Everyone loves their pets and loves to pamper them with the best food treats. This is why it is hard for those who love their dogs to refrain from giving food treats, even if they are harmful to them. Plus, it is impossible to resist their cute little puppy faces when they want something. The treats you feel your dog loves may be slowly killing him inside.
Therefore it is important to understand which foods can adversely affect the health of your dog and which of those you should never huge your dog.
Avocado
The first example is of avocado. We know it is great for humans, but it has a toxic component that can be harmful to dogs. This component is called Persin and can be poisonous for dogs. Even the plant and leaves of the plant are poisonous for your little buddy. Another thing that can harm dogs is alcohol; be it wine, liquor, beer, or even foods containing alcohol, all of them can have the same effect on dogs as on humans.
However, it is interesting to note that even smaller amounts of alcohol can cause problems such as diarrhea, nausea, difficulties in breathing, which may lead to coma and even death of the poor animal.
Xylitol
Another component that can cause low blood sugar, liver failure, and death is Xylitol. This deadly element is present in various readily available products such as gum or cookies which are sugar-free. The treatment required in case a dog has ingested this has to be fast and aggressive, or else it may cause death.
Chocolate
Another important delicacy to be avoided for dogs is chocolates!
Chocolates have about 60-70% cocoa in it. This makes them very harmful for your furry friend as the risks outweigh the delight on your pet’s face when you feed him chocolate. The consumption of chocolate can cause kidney failure and abnormal heartbeats in dogs which can lead to death. This makes dark chocolates even more lethal for the dog than milk chocolates.
Raisins
The next item on this list is grapes and raisins. So what if you have been feeding your dog grapes for years and he has never reacted? It is better to be safe than sorry. Grapes and raisins are deadly and can cause kidney failure regardless of the amount ingested. This failure can be lasting and fatal.
Onions & Garlic
Moving forward, onions and garlic also prove to be dangerous substances to keep dogs away from. These items and all those members of the onion family, like shallots, scallions et cetera, can cause damage to the red blood cells of dogs.
The rule to follow here is that the stronger the vegetable, the more detrimental it can be. This makes garlic more harmful than onions. Ingestion of concentrated types of onion or garlic, such as garlic or onion powder, onion soup mix, and others can cause toxicosis.
In severe cases of onion and garlic poisoning, blood transfusions are needed. It is indeed worrying to note that the symptoms won’t be visible until three or four days after the consumption of these.
You will need to urgently visit a vet if your dog shows the symptoms of weakness and is getting tired easily. The urine will be orange or dark red in colour.
Coffee
Lastly, there is coffee, tea, and other caffeinated drinks that are fatal in big quantities. The most important fact to remember is that there is no remedy. Symptoms of caffeine poisoning include heart palpitations, fast breathing, restlessness, fits, and bleeding. Caffeine is not only found in tea or coffee but cocoa, chocolate, cola, and other stimulants such as Red Bull.
In case your little friend has consumed one or more of these, then don’t wait and rush them to the nearest vet as soon as you can.
Taking early precautions can really help you save your pet from severe food allergies and or can save them from a terminal illness. It is important to always keep an out-of-hours number ready or take them to a hospital in case of an emergency. Induce vomiting and then seek professional help.
Lastly, keep your dogs safe, they are friends worth keeping.