Eating Dangerous or Poisonous Objects/Food

Puppies, young dogs, and some adult dogs are orally oriented. Just like human babies, everything goes in their mouths! This may be a habit left over from teething. It may be a way of releasing tension. It can even be breed-related. For example, Retrievers naturally pick up and carry things in their mouths, Beagles tend to sniff out and eat everything that looks like food, etc. Whatever the reason, the problem begins when the item is swallowed.

The only safe bone for a dog to chew is hard rubber or pliable nylon! Giving your dog the bones of another animal to chew on is not a wise idea. Bones splinter and can lodge in the mouth, throat, or intestine.

Table scraps do not provide adequate nutrition and, therefore, should not be given to a dog. A little juice, left over from any dish, except poultry, can be poured over a high quality dog food.

Poultry juice is very difficult to digest.

Raw eggs should not be given to a dog because of the risk of salmonella poisoning.

Chocolate contains theobromine and even small amounts can cause restlessness and vomiting in pets. The lethal dose of theobromine depends on the size of your dog and the type of chocolate. As little as one-half ounce of baking chocolate can be fatal to your dog!

Grapes and Raisins Dogs who ate grapes or raisins will start vomiting and develop diarrhea. Dogs might refuse food alltogether, become lethargic and experience abdominal pain. Within a short period of time, 24 hrs to a few days, blood chemistry panels will show elevated levels of calcium, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and phosphorus, and become even more elevated within days. Dogs will not be able to produce urine which will result in kidney damage/failure. Sometimes even dogs that receive medical care have to euthanized when the damage of the kidneys is too severe.

It is not really known what components in grapes cause this major problem in dogs but they have been proven fatal in numerous cases. To be on the safe side, don’t ever feed your dog grapes or raisins, and watch your counter tops since large dogs are known to help themselves in the kitchen! If you dog accidentally swallows a few grapes or raisins, please rush him to the vet IMMEDIATELY. An early and aggressive treatment with fluids might prevent deadly kidney failure and save his life.

Onions and Garlic, both contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more dangerous. Some people mistakenly think that garlic is a way to prevent fleas. It is NOT, and even dangerous to your animal’s health.

Macademia Nuts (also Macademia Nut Butter) Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. They are unable to walk, are panting and some show swollen limbs and pain when moved. The muscle weakness is very painful but of short duration. If your dog has eaten these, please consult a vet immediately.

Other dangerous foods are:
Yeast Dough
Sugarless Candy (sweetened with xylitol and other products that use the same sweetener)
Moldy or Spoiled Foods
Coffee (liquid, ground or beans)
Corn
As vegetable avoid the Avocado.

Obviously, drugs, liquor, and tobacco are dangerous to your dog. Many pills are sugar-coated and, therefore, are attractive to dogs. Anti-freeze is sweet tasting and dogs are attracted to it. A small amount can result in irreparable brain and kidney damage, if not death. The odor of slug bait is attractive to dogs, but ingesting slug bait is lethal without medical attention.

Most indoor, and many outdoor, plants are poisonous to dogs. It can be the leaves, berries, stems, or roots that cause the poisoning.

The only plant easily identifiable and safe for a dog to chew and swallow is grass. Eating grass is quite often followed by vomiting and it is thought by some researchers that the grass acts as an emetic. Some researchers also feel that many dogs simply like its taste.

See also our articles >>Holiday Dangers and >> Pets and Poisons