I have a pet dog at home which is just about 1 year old. It’s a mix breed and I have been feeing it a lot of nonsense. Here are 9 things given to him which I thought were safe.
- Alcohol
- Bones
- Cat Food
- Chocolate
- Raw Eggs
- Onions
- Salt
- Tobacco Products
- Tomatoes
During weekends, I enjoy mixing my own cocktail of ‘Kahlua’, ‘Bailey’s’ and milk while watching football games. Sometimes, out of curiosity, I would pour a little into my dog’s bowl and see if it can get drunk. Now I know that alchohol can lead to injury, disorientation, sickness, urination problems or even coma or death from alcohol poisoning. Some dogs may be attracted to alcoholic drinks so don’t leave one setting where a dog can reach it.
I feed my dog once a day. Usually after lunch, I will give all the leftover chicken bones to it. I thought it would be safe because he is still alive today. Now I know that cooked bones can be very hazardous for your dog. Bones become brittle when cooked which causes them to splinter when broken. The splinters have sharp edges that have been known to become stuck in the teeth, caused choking when caught in the throat or caused a rupture or puncture of the stomach lining or intestinal tract. Exceptionally bad bones are turkey and chicken legs, ham, pork chop and veal.
I don’t have cats but know that cat food is not formulated for canine consumption. It is generally too high in protein and fats and is not a balanced diet for a dog.
My house has a lot of chocolates given by relatives and friends in their travels. Sometimes, when a chocolate is near expiry, I will feed my dog again. Luckily, he is still alive. =) Now I know that, cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog sick. The next most dangerous forms are semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate, however the high amount of fat found in milk chocolate can lead to an attack of pancreatitis.
After gym, I’ll usually eat all the boiled egg whites and give my dog the yolk. It is only the raw eggs that should not be given to a dog.
All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.
Too much salt is bad too. Mainly, iodized salt and salty foods can cause stomach ailments and pancreatitis. Some dogs, especially large breeds, have been known to gulp too much water after eating salty foods and developed a life threatening condition called bloat during which the stomach fills with gas and twists, leading to a painful death unless emergency treatment is received immediately.
No one in my house smokes so I’m not really concerned about tobacco products. Anyways cigarette butts, cigars, pipe tobacco, nicotine patches, nicotine gum and chewing tobacco can be fatal to dogs if ingested. Signs of nicotine poisoning can appear within an hour and include hyperactivity, salivation, panting, vomiting and diarrhea. Advanced signs include muscle weakness, twitching, collapse, coma, increased heart rate and cardiac arrest.
There were a few times where I caught my mum feeding the dog a whole tomato. Little did she know that these contain atropine which can cause dilated pupils, tremors and irregular heartbeat. The highest concentration of atropine is found in the leaves and stems of tomato plants, next is the unripe (green) tomatoes and then the ripe tomato.
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Grapes and Raisins are very toxic. It causes Acute Renal Failure (kidneys). Also, it causes them to stop eating and develop diarrhea.
Bread Dough (yeast) It expands and also ferments, creating alcohol like enzymes which can poison your pet. Can cause gastric distention, respiratory and vascular compromise, CNS depression and death.
I think it’s most confusing what is good or bad for a dog in regards to food in genral,you talk to a vet he tells you feed him this(when he was in vet school ,that mfg took him to lunch) you ask people in genral,conflicking answers,I personlly think no one knows
(Scott) Grapes and raisins are toxic only when taken in large quantities. Like for example, if the dog is fed bowls after bowls of grapes and raisins, it’ll be toxic for it. However, bread is alright. I feed my dog bread all the time.
(bob) Some things yeah, some thing nay. But I still think the vet doc is credible enough.
I think it is hard to tell what is good or bad for dogs due to the fact that like humans all dogs are different. Some things may affect this dog one way but a thousand other dogs may have no problems with it. It also works the other way what would kill thousands of dogs there are some that could eat it all day long. So I really don’t know but feed your dog what it likes or you will allow him to have if it makes him sick you know not to do it anymore. If it kills them I guess you really know you shouldn’t have fed them that and should probably dig a hole and have a small ceremony in the memory of the beloved friend that has passed.
(Hodge) You have a point there. It’s okay to TRY giving food to dogs that are not known to harm their lives. As in they will still live if their bodies react negatively towards the given food.
are figs ok for dogs to eat
(mayo) I’m not sure but I feel figs are high in sugar but one or 2 can’t hurt. Worst that could happen is it gets a bad case of pooping. However, it’s just my opinion. Still, it’s better to feed your dogs safe food.
I’m glad you made sure to mention that it was only cooked bones that are bad for dogs, as raw bones don’t splinter and are actually good for them.
My dog loved tomatoes and hot peppers(Hot,Hot, Hot peppers) and would eat them right off the vine!