Not everything that is nutritious and healthy for us is good for our fury friends. A lot of what we eat and drink can be very dangerous for dogs and should not be fed to them.
Alcohol
This one goes without saying, you can probably imagine that alcohol is dangerous for dogs, as it isn’t good for us humans either! Only a very small amount can be poisonous because dogs metabolise alcohol very slowly and it does not completely break down in their body.
Symptoms: heavy salivation, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as your dog falling over, cramps and fever.
Avocado
Avocados contain the toxin persin which is harmless for humans, but can be poisonous for your pooch. The toxin damages the heart muscle and this can cause heart failure.
Symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, breathlessness, coughing, fluid in the abdomen
Raw Beans
Beans contain the lectin called phaseolin which gets destroyed through cooking the beans. The lectin can hinder the protein biosynthesis in the small intestine.
Symptoms: Vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, lack of appetite, fever, jaundice, swollen liver
Garlic and Onions
A lot of people use garlic as a medical resource, but for our dogs it can be very dangerous. Propyl disulfide in onions and garlic leads to a growth of Heinz bodies in the red corpuscles which can cause the blood cell to burst. When your dog receives a high amount of garlic or onions at once or a little bit over a period of time, the dog can suffer from a life-threatening anaemia.
The maximal amount of garlic should not go over 4 gram a day.
Symptoms: weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, fast breathing, jaundice, blood in the urine, rapid heartbeat
Macadamia Nuts
The reaons for it’s toxic effect is not known yet, but it can be dangerous for your dog as is best avoided.
Symptoms: Weakness, Vomiting, fever, gait disorder, lameness
Nightshades
These includes potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and capsicum which contain Solanin. Potatoes and eggplants should never be fed when they’re raw and Tomatoes and capsicums only when they’re overripe.
Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, mucosal irritation
Raw pork
In general, this meat is not poisonous, but dogs can contract the Aujeszky-virus. This is the trigger for the Aujeszky’s disease and leads to death.
Symptoms: They occur after 2 to 9 days after the infection and include lack of appetite, vomiting, wobbly gait and other disorders which are similar to those of rabies (itching, fits of raving madness and signs of paralysis).
Chocolate
The danger is probably known to most of dog owners, but do you also know why? It is because it contains Theobromine. The darker the chocolate, the more theobromine is in it. An amount of 100 to 300 mg per body weight can be deadly. The poisoning causes a malfunction of the cardiovascular system
Symptoms: thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, shivering, cramps, difficulties in breathing, signs of paralysis
Stone fruits
The stones contain cyanide bonds which divide prussic acid. This is only dangerous for your dog if it chews on it and destroys the stone.
Symptoms: Breath is smelling like bitter almond, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, heavy breathing
As you may have noticed, these symptoms can be very similar to each other. It is important to keep an eye on what your dog eats and that those dangerous foods are not accessible when you leave your dog at home alone. Talk to your pet minder about the do’s and font’s when feeding you pooch whilst you’re away on holidays