Man’s best friend does everything with us. They take amazing walks with us and cozy up on the couch to binge movies, so they might as well enjoy our early morning coffee or late-night chocolate snack.
Wrong!
Just as you should not be gnawing on a bone for breakfast, some foods that are okay for us are terribly wrong for pups.
Continue reading to find out which foods your dog should not eat and why.
Ten Foods to Keep Away From Your Dog
1. Chocolate
Right off the bat, it is no myth. Chocolates are indeed very bad for dogs, and the consequences of feeding them range from hyperactivity and vomiting to death in more severe cases.
Dark chocolate is especially dangerous due to the higher concentration of the lethal component, Theobromine, commonly found in cocoa.
Ensure to contact your vet as soon as possible if your dog ingests chocolate.
2. Milk and other dairies
I’d bet your heart skipped the minute you read milk. Not to worry, this is only true in select cases but true all the same.
You need to err on the side of caution when it comes to feeding dogs milk. Some dogs are lactose intolerant and are unable to digest milk properly.
This is true for other dairy products like ice cream, and proceeding to feed them with these can cause digestive problems or stir up allergies that can result in an itch.
Cheese is safe to a large extent, but you must be watchful of the dietary component of the brand you feed your dog. It would benefit you and your dog to read more about whether dogs can eat cheese.
3. Onions and garlic
Garlic does not only harm vampires; it harms dogs and cats. They might be essential spices in our diet, but they contain disulfides and sulfoxides that can kill red blood cells in your pup, resulting in anemia.
The result is the same for the Allium plant family veggies, like leeks and chives. Ingesting any of these is toxic to all dog breeds and even more so for Shiba Inus and Akitas.
4. Avocado
If you think adding avocados to your dog’s diet would keep them healthy, think again. These sumptuous green fruits are perfect with everything except your dog’s belly.
It contains Persin, a strain of fatty acid that is very injurious to your pup, especially when consumed in large quantities.
5. Xylitol (Artificial sweetener)
Strange name, but you have had it several times without knowing, especially if you don’t pay special attention to the fine print on products you consume.
It is an artificial sweetener found in candy, peanut butter brands, gum, and toothpaste. Feeding your dog foods with Xylitol can cause their sugar level to plummet and can lead to liver failure in extreme cases.
6. Alcohol
Dogs react pretty much the same way you or I do with alcohol. The major difference is that much smaller amounts can have them to lose their coordination, have difficulty breathing, induce vomiting, devolve into a coma and even die.
7. Grapes and raisins
If there’s one thing you would think would be a-okay to feed dogs, it would be grapes and raisins. Turns out those are no-nos, and feeding them to your pup can lead to kidney failure. An early sign would be incessant vomiting.
8. Salt
With salt, all you need is moderation. Overdo it, and not only would your dog be thirsty, but you also risk sodium ion poisoning. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, and seizures.
9. Sugary food and drinks
Do you know what happens to people that consume too much sugar? They become overweight, develop teeth problems, and can devolve into diabetes. Well, it is the same for your dog.
10. Yeast dough
Yeast is added to the dough because it causes it to rise. That’s what happens when your dog consumes raw dough. It rises and ferments in the stomach, causing pain and alcohol poisoning.
Read More:
- Why Can’t Dogs in the Way Humans Can?
- Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs Calculator – why chocolate is bad for dogs?
Conclusion
We are happy when our dogs are happy. One way to ensure this is to ensure they eat the right things and to keep the wrong things away, especially when they are seemingly harmless, like the foods on this list.
