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9 Foods You Love But Can Actually Kill Your Dog

There’s no bigger gesture of love when you decide to offer a portion of your favorite food to someone else. And it says a lot more when you are offering it to your dog.

But in case you are new to taking care of a dog or have somehow never heard about it before, some of the foods we absolutely love can be absolutely toxic to our furry friends.

The health impact is not only mild. But can be critical and fatal too.

Here are 9 of the foods we love the most, yet can kill our dogs. I hope you are reading this without a disturbed mind…

1) Chocolates

chocolate flakes

There are not many snacks as indulging as popping a piece of chocolate into your mouth when watching TV.

And at this point, your pet, especially if it’s a small dog, will very likely come over to the couch and investigate whatever it is that you are stuffing yourself with which is making you go “ohhhhh…..”.

And although it could be your best intentions to share a piece… you must restrain yourself from doing so.

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine which are toxic to dogs. These substances are categorized as methylxanthines. As dark chocolate has a higher amount of methylxanthines, they are more dangerous to dogs than white chocolate.

This however, does not mean that it would be fine to feed your pet with white chocolate.

So reactive are dogs to theobromine that even licking chocolates can start making them feel sick.

Common side effects:

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal pains
  • Dehydration
  • Muscle tremors
  • Abnormal/Irregular heart rhythm
  • Tremors
  • Seizures
  • Death

2) Avocado

avocado-presentation

Classified as a superfood these days, the avocado has a lot going for it in terms of reputation.

You could very well have it well stocked in the refrigerator if you are currently on a diet of fat-burning foods.

But even with all the good things going for it, avocados are anything but superfoods to dogs.

It’s not the guacamole which it is famous for that is dangerous. This fruit contains persin which can be highly toxic to dogs.

This means that if you are one of those homeowners who like to grow avocados in the garden, you have to make sure you keep your pet away from them. Don’t leave your Border Collie in the garden unattended… as you know… they can pretty much eat anything.

Common side effects:

  • Stomach upset
  • Asthma-like breathing problems
  • Fluid buildup on the body leading to worst conditions

3) Alcohol

beer in hand

This is hardly surprising as alcohol is harmful to human beings from the start. I’m sure the lobbyists will deny that stating a lack of evidence as usual.

Alcohol in any form contained in any food is bad for dogs. We might be able to detox it more effectively than dogs, but that does not mean that our pets can make a balanced trade-off between alcohol and health like human beings.

This means that the beer, wine, hard liquor, cocktails and Tequila is best left for your own consumption. You don’t need to share your happy hour with your Chihuahua for fear of it feeling left out.

Common known side effects:

  • Breathing difficulties
  • Coordination problems
  • Depression
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Coma
  • Death

4) Onions and Garlic

purple onion

I used to hate the taste of onions when I was a kid. But as I grew up and my taste buds matured, I slowly developed an unconditional love towards it. To me any gourmet would taste better just by adding onions.

But this food can trigger a reverse effect on man’s best friend.

Onion contains the ingredient thiosulphate that can damage and destroy a dog’s red blood cells. Since garlic is a common ingredient used with onions and usually ore concentrated, it is mentioned here together with onions.

It doesn’t matter if your onions and garlic are raw, cooked, mashed, powerdered. Ingesting them can lead to hemolytic anemia in your dog. That is the condition when the health red blood cells are compromised.

If you think that sounds really dangerous, I’m glad you noticed.

So next time you order Chinese or pizza deliveries, and want to share the delicious food with your Doberman, at the very least, check to see if they contain onions or garlic before sharing.

symptoms of hemolytic anemia include:

  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Weakness
  • Disorientation
  • Vomiting
  • Breathlessness
  • Dark urine
  • Yellowing of the whites of the eyes

5) Coffee (caffeine)

cup-of-coffee-and-beans

It was mentioned earlier that caffeine in chocolates are harmful to dogs. But surely you know that the number 1 food where we consume caffeine each day is coffee…

I affectionately love coffee and drink a few cups of it each day. And whenever I walk pass one of those cafes that blend them with roasted coffee beans, I have to literally stop myself from getting a fix.

Make no mistake. Caffeine is probably the most addictive drug in the world.

But please don’t share your favorite drink with your Bulldog. In fact, don’t share any drinks that contain caffeine with your pet. This includes tea, tiramisu, ice-cream, and any other foods that contain them.

Caffeine is a class of methylated xanthines. And can cause the same health issues as chocolate does.

6) Grapes

healthy-grapes

Many foods can really appear harmless. Especially when they are fruits since we often associate fruits with good health.

This is true most of the time. But don’t forget that dogs have a different biology to humans. So it’s not surprising that they could have allergies to types of food that we often take for granted.

The grape is a good example of a stealthy dangerous food to your dog. It might never occur to you that something so innocent looking can pack so much poison to another animal.

Grapes can cause kidney failure in both dogs and cats.

It is still medically unclear what substances in grapes causes these health problems. But since there are numerous reported cases of such occurrences, it’s better to err on the side of caution and leave this off the table.

Raisins is as bad as grapes.

7) Macadamia Nuts

macadamia-nuts-bowl

This is a common household snack… which is why it is hazardous.

You could unknowingly be chomping them down and conveniently feed it to your Pomeranian.

Just a handful of them can make your dog sick to the stomach. Yet they will continue to chew them down for as long as you feed them.

And like grapes and raisins, it is scientifically unclear what’s in these nuts that is harming our pets. So just be an informed pet owner and avoid these poisonous food items.

Common side effects:

  • Paralysis
  • Muscle tremors
  • Vomiting
  • Fever
  • Racing heart
  • Lethargy
  • Death

8) Milk (dairy products)

bottled milk

This is related to how some human beings are lactose tolerant and some are lactose intolerant.

Dogs have the same health issues as well. But their suffering can be much worse than what we experience.

Lactose is a kind of “milk sugar” found in most, if not all, dairy products. And in order for the living body to break them down in digestion, the body has to produce a enzyme called lactase.

While the resulting effects of lactose intolerance is seldom life-threatening, you should keep an eye on how your dog responds when you first feed it with milk, or cheese, or any other dairy based food products.

Common side effects:

  • Abdominal pains
  • Bloating
  • Nausea
  • Borborygmi
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea

9) Candy

colorful candy

Food additives like coloring and artificial sweeteners have made candy fun and cheerful. It’s not hard to imagine why as we are supposed to be hooked to them since childhood.

But as you might suspect what I’m going to say… they can harm your dog.

Specifically, it is xylitol that is often used as a sweetener that can cause chaos to your dog’s health.

Xylitol can also be found in off-the-shelf snacks like gum, mints, cookies, jam, etc. And it is like poison to dogs.

As it’s not possible to list down a comprehensive detailed list of items, it is best you read the contents of the candies you are buying just in case your puppy decides to pop it into it’s mouth when you are not around.

Common side effects:

  • Disorientation
  • Vomiting
  • Seizure
  • Liver failure

Conclusion

So having a dog at home does not seem so easy after all when you take into account the “taking care of it” part, does it? Do note that when you get a pet dog to live with you, you are responsible for a life. And since, it’s not educated and smart enough to watch what it eats, you have to take on that responsibility for them.

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