Let’s face it, it’s hard to say no when your furry friend stares into your eyes while you’re enjoying a delicious meal or snack. As much as we’d love to share our favourite foods with them, this could be detrimental to their health and even result in death.
Make sure to keep your dog far away from these foods:
Xylitol
Xylitol is used as a sugar substitute and is often found in breath mints, sugar-free gum, toothpaste, vitamins, and cough syrup. According to the FDA, when dogs consume a product containing xylitol, the xylitol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, which may result in a powerful release of insulin from the pancreas. This fast release may lead to a significant drop in blood sugar levels.
Symptoms to look out for include: vomiting, decreased activity, lethargy, and incoordination. Liver failure can occur in a matter of days, as well as seizures.
Avocado
This is a much-loved fruit that is often enjoyed on toast! But what happens when you accidentally drop a piece on the floor, and your dog quickly sweeps it up? Even though there isn’t known toxicity for dogs, PetMD explains that it is possible for dogs who have sensitive tummies to develop pancreatitis, even if only a small amount of avocado pulp is consumed.
There is, however, a cause for concern if your dog swallows the pit of an avocado because it cannot be properly digested in a dog’s internal tract, and might lead to an intestinal blockage. The leaves, bark and avocado skin may also be dangerous if consumed in large quantities because of the natural antifungal compound called persin that could be particularly poisonous.
Symptoms to look out for include: vomiting, diarrhoea or signs of abdominal discomfort.
Onions and garlic
All sections of the onion plant are toxic to dogs. This includes the leaves, flesh, juice, and processed powders, American Kennel Club says. Whether it’s raw, cooked, fried or powered, all elements of the allium family such as garlic and leeks, are harmful to dogs and can lead to toxicity.
Although garlic has so many health benefits for humans, it is 5 times more potent than onions, Pet Poison Helpline mentions. A pet insurance explains that the compounds found in garlic can cause the red blood cells in a dog’s body to become increasingly fragile, causing conditions such as chemolytic anemia, Heinz body anemia, and methemoglobinemia.
Symptoms to look out for include: abdominal pain, nausea, drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, or discoloured urine.
Grapes and raisins
Grapes of all colours, whether seedless or not, can be toxic to dogs. Even though the exact toxic substance in grapes is unknown, it’s believed that a potential reason could be the inability for dogs to properly process flavonoids, tannins, and monosaccharides from grapes, PetMD explains.
Symptoms to look out for include: increased urination or excessive water consumption (initial stages), weakness, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, and eventually it will decrease to no urination (signals that the kidneys are shutting down).
Chocolate
It seems so difficult to believe that something which tastes this good to humans could be this fatal to dogs. According to Hill’s, the component of chocolate that is toxic to dogs is called theobromine. So while humans can process this bitter alkaloid easily, dogs find it much harder to metabolise, which allows it to generate toxic levels in their system, Hill’s adds.
Symptoms to watch out for include: vomiting, diarrhoea, increased thirst, panting or restlessness, while larger amounts, however, can cause seizures, muscle tremors, internal bleeding, or a heart attack.
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