As Pet Parents, we’re always looking to do best for our dogs; after all, it’s our main role as their Pet Parents. But sometimes, it can be confusing as there is so much conflicting advice and information and opinions that it’s isn’t exactly easy. One of the main things is the constant discussions on what your dog shouldn’t eat and what tasty treats they can eat.
Although we all want to say we keep our dogs on a 100% dog food and treat diet, as Pet Parents, we’re all probably guilty of giving them a treat now and again of a little bit of human food instead.
This is why, in today’s post, we wanted to highlight 7 things your dog shouldn’t eat, especially if you do want to give them some human food as a treat.
7 Things Your Dog Shouldn’t Eat
Avocado
Although in recent years the popularity of the avocado has boomed, with the advertisement of the health benefits to humans, it can be easy to think this fruit might benefit your dog too.
However, despite it containing no derivatives and being a fruit, the avocado is potentially toxic for dogs because it contains persin, a toxin that is present and often affects animals.
It’s not entirely fatal, but if your dog does consume some avocado, it’s best to keep an eye out for signs of sickness, vomiting or diarrhoea and take them to the vets if this occurs.
Chocolate
It is probably one of the most well-known things your dog shouldn’t eat; chocolate is one that most pet parents have on their radar.
However, it is incredibly important that dogs never consume chocolate in any form. Admittedly, it can be easy to place a chocolate biscuit on the side for ourselves, get up to check on something and come back to find the dog has eaten it. However, due to the toxins in chocolate that affects dogs, it’s important to remain cautious at all times.
Grapes & Raisins
Although we’ve been told at times that it’s good for dogs to have the occasional bits and pieces of fruit, you must never feed your dog grapes or raisins.
Unfortunately, the exact toxin that causes the bad reactions in dogs isn’t exactly known; it is known that grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in some dogs, so they are best to be avoided.
Cooked Bones
With the launch of our raw food line, we’ve been talking a lot about bones – specifically the types of bones that your dog can and can’t eat.
As we mentioned in our Raw Feeding FAQ, feeding your dog raw bones is an excellent addition to their diet, but they pose a potential hazard for your dog when they are cooked.
Once bones are cooked, they become harder and more brittle and are likely to splinter and get caught in your dog’s throat.
Onions
One of the things that your dog shouldn’t eat that isn’t that well known, and it’s onions!
They may not be as toxic as chocolate and grapes, but this is still a food that you should avoid giving your dog, whether it is cooked or raw. This is due to onions containing a natural toxin that can actually affect your dog’s red blood cells and lead to them becoming anaemic.
Garlic
Although garlic may be a regular part of our diet as humans, it’s something that, like onions, is toxic to dogs and something that should always be avoided.
If dogs do consume garlic, this can often lead to garlic poisoning, which can cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, fatigue, pain and drooling. If you suspect this may have happened to your dog, then it’s always best to contact a vet.
Gone-Off Food
As Pet Parents, we may joke that our dogs are walking bins with cast-iron stomachs and the ability to eat almost anything and everything.
But in reality, this is far from the truth, and even though dogs’ stomachs are highly acidic, eating gone off or spoiled food is still dangerous for them and can lead to food poisoning.