from them. Most of the items on this list are toxic and poisonous, which could potentially cause choking, gastrointestinal issues, weakness, and even death.
Always stick to the diet your vet approves or consult with them if you wish to add any food to your dog’s diet. Most importantly, if your dog flashes you his “puppy dog eyes,” resist that adorable face and keep foods your dog should avoid eating to yourself.