Owning a dog requires extra special care and attention just like a human baby. A dogs diet is extremely important to a happy and healthy life without the need for countless vet trips and expensive medicines. Dogs can indeed eat human food, however this articles will discuss food that you must not feed to a dog.
When we share our food with dogs, it is as if we are sharing our love with them and caring for them. However, dogs can’t eat all human food as they do not share our need for fresh vegetables and certain preponderance of meat in their diets.
In many cases, there is no harm in sharing some of our food but it is vital that you learn food they are not allowed to eat. Below are just some foods that dogs must not eat.
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Poisonous Food For Dogs
Chocolate
A very well known food that is bad for dogs is chocolate, but many dog owners don’t realize how bad chocolate really is for dogs. The sweetness in chocolate is extremely hazardous for dogs that contains a chemical called “theobromine” which causes vomiting, diarrhea, fast respiration, seizures and even death. Even a small portion of chocolate can be considered lethal, so avoid having chocolate that is in reach of your dog.
Grapes and Raisins
Grapes and Raisins can lead to Kidney failure and like chocolate, even small amounts can be fatal. if your dog has consumed either, they may become hyperactive or occur repeated vomiting, which can then turn into lethargy and depression. Take your dog to the vet as soon as possible if he has these symptoms. The sweetness in grapes and raisins appeal to the dog but not all dog owners realize that they are bad for them. Some dogs may be fine after eating a bunch of them, however some may have symptoms of bad health immediately. Raisins are even worse than grapes because they are even more concentrated due to the dehydration process.
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia Nuts are ingredients in most cakes and cookies that if eaten by a dog will cause weakness and tremors. It only takes a very small amount of macadamia nuts to make your dog ill, even if paste form. In severe cases of consumption of macadamia nuts is hypothermia and tremors, which may not show for up to 12 hours.
Onion and Garlic
Garlic and Onions can damage a dogs red blood cells that leads to life-threatening anemia, which if not caught and treated in time could cause death. The warning on garlic can be confusing because it is erroneously recommended flea cure, however you should not give or treat a dog with garlic.
Salmon
Salmon is a common ingredient in dog food to treat sensitive skin and stomachs however they have be manufactured for dogs, which is different to salmon humans eat. It is poisonous, through parasites infected with a rickettsia organism that will attack the dogs digestives system and mimic gastrointestinal illness. If the dog has consumed salmon, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and weakness are common. If untreated, it may become fatal so watch out for the signs.
Chewing Gum
Chewing Gum is obviously an item your dog should not consume at all. Consuming chewing gum can result in bowel obstruction but not only this, chewing gum contains the sweetener Xylitol which is very toxic to dog that causes live failure. It only takes a tiny bit of Xylitol to cause a big drop in blood sugar due to an excess of insulin being produced via the pancreas. Symptoms of illness from this are weakness in the limbs, vomiting, seizure and death if left untreated.
