Top Ten People Foods That Are Bad For Your Dog

Posted on November 30, 2007
Filed Under General |

Top Ten People Foods That Are Bad For Your Dog

Although we sometimes slip up and bring a bone home from the steakhouse, or add some fresh ground chuck (cooked) to some dry kibble; as a general rule we should abstain from feeding any of our pets so-called “people food.” When we give our pets food meant for human consumption, we are not bonding or sharing with our beloved family members as some may interpret, but rather interfering with the dog’s natural metabolic process. As harmless as it may sound to let Bosley lick the bowl, or throw Zeke a nice juicy T-Bone, we need to keep the best interest of our animals in mind. We’re all guilty of it, just think twice next time. I’ll be you ten to one odds there is already some type of doggie treat already in your home - give them that, they’ll love you just the same. And you can be confident you are giving your dog the best opportunity for a long, healthy life! Through some research done by more qualified people than us, we’ve compiled a list of the absolute, unequivocally most dangerous people food for your pet.

1. Chocolate, Caffeine
Milk, dark, coffee, semi-sweet, baking…whatever it is, keep anything chocolate or caffeine related away from your pet. If any of us can consider ourselves responsible pet owners, this one should be a no-brainer. There are certain enzymes and chemicals in chocolate that seriously disrupt the canine digestive, respiratory, and nervous systems. Much like you and I may get the coffee “buzz” to wake us up in the morning, the same symptoms will be experienced by your pet if ingested. This could lead to diarrhea, vomiting, panting, excessive urination…you get the picture. Not pleasant for your dog. No Hershey’s or Starbucks for your pets.

2. Alcohol
Allow me to retort! Another no-brainer here. It doesn’t take a DVM to tell you that alcohol consumption for your pet is a bad idea. Sure, a beer or glass of red wine each day may be great for the humans of this planet. But avoid giving alcohol to your pets at all costs! You don’t live in a frat house and they aren’t looking to loosen up, or take the stress of a rough week - a walk around the block will do them just fine. Not to mention it might be a better route for you to go as well. No problem you say, just strap on the 2 beer baseball helmet and hit the bricks! Sounds good to me - just don’t be giving Fido any nips off the ‘ol bottle…or can…or mason jar…depending on your preferred method of consumption.

3. Raw or Undercooked Meat of Any Kind
This one might not be so obvious to all of us, and I must admit to feeding raw or undercooked meat once or twice to a couple of my dogs some years back. I would look at it as a treat for them, they seemed to love it. Thankfully I learned that couldn’t be further from the truth. Although dogs in the wild are able to consume and digest raw meat, bones and all other sorts of rotten matter, this should not be common practice for your house pet. Just as in humans, salmonella and e coli bacteria are just as dangerous to our canine companions. Furthermore, tossin’ a fresh steak bone into the yard after a butcher visit might seem like you’re rewarding your pooch. But, along with the concerns about raw meat, there are also choking and digestive problems that can arise. Bones can splinter and puncture the digestive tract or worse yet get lodged and prevent the animal from breathing. Think twice here. Good intentions, bad outcome.

4. Yeast/Dough (Uncooked)
Although it is ok for your pet to consume very small quantities of cooked bread, uncooked dough/yeast should definitely be avoided. This is sorta an easy one to remember. Most of us wouldn’t look at throwing some uncooked dough over our shoulder as a great treat for our dogs. Small amounts to regular store bought bread are ok for your pet, but again no real reason to be feeding them bread. I use it sometimes as an aid when administering supplements or medications, but even then just a little rolled up ball. According to the ASPCA, bread should not be more than 5-10% of your pet’s daily caloric intake. Serious digestive problems result with consumption of yeast or uncooked dough. The yeast produces gas that will accumulate in the dog’s digestive tract leading to possible stomach and intestinal problems, even causing death. Keep them off the carbs!

5. Milk (Dairy)
Our dogs don’t possess the same enzymes that help our systems break down the lactose in milk products. We all know people who are lactose intolerant - and we really don’t want to be anywhere near them if they mistakenly ingest some dairy!! Same goes for our mutts, best to just keep from turning your dog into a milk drinker. Here’s one fact the Dairy Lobby can’t argue with - Milk does not do your dog’s body good. Stick to water and proper dog nutrition. Ask your vet if you’re unsure about your pet’s nutritional requirements, as with all things related to your pet’s overall health.

6. Avocados
Birds are the biggest worry when it comes to avocados, usually we don’t need to worry about feeding any to our dogs. In fact, I advise anyone out there feeding their dog avocados to check themselves into a mental institution - or go grab a hard days work somewhere - you have too much time on your hands! Fruit or vegetable, Hass or Fuerte? When it comes to your pet’s eating habits, keep the avocados away. They may be a great source of “good fat” and high in vitamins and minerals for us upright walkers, but for our pets it’s a big no-no. Avocados contain Persin, which is a type of fungicidal toxin. Harmless to you and me, but will lead to sever digestive problems if ingested by the family dog.

7. Macadamia Nuts
You don’t have to be all high maca maca to enjoy the sweet nutty goodness of these royal Hawaiians of the nut world. Macadamias, seemingly omnipresent during the holidays in all the cookies and assorted treats, should never make their way to your dog’s mouth. It may be easier to whistle and have the dog come running over to play floor sweeper when Grandma’s cookie hits the deck, but unless you want to inflict some painful tremors, digestive problems, and even paralysis, bend over and clean it up - if only for your dog’s sake.

8. Onion and Garlic Poisoning
OK double shot here, two more foods that can seriously harm your dog. Onions and garlic both contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Although onions contain more of this dangerous toxin, both foods should be avoided at all costs. This means pizza cheese that falls on the floor, onion rings, left over pasta, and even some types of baby food are all dangerous to your pet. Now hopefully none of us are feeding those types of foods to our pets anyway. Dogs affected by onion toxicity will develop what is called haemolytic anaemia; this is where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. This leads to listlessness, weakness, general malaise, and no interest in food. Keep these aromatic foods away from your pet.

9. Grapes and Raisins
We can put men on the moon, convert cooking oil into Diesel gas, but we have yet to identify the toxic substance in grapes and raisins (and probably prunes…) responsible for causing our pets a pain in the kidney. Whatever it is, keep the wine, Sun Maids, and dried prunes away from your pets. Ingestion may result in kidney failure, exacerbated in dogs who already exhibit certain health problems.

10. Cigarettes, Tobacco, Cigars
Although there are certain underground elements within the canine community who choose to frequent the dark, dank, smoke filled rooms of the speakeasy K9 poker circuit; smoking is harmful to your pet’s health. Smoking By Pregnant Mutts May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, and Low Birth Weight. Do not be an enabler and make these poisons available to your animals. And lay down the law, like McGruff! How do you know what they do when your not home???

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