Ours pets love food as much as we do, and they are always attracted by our food (and drinks) when they see us eating. At those times is very hard for us to resist and not share a bite with them, but we have to be extra cautious what sort of food we offer them - and in what quantity and frequency - as there are some foods extremely dangerous for them.
Is not just the food we choose to give to them that we should be worried about, but also the food they may have access to, if they raid the kitchen counters, tables, cupboards, and trash cans. We should take all necessary measures to prevent access to places in our house, where we stack and hide our “delicious treasures”, as it can be fatal for our pets if they lay their paws on the wrong food.
Image Source: howdogcare.com
Many times we find ourselves in a debate about what food is suitable for our pet, what we should feed it and what not. Providing a healthy diet to our pet is one of the most important factors for its wellbeing. Knowing what food to avoid that could put the life of our pets at stake, is far more important than trying to provide them with a variety of food options.
The following list is indicative for food not suitable (and even lethal) for dogs and cats. You are strongly advised to consult your vet about their diet plan and safe food options.
Onions, Garlic, Chives
They cause hemolytic anemia and acute renal failure. Symptoms may appear several days later.
Milk and Other Dairy Products
Dairy products contain a lot of fat. Traditional (unstrained) yogurt and cottage cheese are allowed in small quantities. There are dogs that do not digest milk well and this may cause them to vomit or have diarrhea.
Alcohol
As animals are much more sensitive to alcohol consumption, even very small quantities may cause convulsions, coma and death.
Grapes and Raisins
They contain a toxin that causes kidney failure in some animals while others may show resistance. In any case these fruits should be avoided to be on the safe side. The animal may die in just 3 to 4 days, but even if it survives it will most likely suffer from chronic kidney failure.
Chocolate, Coffee and Tea
They contain caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and symptoms range from vomiting, anxiety, overstimulation, arrhythmias, convulsions, coma and death.
Fat Trimmings and Bones
Bones can splinter and upset or even cause sores and cuts in the animal's digestive system. It is best to avoid offering your pets any bones from any animal really, especially poultry and fish bones. Feeding your pet fat trimmings on a daily basis can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and even serious diseases such as pancreatitis.
Raw Eggs
They contain the avidin enzyme that prevents the absorption of biotin (vitamin B7, vitamin H) and can cause skin and coat problems. In addition, raw eggs may have salmonella or E. Coli, while boiled eggs are safe from such bacteria.
Raw Meat and Fish
If the raw meat contains bacteria such as salmonella or E. Coli (escherichia coli) it can cause diarrhea and vomiting to your pet. If your pet eats exclusively fish or eats large amounts it can cause malnutrition, loss of appetite, seizures and even death. Row fish also contains an enzyme which destroys thiamine, very important B vitamin for cats. Lack of thiamine can cause severe neurological problems and lead to convulsions and coma.
Dog Food (for cats)
Dog food lucks protein as well as certain vitamins and fatty acids needed for a cat’s diet. If your cat is constantly eating dog food, it may eventually become malnourished.
Cat Food (for dogs)
It contains too much protein and a lot of fat, both not suitable for a dog's diet. Its important to know that dogs and cats have completely different nutritional needs. If you have both a dog and a cat and they eat each others food, its best to not leave their bowls full at all times, but provide them their meals separately at their scheduled hours.
Liver
Liver contains a lot of vitamin A and consumption of large quantities can have adverse effects on your pet’s bones and muscles that can even lead to death in severe toxicity cases.
Yeast Dough
Dough can be fatal for a pet. Initially entering the stomach it finds an ideal environment of proliferation, which leads to a rapid swelling of its mass resulting in reduced blood flow to the gastric wall (leads to tissue necrosis), while pressing on the diaphragm causing shortness of breath. In addition, the alcohol produced - when yeast ferments the dough - once released in the bloodstream, can cause neurological symptoms such as disorientation, vomiting, convulsions, coma and even death.
Xylitol
An artificial sweetener found in many beverages, in gum, toothpaste, baked goods, and some diet foods. It is extremely toxic for animals even in small quantities. It can cause vomiting, hypoglycemia within a few minutes, lethargy coordination problems and eventually seizures. If large quantities are consumed liver failure can happen within a few days.
Avocado
Harmless to humans, who are not allergic to it, but quite dangerous and highly toxic for dogs and cats due to Percin, a toxin that looks like fatty acid that can cause mild gastrointestinal upset. If you have an avocado plant at home you should keep your pets away from it as Percin is found not only on the fruit itself but also on the leaves, the seed and the bark. You should also be aware of the avocado seed, which if swallowed may cause bowel obstruction and require urgent medical attention.
Macadamia Nuts
The mechanism of poisoning of the dog by macadamia nuts is not known. Clinical symptoms occur after consuming even a small quantity of nuts. 5 or 6 nuts, depending on the weight of the animal, may be enough to cause severe weakness in the back legs, sagging, vomiting, ataxia, muscle shakes and hyperthermia.
Persimmons, Peaches, and Plums
Seeds or pits of these fruits can cause obstruction of the digestive tract. In addition, peach and plum pits contain cyanide, which is toxic to both people and dogs and can be fatal in big quantities.
Salt and Salty Foods
High salt consumption through salty food could lead to an electrolyte disturbance and sodium ion poisoning, resulting in problems in the nervous and muscular system as well as heart problems. Known symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, depression, tremors, high temperature, and seizures, while death may also result from over consumption of salt.
Sugary Foods and Drinks
Too much sugar may lead to obesity, dental problems, and diabetes, just as in humans. Considering the difference of our body mass with that of our pets -especially of smaller breeds - small quantities of sugar for us may be quite a lot for our pets.
Tomatoes
Tomato leaves and stalks can cause to a dog unusual saliva, weakness, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, constipation and even paralysis. They contain oxalic acids that affect the digestive, nervous and urinary systems.
Mushrooms
It is advisable to avoid all kinds of mushrooms as they contain toxins that can infect various vital organs causing shock and death.
Tobacco
If you are a smoker and you have your cigarettes or tobacco on easily accessible places for your dog, you should know that nicotine can severely affect their digestive and nervous systems, causing arrhythmia, coma and death. So make sure you keep tobacco products away from the reach of your dog, especially if you have a puppy or a piranha dog that loves on chewing things.
Potato Chips & Biscuits
These snacks maybe delicious for us but you should avoid sharing them with your pets as they may contain garlic, onion, salt, chocolate, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts and xylitol, all ingredients that as we mentioned before, may prove to be quite harmful for your pets.
Human Iron Supplements
They can damage the lining of the digestive system and cause kidney and liver problems. There are supplements especially designed for pets, but even for those you should consult your vet before hand, whether they are suitable for your pets condition, as well as for the dosing schema.
Human Medicine
Apart from food, human medicine can also prove to be fatal for our pets. While some human drugs may be safe for our pets in certain doses and under certain circumstances, other drugs may be extremely toxic. That is why you should always seek for your vets advise on what medicine its safe for your pets and in what dose. Do not try to estimate the dose yourself, as a particular dose or compound formulations may be needed for pets, or even a special dosing plan for your pet’s condition.
As a veterinarian, I can assure you that cases of ingestion of harmful substances from pets or even just contact with dangerous and toxic substances, is a daily phenomenon for a lot of vet clinics. Unfortunately providing treatment in such cases is not a breeze. Even for cases that the toxic substance swallowed is known, reversing the toxicity in the animal’s organism may not be possible due to, a) lack of antidote for that particular toxic substance, b) critical time that has passed from the time of the ingestion and c) due to secondary alterations occurred in vital organs, either from the substance itself or from the derivatives of the metabolism.
The organs that are responsible for the main burden of metabolism are the liver and kidneys and are at immediate risk of irreversible damage, while the central nervous system is extremely vulnerable to a number of substances that cross the blood-brain barrier.
If you want to treat your pets you should stick to treats made specifically for cats or dogs. Yet again you should be careful how many treats you offer your pets daily, strongly considering the overall daily calories consumption that their diet plan suggests, to avoid obesity and nutritional problems. Also keep in mind that you do not want to be giving too many treats or snacks to your pets as they may start neglecting their primary food. Their primary food should be the their main nutritional source for a balanced and healthy diet.
If you want to offer a greater variety of food to your pets, instead of offering human food, you should consider changing their dry or wet food once in a while, trying different flavours of the same brand and food series. Most pet food brands offer a variety of different flavours for pets ranging from chicken, fish, lamb, boar/pork, duck, rabbit that will satisfy even the most demanding palate!