Toxic Foods Your Pet Should Avoid

It’s important that you know what your pet can and cannot consume. Not all human foods are designed for pet consumption, and some can be downright dangerous to their health. Here’s a list of common foods that harm pets.

 

Alcohol

 

Alcohol leads to diarrhea, vomiting, depression of the central nervous system, difficulty breathing and sometimes death. Pets should never be given alcohol and you need to call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center if they accidentally ingest some.

 

Chocolate, Coffee and Caffeine

 

All of these substances contain methylxanthines. When pets ingest it, they end up with diarrhea, vomiting, excessive thirst, an abnormal heartbeat and death. The darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is to pets. 

 

Grapes and Raisins

 

There isn’t enough known about the reason why grapes or raisins cause an issue, but they lead to kidney failure, so you need to avoid giving them to dogs.

 

Nuts

 

Most nuts contain a large amount of fat and oils. Pets aren’t equipped to handle this and it often causes problems with the pancreas. 

 

Raw Bones

 

Raw meat might contain Salmonella or E. coli which aren’t just harmful to pets, but humans as well. If your pet lived in the wild, they might eat raw bones, but domesticated animals aren’t ready for this. They could choke on the bones or get a bone splinter in the digestive tract.

 

Xylitol

 

While this sweetener is hailed as not affecting insulin levels in humans, it does the opposite in pets. When the insulin spikes, your pet experiences hypoglycemia which might lead to seizures or liver failure.

 

Final Thoughts

 

The best foods for your animal is whatever the vet suggests. There are some foods that are better than others, so make sure you get a consultation for your animal. By giving them the food they need, and avoiding dangerous foods, you help to ensure they live a long and happy life.