Welcome to all,

In the previous article, I focused on some garden plants that could be toxic for your dog, here I will be dealing with some human foods that could make your dog extremely ill at best or some of these foods could even cause the death of your beloved pet.

Humans have a way of humanising their dogs, this is great – except that they are do not know where to draw the line.

ALSO READ : You and your Dog: How dogs assist humans with special needs to enjoy a better quality of life

Most dog owners are aware that ingesting chocolate can cause some serious health issues for dogs but there are other foods that are likely to be found in your home that can cause serious problems to your dog as well. Before you consider feeding your dog any food meant for human consumption consult your vet the most innocent looking food could make your dog seriously ill.

DON’T GIVE YOUR DOG ALCOHOL

Everyone is sitting around the braai on a lazy summer evening, beers are being enjoyed and the steak and sausages are sizzling away on the fire, now picture this – along comes your dog he has smelt the meat and he loves to be with everyone, everyone is making a big fuss of him here boy have a bit of my steak/sausage he loves the titbits but he loves to drink beer even more.

Well I have some bad news if you are giving your dog beer to drink. A dog’s kidneys cannot process alcohol effectively, alcohol will cause medical problems for your dog.

Any products containing alcohol can cause the following symptoms- vomiting, diarrhoea, decreased coordination, central nervous system depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, abnormal blood acidity, coma and even death. GIVING YOUR DOG ALCOHOL IS NOT A JOKE.

Xylitol (artificial sweetener) derived from hardwood leaves.

This is not only bad for dogs it is not healthy for humans either causing bloating, flatulence and diarrhoea if consumed excessively.  Read your product labels – you will be surprised at how many products contain Xylitol. Peanut butter (sugar free) for example looks pretty harmless but if you read the label you will find it contains Xylitol, your sugar free chewing gum, and even toothpaste contain Xylitol.

Ingestion of Xylitol can cause the release of insulin, this can lead to liver failure. The increase in insulin leads to lowered sugar levels, signs such as vomiting, lethargy and loss of coordination, these symptoms can lead to seizures, the enzymes in the liver become elevated and liver failure can be noted within a few days.

IF YOUR DOG HAS INGESTED A PRODUCT CONTAINING XYLITOL YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH YOUR VET WITHOUT DELAY.  

Xylitol is toxic for your dog, please keep all products containing Xylitol safely stored, where your dog will not have access to them.

Chocolate

Firstly, let us look at what we are dealing with here.

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drug. Unlike many other psychoactive substances, it is legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world. I would imagine that this would be sufficient to put you off – EVER GIVING YOUR DOG ANYTHING CONTAINING CAFFEINE!

Chocolate, coffee and caffeine all contain methylxanthines, which is found in the cacao seeds, the fruit of which is used to make coffee, some soft drinks also contain caffeine.

When ingested by a dog, methylxanthines can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, panting excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizure and even death.

Note: the darker the chocolate is more dangerous, milk chocolate and white chocolate has the lowest level of methylxanthines. BAKING CHOCALATE HAS THE HIGHEST CONTENT, SO THOSE CHOC CHIP COOKIES ARE NOT A TREAT FOR YOUR DOG.

Macadamia Nuts

These nuts are so abundant down here on the South Coast, they are sold all along the beach front by informal traders, be aware these nuts are toxic to dogs.

Although, it is very rare that these nuts will be the cause death, without proper veterinary care, it is possible for your dog to die.

If ingested by your dog, symptoms such as, weakness in the back legs, vomiting and diarrhoea, shaking uncontrollably, a high fever, in severe cases where excessive amounts of the nuts have been ingested, the dog may collapse and become unable to walk.

Macadamia nuts are very high in fat, causing some dogs to experience an inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) after ingestion. If your dog has ingested these nuts you should contact your vet immediately.

Grapes and raisins

Although, it is a proven fact that grapes and raisins are highly toxic to dogs, research has not yet been able to pinpoint the exact substance in the fruit which causes the adverse reaction, when ingested by a dog, therefore, seedless or peeled grapes should also be avoided, (the skin might be the part of the fruit where the toxin is located).

The age of the dog has no influence on the risk of being affected, so do not feed grapes to your older dog or a puppy.

Ingestion of grapes by a dog can be fatal, it could lead to acute (sudden) kidney failure.

After ingesting grapes or raisins, you could observe some of these symptoms – loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain (sensitive when touched), dehydration, panting, dry nose and mouth, (a quick way to test for dehydration is to gently pull up the skin at the back of your dog’s neck – it should spring back immediately, increased thirst, the production of urine might increase or it could decrease and no urine is produced.

KIDNEY FAILURE which could be fatal.

If your dog has ingested grapes or raisins it is critical to seek treatment immediately from your veterinarian.

Garlic

Garlic, onions and chives should not be fed to dogs, they can cause your dog gastro intestinal irritation and could lead to red blood cell damage. A dog would have to ingest large amounts of these vegetables/herbs to be fatal. To be safe I would not advise feeding garlic, onions or chives.

SALT IS VERY BAD FOR YOUR DOG

Potato crisps, pretzels and salted popcorn, are not healthy for your dog, large amounts of salt can cause excessive thirst, urination or sodium poisoning in your dog. Dogs love bacon which is heavily salted, not healthy for your dog. Too much salty food will cause vomiting, diarrhoea, depression tremors, elevated body temperature, seizures or even death.  No more human treats for your dog. DO NOT LEAVE PACKETS OF POTATO CHIPS WHERE YOUR DOG HAS EASY ACCESS TO THEM!

Yeast Dough

So, you are mixing a batch of dough to make vetkoek, your dog is eyeing the dough and drooling, so you cannot resist those begging eyes looking up at you! You toss him a few lumps of the raw dough – you have just made a bad error in judgement.

The dough can rise and cause gas to accumulate in your dog’s digestive system, this can be very painful and will cause the stomach to bloat, and twist, this becomes a life-threatening emergency – yeast produces ethanol as a bi-product causing the dog to become drunk. The same symptoms will be observed as described for alcohol.

I have only dealt with the more common foods, that could cause harm to your dog, hopefully in my next article, I will share with you healthy people foods that your dog will love.

Take care

Kind Regards

Yvonne Eland

ADIPCBM (UK) with distinction

Specialising in Canine Behaviour and Management

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