Dog Safety: Foods You Should Never Feed Your Pup
Though most vets would discourage you from feeding your pup any ‘human food,’ the fact is most dog lovers slip their best friend a special treat from time to time. While many foods common in the human diet are perfectly safe for dog consumption, others are actually quite dangerous. As your go-to Denver dog trainers, we encourage you to take note of today’s post. Avoid feeding your fur baby any of these foods and protect them from serious health risk.
Chocolate
For most of us, chocolate is a no-brainer. It is widely understood that chocolate can be toxic for dogs. In fact, we recently dedicated a post to the dangers of chocolate ingestion for dogs. The issue is the presence of theobromine in chocolate. Dogs digest theobromine at a very slow rate sometimes enabling it to reach toxic levels. Learn more about why chocolate is so dangerous for dogs.
Avocado
A delicious fruit chock full of healthy fats, avocado is a poplar food staple for many of us. However, the presence of persin is in the leaves, seeds, bark and fruit of an avocado tree can be toxic for dogs. Don’t feed your pup avocado and be careful if your dog is ever around an avocado tree!
Nuts
Many nut varieties contain high amounts of fats and oils which can be hard on your dog’s stomach and can even lead to pancreatitis. It is best to avoid feeding your dog any type of nut, particularly walnuts, almonds, pecans and macadamia nuts.
Grapes
Both grapes and raisins are very dangerous for canine consumption. These juicy snacks can actually cause kidney failure in pups. If you are eating grapes or raisins, be careful to immediately pick up any that might hit the ground and never intentionally feed them to your dog.
Xylitol
A common ingredient in candy, gum and even toothpaste, xylitol has been known to cause a potentially life threatening insulin release in dogs. Ingestion of xylitol can lead to liver failure. Be sure and store all candy, sweets and toothpaste far out of reach of your pup.
Dairy Products
Digestion of dairy products can be tough on a dog’s stomach. Just like their human counterparts, many pups struggle to process dairy products. It is best to completely avoid feeding your dog any food items that contain dairy.
Onions & Garlic
A common staple in the kitchen, onions and garlic can poison a dog. Keep onions and garlic in any form, cooked, raw, dehydrated, out of your pup’s reach. Ingestion can kill a dog’s red blood cells leading to anemia.
Contact Your Vet Right Away
If your dog ingests any of these foods, or beings to show signs of vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or weakness, contact your veterinarian right away. When treated quickly and effectively, food poisoning in dogs can often be stopped or reversed.
Denver Dog Trainers
At Sit Means Sit South Denver, we are proud to be the leading Denver dog trainers. It is our goal to not only train happy, obedient dogs, but to protect them. If you would like to learn more about our Denver dog training services, we encourage you to contact us directly and to subscribe to our blog. Discover why dog owners from coast to coast depend on Sit Means Sit for all of their dog training needs.
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