| Food |
Risk |
| Grapes and raisins |
For reasons currently unknown, grapes and raisins are highly
toxic to dogs! Moderate to large quantities can throw a dog
into rapid renal failure. Even with early and aggressive treatment,
only about 50% of affected dogs recover. Raisins, being dried
and concentrated, are more toxic than grapes. |
| Onions |
Onions contain an ingredient thiosulphate which
can cause hemolytic anemia - a condition where the red blood
cells burst and are destroyed, leading to anemia. A single large
dose of onions or small doses ingested daily can lead to this
serious condition. You need to be careful because many foods
that wouldn't immediately come to mind, including pizza, Chinese
food and baby foods, may contain onion.
Garlic also contains thiosulphate, however in such small amounts
that only eating large quantities of garlic would cause toxicity.
|
| Macadamia Nuts |
An as-yet undetermined substance in Macadamia nuts can cause
locomotor disorders when they are eaten by dogs. Symptoms include
weakness and trembling of the rear, paralysis and pain. These
symptoms are reported to be temporary, however if you think your
dog has eaten Macadamia nuts you should notify your veterinarian. |
| Xylitol (found in sugar-free candies and other foods) |
Xylitol has been reported to cause a rapid drop in blood sugar,
leading to seizures, unconsciousness and possibly liver failure.
If your dog eats a product containing Xylitol, get him to your
veterinarian immediately. |
Fatty foods
|
Eating foods which are too high in fat can touch off a case
of pancreatitis - a painful and sometimes
fatal inflammation of the pancreas. After recovery from pancreatitis
a dog may have impaired digestive function and be more prone
to repeat episodes. |
| Bones |
The most dangerous bones are cooked bones and small bones
(like chicken or fish bones) as the can splinter and puncture
the digestive tract.
Large, raw bones (i.e. beef bones) are usually safe for your
dog to chew, though some dogs are prone to fracturing teeth. |
| Peach, Plum and Apricot pits, Apple and Pear pips |
Ingestion of these fruit pits can lead to cyanide
poisoning, due to the cyanogenic glycosides they contain. |
| Chocolate |
Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine - a cardiac
stimulant and diuretic. The purest forms of chocolate (baking
cocoa and chocolate) contain the highest concentrations and are
the most toxic, followed by dark chocolate. Milk chocolate is
slightly less toxic. To a small dog even small amounts of chocolate
can cause serious or fatal illness. Symptoms
do not appear until several hours after ingestion. |
| Coffee beans and grounds, tea bags (caffeine) |
The caffeine in these items is poisonous to dogs. |
