Mary Allen
Even simple foods can be toxins for dogs in the home. There are many types of food that are on the regular menu for us humans but are inedible or even really poisonous for our dogs. We have put together a selection here to provide clarity: For the benefit of your four-legged friend.
In the following, we have divided the harmful foods or poisons in the household into categories. As is so often the case with some foods, there are only estimated values, so the dangerous quantities do not always apply to your dog. In addition, values such as size, age, weight, and state of health always play a role, which can influence the reaction to the product. If you suspect that your dog has eaten a dangerous amount of something wrong, you should watch him closely and take it to the vet immediately.
Dangerous Fruits
The avocado finds some uses, especially in salads and guacamole. In addition to healthy essential fatty acids, however, it contains person, which is absolutely toxic for our dogs: This is not only in the core of the fruit but also in the skin and flesh. Poisoning is usually fatal because it causes heart muscle damage, shortness of breath, and ascites.
Grapes and raisins are also harmful to our four-legged friends. Excessive consumption usually manifests itself in stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. Raisins are even more dangerous because they contain harmful substances in higher concentrations. In the worst case, this leads to increased kidney values with subsequent kidney failure and hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the blood). An exact “risk dose” is not yet known; it is estimated that around 10g of fresh grapes per kg of dog body weight are harmful.
In general, the seeds of fruits such as cherries, apricots, or plums are poisonous. They all contain hydrocyanic acid, which blocks cell respiration in the dog’s body and causes lasting damage. Symptoms of prussic acid poisoning are increased salivation, vomiting, and convulsions. The same applies here: the quantity makes the poison.
Harmful Vegetables
Onions and garlic, which we use as spices in almost every meal, should not be on the menu to the same extent for dogs. Both foods contain n-propyl disulfide, which is toxic to dogs, and allyl propyl sulfide, which destroys red blood cells and can lead to anemia.
Broccoli is also harmful to your dog in certain quantities. It contains the substance isothiocyanate, which attacks and damages the dog’s digestive system. However, vegetables only cause damage if they make up more than one-tenth of the total diet. However, more than a quarter are already deadly: A broccoli diet for dogs is therefore taboo!
Three Other Popular Foods
It is now well known that chocolate and cocoa are harmful to dogs. Both contain theobromine, which cannot be degraded or can only be degraded slowly due to a missing enzyme. Consequences of chocolate consumption are, among other things, increased blood pressure with narrowing of the blood vessels: The cause of death is often cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory arrest. The lethal dose is around 100mg of theobromine per kg of dog body weight: 60g of milk chocolate or 8g of block chocolate (depending on the cocoa content) can already be too much.
Meat is healthy for dogs: Sure! However, this does not apply to raw pork. It may contain the Aujeszky virus, which is deadly to dogs and cats. The meat should therefore first be heated to at least 80°C, as the virus cannot survive these temperatures.
Nuts are also not beneficial for the dog’s organism in large quantities because they have a very high phosphorus content. This puts a lot of strain on the kidneys and should therefore not be fed regularly or too often. Special care should be taken with macadamia nuts: They are poisonous to dogs and should never be fed.
Beverages
It should be known that alcohol is no longer beneficial for us above a certain amount. The same applies when dogs get alcohol. Even small amounts can lead to vomiting, coordination difficulties, and, in the worst case, to a coma. Dogs suffer from symptoms similar to humans, but much smaller amounts are sufficient for them.
Caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and energy drinks are also taboo for dogs. They contain methylxanthine, which increases blood pressure and heart rate and lowers the neurological threshold in the brain. Symptoms are similar to eating chocolate.
Household Toxins – Found in Many Homes
Nicotine found in tobacco is also harmful to your dog. Already 5 to 25g of dried tobacco is enough to lead to death. Here, too, the symptoms are increased breathing and heart rate, salivation, and movement disorders. You should therefore never let your own dog drink from puddles in which there are cigarette butts.
The dog is in pain because it sprained its foot? In such a case, you would take painkillers to relieve the pain. So why not give the dog a pill? Such self-medication should never be undertaken because only a few substances that help humans are also good for dogs. Poisoning from painkillers can quickly occur in dogs. The vet is the only one who should prescribe painkillers.
The sweetener xylitol is found in low concentrations in fruits and vegetables, for example, but is also often used as a sweetener in sugar-free foods such as candy or chewing gum. Xylitol can significantly increase the release of the body’s own insulin into the blood so that dogs can experience a life-threatening drop in blood sugar levels, and liver damage can also occur.