Human Foods That Are Unsafe for Dogs

“Yum! What IS that?!?!” is an expression you probably see on your dog’s face whenever you’re eating. Most times, you need to ignore that expression and carry on as usual. While it’s normal to want to indulge your dog with good food, there are plenty of “human” foods that can cause your dog pain, vomiting, or worse. Keep reading to learn when it’s super-important to ignore those puppy dog eyes and keep your food to yourself.

Skip These Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and veggies probably seem like a no-brainer. They’re good for us, of course they must be good for our dog. Not so. That’s why you’ll want to avoid feeding your dog avocados, cherries, grapes, raisins, onion, garlic, wild mushrooms, rhubarb, and fruits with pits.

Unfortunately, your dog can choke on fruit pits, whereas grapes, cherries, and raisins can cause lethal reactions. Likewise, onions and garlic can damage your dog’s red blood cells, causing anemia.

Fruits and veggies that aren’t on this list—like watermelon, bananas, potatoes, green beans, and celery—are fine. However, don’t overdo it. Your dog doesn’t require fruits and vegetables as part of his regular diet, so you’ll want to make these occasional treats, rather than daily snacks.

Avoid the 3 C’s–Chocolate, Coffee, and Caffeine

These substances seemingly make the world go round once you hit adulthood. For your dog though, not so much. Chocolate, caffeine, and coffee can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst and/or urination, tremors, seizures, and even death. With the holiday season coming up, make sure you keep all three of these items out of the reach of your inquisitive pooch.

Pass on the Fat (and Bones)

While plenty of pet owners think it’s natural to feed fat and bones to dogs, it’s actually a bad idea. The fat trimmings from meat—even if the meat is cooked—can cause pancreatitis in dogs. As for the bones, they can splinter, causing digestive problems in your dog. For maximum dog health, stick to the bones you can buy at a pet store.

Don’t Let ‘Em Gnaw on Raw Eggs and Fish

Raw eggs and fish are other no-nos. The raw eggs can lead to a biotin deficiency, affecting your dog’s skin and fur. While raw fish doesn’t have the same impact, it may contain dangerous parasites or harmful bacteria that’ll make your dog ill or worse.

Other Foods You Should Never Feed Your Dog

While we’ve covered most of the basic food items you shouldn’t share with your dog, there are some other, less common foods you’ll also want to avoid. Please don’t give your dog:

•  Nuts
•  Salt or very salty food items, like pretzels
• Alcohol
• Milk or dairy items
• Yeast
• Nutmeg
• The sugar substitute, xylitol
• Coconut and coconut oil

Each of these food items can cause your dog pain and illness. Rather than sharing “treats” like these, share a vet-approved snack with your dog instead.

A Final Word on Fido’s Wellbeing…

Just as good nutrition is important to your dog’s health, playtime is important to his wellbeing. At Pet Palace Resort, we’re pleased to offer cat and dog day care to keep your pets entertained when you’re too busy to play the 325th game of fetch.

We also offer boarding services, as well as professional grooming. To learn more about the full range of services we provide visit your local Pet Palace web page. We have seven locations to serve you throughout Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina.

Categories: Dogs