Human Foods Toxic To Dogs

It's nice to share our snacks with our dogs, but not all human foods are good for our dogs. In fact, some of our favorites are positively dangerous.

You probably already know that chocolate isn't safe for dogs to eat. Dark cooking chocolate is most harmful because it contains the highest concentration  of the toxic ingredient - theobromine. Milk chocolate is less dangerous, and white chocolate is the safest. Having said that, it's a good idea not to feed your dog any chocolate at all. That way you can eat it all yourself.

Onions are another human food that isn't good for our dogs. We're not talking about the little bit of onion that may be in the leftover spaghetti bolognese. Dogs need to eat quite a bit of onion to become ill - 15g of onion per kilogram of his body weight, to be exact. It's not a common poisoning, but it does cause anemia, and may damage the kidneys.

With the current emphasis on healthy living and weight control, many foods are now made with sugar substitutes instead of sugar. This is fine for us, but may kill our dogs. Xylitol is a common sugar replacement that is used in sugar free cookies, gum and other foods. Its effects are twofold. Firstly, it can cause low blood sugar with seizures and vomiting. It can also cause liver damage and internal bleeding. It can be fatal.

Grapes are a popular snack for any time of the day, and our dogs often enjoy eating them too. It may shock you to know that grapes can also kill your dog. Some dogs eat grapes and have no problems, yet others become very ill indeed. There's no predicting which dogs will become poisoned by grapes. Just to add to the confusion, nobody really knows what ingredient in grapes is so dangerous, but we do know that it damages the kidneys. This damage starts within hours, and the damage can be so severe that your dog stops producing urine. If this happens, he's unlikely to survive.

To avoid these problems, make sure you know which foods are safe to share with your dogs. If he does manage to eat something dangerous, your first step is to make him vomit. Your vet can advise you on the safest way to do this. Next, feed him activated charcoal to stop him absorbing any more of the toxin. Lastly, you may need to take him to your vet for further treatment such as washing out his stomach, intravenous fluids or oxygen therapy.

Sharing our menu with our dogs is, for us, a display of affection and our dogs really enjoy it. Be careful what you give him - don't let your generosity make him ill.