7x food that can make your dog very sick
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: food that can make your dog sick.
If you have a dog yourself, you probably know what is good for him or her to eat, and what is off-limits. But if you don't have a dog (and there is one nearby), you might be tempted to thoughtlessly feed him something from your own food or toss it into his sweet begging mouth. You really need to be careful with that, because a lot of ‘everyday’ food is extremely toxic to dogs.
So if you have some leftovers after cooking (or something from your breakfast, lunch, dinner or charcuterie board), don't be careless and make sure Fikkie doesn't get these things at all:
Avocado
Especially from the pit and the skin, dogs can get stomach aches and diarrhea, and they can also vomit from it. Apparently, the flesh itself can also cause issues, but to a lesser extent. They are also at risk of choking or intestinal blockage if they swallow the pit whole. So be very careful after you have safely pitted that avocado.
Grapes, raisins or currants
They seem healthy and harmless, but they are very bad for the kidneys of dogs (and presumably also for cats and ferrets). Raisins are often found in snacks like muesli bars, etc., so also be careful not to accidentally give a piece of that to a dog.
Snails or frogs
Whether they belong on the list of overrated delicacies or not, if your dog eats one in nature, a snail or frog can transmit French heartworm. The common symptoms caused by this are lethargy, poor appetite, shortness of breath, and bleeding, and in the worst case, dogs can die from infections.
Bread dough
Sneaking bites of bread dough is anyway less tasty than from cookie dough, but for a dog, it is downright dangerous. The dough rises in the stomach, expands, and produces alcohol with potentially very nasty consequences: stomach overload or even rupture, behavioral changes or coma due to the alcohol, and neurological issues due to low blood sugar.
Macadamia nuts
Research has not yet precisely determined what the toxic substance is that dogs react to, but there have been so many cases that veterinarians warn that dogs can get very sick from macadamia nuts. More nuts for you then, at least if you are not allergic to them. One nut can already make a three-kilogram dog sick and cause muscle weakness, vomiting, overheating, and pale mucous membranes.
Chocolate and caffeine
Toxic for both dogs and cats, so be careful that they don't accidentally chew on a tea bag or coffee pod, or take a bite out of your Tony’s Chocolonely-bar. White chocolate contains hardly any toxic substances, but sugar is of course a subtly and with respect no-no for pets.
The allium family
Our own meals almost only improve with fried onions or shallots and garlic, but for animals, things like leeks, chives, spring onions, garlic, shallots, and onions are not good at all, whether raw or cooked. Cats are more sensitive to it than dogs, but you still prefer to prevent your dog from eating this. If he has consumed a significant amount, keep an eye on the dog for a few days to see if any disease symptoms arise. This can also happen with some delay.
