Beware of that Food on Your Table

We all love to spoil our pets and who can resist the puppy eyes that Rover or Lady gives us when we are sitting down for dinner. However, there are a number of different foods that, although we love and enjoy, are toxic to our furry companion.

Below are a few common items found in our kitchen or pantry that can have harmful effects to them:

• Chocolate. Chocolate contains a stimulant that can stop a dog’s metabolic process. Even just a little bit of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can cause diarrhea and vomiting. A large amount can cause seizures, irregular heart function, and even death.
• Onion, Garlic, Chives. Plants from the Allium family can create anemia in dogs, causing side effects such as pale gums, elevated heart rate, weakness, and collapsing. Poisoning from garlic and onions may have delayed symptoms, so if you think your dog may have eaten some, monitor him or her for a few days, not just right after consumption.
• Macadamia nuts. Macadamia nuts, a part of the Protaceae family, can cause vomiting, increased body temperature, tremors, and lethargy. In serious cases, they can affect the nervous system.
• Alcohol. Alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, decreased coordination, central nervous system depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, abnormal blood acidity, coma and even death.
• Grapes and Raisins. Grapes and raisins can cause acute renal failure. Your dog’s kidneys might start to shut down, causing vomiting, lethargy and dehydration. Serious cases can cause seizures, coma and may turn fatal.

Lastly, although corn is not toxic to dogs, giving corn on the cob to dogs can cause an obstruction within their digestive system. While the corn can be digested the cob itself cannot be digested and can get lodged in the small intestine. If not removed surgically, it can prove fatal.

So the next time you give a treat to Rover or Lady from your kitchen table, make sure that it is safe for them too.

Written by Yvonne Yu