Dogs will basically eat anything, but should they? Most dog parents consider their pets to be very important members of the household and they would want to keep them safe and healthy. There are, however, several common household items that people do not realise have a serious health threat to their furry friends.
Dog bodies are different in makeup than humans which means some things that pose no danger to us can be very harmful to them. Here is a list of items that you might not be aware of to keep safely stowed away and out of the reach of your pets.
Alliums – A Family that Includes Onions, Shallots, Garlic and Leeks
Besides adding amazing flavour to food, the allium family of herbaceous vegetables have great benefits for humans from improving your iron metabolism, lowering blood pressure, and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Unfortunately, these foods aren’t so healthy for your furry family members. They can in fact cause anemia, kidney damage, upset stomach, and general weakness. Dried, powdered, liquid, cooked or raw form of these herbaceous vegetables are all poisonous to your dog.
Fruit Pits, Pips, Stones, or Seeds
We all know to avoid eating the pits, pips, stones, or seeds when consuming our favorite fruits, but most dogs won’t make that call and they love eating anything we allow them to “play” with.
This is really harmful for your furry friends for 2 different reasons:
First – apple seeds, cherry pips, peach pits, and plum pits all contain the toxin cyanide, which is very poisonous and because dogs are smaller than humans, they are much more susceptible even in small quantities.
Second – larger pits and seeds like those in peaches and plums, can get stuck in and obstruct the airways or intestines, causing terrible discomfort and preventing healthy digestion.
Chocolate
We all know the “joke” that chocolate is not good for dogs when we don’t feel like sharing, but the threat is quite real because cocoa beans contain a substance called theobromine, a chemical that’s often toxic to small animals, like dogs. The level of theobromine is lower in milk chocolate, rule of thumb is the darker the chocolate, the higher the levels of this substance.
Xylitol
With the increase of low-carb and sugar-free eating, and the popularity of chewing gum, there are more and more products containing xylitol on the shelves. It’s perfectly safe and even beneficial for humans to consume, but very dangerous to dogs.
Marketed as a sugar alternative to be used as is, many sugar-free and low-carb products also contain xylitol ranging from toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, peanut butter, sugar-free candy and breath mints, fruit drinks and jams, cereals, baked goods like low-carb breads, sugar-free puddings, and jelly and even over the counter vitamin supplements.
Completely opposite to the normal reaction that the human system has when xylitol is consumed, when a dog consumes a significant amount of xylitol, there is a massive release of insulin from the pancreas. This, in turn, results in a dangerously low blood sugar level and symptoms such as weakness, trembling, seizures, collapse and depending on the dose consumed even death.
Continual consumption of xylitol can cause massive liver destruction (known as necrosis) in which large numbers of liver cells die abruptly which causes an acute health crisis and, in many cases, death.
The dose of xylitol considered to be toxic for dogs is 0.1 gram or more of xylitol per kg of the dog’s body weight.
Moldy Food
No one would choose to eat a moldy piece of bread, but a hungry dog may not make the distinction between this and something fresher. Moldy food can cause vomiting, agitation, tremors, seizures, and even severe secondary hyperthermia in dogs because of mycotoxins, which are present in moldy foods like bread, pasta, cheese, or nuts can also be hazardous.
Consider this when discarding leftovers as well, to ensure that homeless dogs don’t raid your garbage and become sick
Coffee
As much as we love the kick we get from caffeine, coffee can be quite dangerous when consumed by dogs. The caffeine can lead to restlessness, hyperactivity, vomiting, hypertension, abnormal heart rate, seizures, coma and even death. A couple of sips or licks of coffee won’t hurt a dog or cat, but if they consume a moderate amount of coffee grinds or a tea bag that’s been discarded you should carefully monitor them.
In addition to the caffeine, giving your fur kids coffee with milk / cream and sugar can in the long run have very detrimental effects on your pet’s health because most dogs are lactose intolerant, so frequent consumption of milk and sugars can contribute to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
But what about pup cups??? A pup cup is basically a a large blob of canned whipped cream with no actual coffee and most dogs should be able to digest the occasional pup cup without any side effects. Dogs with a history of pancreatitis or obesity should avoid puppucinos or pup cups due to their high fat content.
Acetaminophen or Paracetamol
Acetaminophen or Paracetamol is the most popular over-the-counter pain medication worldwide. When we get a nasty headache or muscle ache, we quickly reach for a tablet, but paracetamol can be very hazardous to animals, whose bodies aren’t meant to handle the drug.
In fact, a dog that consumes an excessive amount of paracetamol – typically by breaking into the medicine cabinet, for example – can experience irreversible liver damage. Humans face this hazard as well, but it is literally only in the case of a conscious overdose.
Human bodies can metabolize acetaminophen in modest amounts, but dogs only need a small amount to suffer symptoms such as labored breathing, swollen face, jaundice, vomiting, and coma.
Aspirin
Aspirin is another human go to for aches and pains, but aspirin can be very hazardous to dogs, whose bodies just can’t handle the drug properly. In fact, puppies can’t handle any aspirin whatsoever.
There are several symptoms if a dog consumes too much aspirin, including stomach upset. Long-term exposure to Aspirin could cause stomach ulcers, blood thinning, and irreversible kidney damage.
Prescription Medication
Medication can be found in many households and most chronic, prescription medications are kept on bedside tables or kitchen counters instead of medicine cabinets.
Unfortunately, while these medications are safe for people, even one or two pills can cause serious harm to a pet. Medication that can be life threatening to dogs include non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) like Myprodol or Advil, anti-depressants and sleeping aids like Prozac or Xanax, blood pressure and birth control tablets, ADD and ADHD medication like Ritalin and cholesterol and thyroid medication.
Dogs can unintentionally chew into a pill bottle or quickly snatch up a tablet if the owner accidentally drops it on the floor so keep the medicine cabinet firmly closed and always be careful if you have pets in the house.
While no pet owner will deliberately feed a dog something that can be bad for their health, accidents happen and as the saying goes “The 5 second rule does not apply if you have a 2 second dog!” so be careful and wherever possible make sure your animals don’t have access to, or the opportunity to eat any of the above mentioned “food” stuffs.