Although I previously wrote about dangerous food for Dogs many people have asked for a much more in depth article. It seems, like me, you wish to know exactly why certain foods are dangerous for Dogs and the consequences that may result if your Dog eats them.
In this article I will cover the topic as comprehensively as possible. We will find exactly what to not feed your Dog.
Firstly we will go through the main foodstuffs that are, or may be, dangerous for Dogs to eat.
We will then go through each one in turn and find out exactly why they are dangerous or toxic food for our Dogs.
Dangerous Foods For Dogs To Eat
- Raw Pork Bones that have not been frozen
- Nuts, especially Almonds and Macadamias
- Avocados
- Tomato Plants
- Raisins and Grapes
- Chocolate
- Caffeine
- Onions
- Garlic
- Cooked Bones
- Alcohol
- Large amounts of Liver
This is quite a large list of what you do not feed Dogs, as you can see. But many of us want to know exactly why our Dogs will come to harm if they eat any of the above. For some there is a wealth of information, but for other foods, you will find it very difficult to discover exactly why they are dangerous.
Lets look at each one in turn and find out what the reasons are and the possible consequences if our Dogs eat them.
Can Dogs Eat Pork?
Raw Pork may contain a swine disease known as Aujeszky’s Disease or pseudorabies.
It is incurable and fatal to Dogs. However the bacteria are highly susceptible to freezing. Any Raw Pork or Pork bones that have been frozen for three weeks at a suitably low temperature will be safe for your Dogs to eat. As raw Pork bones are so good for the Dogs to chew on don’t let the dangers of raw Pork for Dogs put you off. Either freeze them yourself or when you buy them check with the Butcher how long they have been frozen for.
Dogs can eat cooked pork but always without the bone. Cooked bones, as I will explain later, are very dangerous for Dogs and should never be given. Do not feed Dogs Pork Bones unless you know they have been suitably frozen.
Can Dogs Eat Almonds, Macadamias And Other Nuts?
The dangers of Dogs eating Almonds or other Nuts can be very real. This is a real problem for me as we have over seventy Almond Trees and Faye, our biggest Dog, has an obsession with them. She will jump up at trees in order to gather the Nuts and break the shells with her teeth to get at the Nut!
Firstly, all Nuts are difficult for Dogs to digest so do not feed them to your Dog. Also, unfortunately, as with Grapes and Raisins, the exact reasons why many Nuts are dangerous, or toxic, for Dogs is not fully understood.
It seems that Macadamia Nuts are the most toxic for Dogs and should be completely avoided. After eating Macadamias a Dog may begin vomiting and show severe signs of weakness. Normally they can be treated and return to normal health but this does not mean they should ever be fed them.
All Nuts have very high fat contents so should not really be fed on a regular basis.
It is the bitter Almond that can be the most problematic for Dogs. Containing Cyanide it should be avoided.
There is also a doubt about whether normal Almonds can lead to stomach upsets and slight problems for your Dog. Again, unfortunately the cause is not known. Be especially aware of the dangers of Macadamia Nuts for Dogs but you may be well advised to steer clear of all Nuts when it comes to the health of your Dog.
Can Dogs Eat Avocados?
Avocados can be poisonous to Dogs. The fruit contains Persin which can damage the heart and lungs and can lead to very serious problems. If your Dog does become poisoned it may experience real difficulty breathing, or have large build ups of fluid in its chest or abdomen.
Unfortunately the levels that need to be ingested are not known and may differ largely from Dog to Dog.
The best thing is to avoid Avocados completely.
The Dangers of Tomato Plants For Dogs?
It is not very likely that your Dog would choose to eat the foliage of tomato plants but they contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. Just make sure they are kept away from your Dog. Dogs may easily begin eating the leaves and stems if they are near to fallen Tomatoes.
Can Dogs Eat Grapes And Raisins?
A single Grape or Raisin is not going to kill your Dog but feeding Dogs larger amounts is definitely asking for trouble. There have been a few cases where Dogs have eaten half kilo bags of Raisins and died.
Large quantities are definitely to be avoided and it is best to never feed your Dog any Grapes or Raisins.
Unfortunately the exact reason why they pose such a threat is not known. It seems this is still quite a mystery but the effects are very serious. In some Dogs even small quantities can cause severe problems. There is serious risk of Kidney failure and death. If your Dog has eaten any significant quantity of Grapes or Raisins you must get to the Vets immediately. The quicker your Dog is treated the better its chances of recovery. Do not feed Dogs large amounts of these.
Can Dogs Eat Chocolate?
Absolutely not! Chocolate is very dangerous for Dogs and should never be given to them.
Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, both stimulants, that can affect your Dog very seriously. It can cause problems with the nervous system and the heart. White chocolate contains the least toxic elements and Cocoa beans the most toxic.
The Theobromine can build up until it reaches toxic levels in your Dog and can result in death. Bear in mind that the smaller the Dog, the less it will need to eat before symptoms occur. Chocolate can be very toxic to Dogs so avoid it as much as possible.
Is Caffeine Dangerous For Dogs?
Caffeine should be avoided. It can cause problems to a Dogs heart and nervous system.
Can Dogs Eat Onions?
Like Garlic, Onions should never be fed to Dogs. Even small amounts can be a problem. The reason is because the effects can build up over time so there is an accumulative effect.
Onions can cause anemia by destroying red blood cells.
Can Dogs Eat Garlic?
Garlic is not as dangerous as Onions are but nevertheless if fed repeatedly or over a period of time the same risks are present as they are with Onions.
Can Dogs Eat Cooked Bones?
Cooked bones are very dangerous for Dogs.
Unlike raw bones, cooked bones become very brittle. They can easily shatter and can cause untold damage to your Dogs insides. Pieces can get lodged in the intestines creating blockages that will need to be operated on to be removed. The dangers of cooked bones for Dogs cannot be overemphasised. Never feed them any cooked bones. Raw bones are a much better option and will help to clean your Dogs teeth.
The Dangers Of Alcohol To Dogs
Alcohol is very dangerous for Dogs. Never let your Dog get access to anything alcoholic, or anything containing alcohol. There are many cases of alcohol poisoning Dogs and owners of small Dogs need to be especially wary. Don’t let your Dog lap at your Beer or glass of Wine. You may find it cute or funny but you are doing a disservice to your Dog.
Lapping at alcohol can obviously cause intoxication but also liver failure, coma, seizures and death. As we have already discovered, Grapes are toxic to Dogs so Wine is especially dangerous. Hops are toxic to Dogs also so Beer should be kept well away from Dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Liver?
There is nothing wrong with feeding organs to Dogs on an infrequent basis. In fact they will do them nothing but good. Liver however should not be fed in large amounts. Liver can be dangerous for Dogs if fed in large quantities.
Feeding large amounts of Liver to your Dog can result in Vitamin A toxicity which can affect muscles and bones. Too much Liver can be dangerous for Dogs, it can result in deformed bones, unusual bone growth and weight loss. Always feed Liver in moderation and your Dog will benefit, just do not feed more than a few times a week.
All of the above foods are easily avoided. It is simply a matter of being aware of what foods are dangerous for Dogs and acting accordingly. Ensure certain foods, particularly raisins and chocolate are kept well away from where your Dog may be able to access them.
Also when discarding cooked bones make sure your Dog cannot raid the rubbish to get to them.
Be sure to let everyone know about any other toxic or dangerous food for Dogs.
Also let me know if you found this article helpful, I have tried to be as thorough as possible after your requests for more information. Pick good quality food for your Dogs, like the cheap Hills vet diet, or another trusted brand. And don’t forget that raw meaty bones for Dogs will do them the world of good. Just be safe with your choices.
I did not know onions were dangerous. Otto enjoys soupy meals with a little onion in them almost every weekend. That will stop now. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kaytee, glad you learnt something. This is why I made this a much more comprehensive post than previously. There are a surprising number of dangerous foods.
Good post. It is nice to see the reasoning behind forbidden pet foods instead of just “NO CHOCOLATE, NO ONIONS, JUST BECAUSE!”. Also I didn’t know about the nuts and avocado issues. Another good piece of advice is if you’re not sure if your dog can eat something or not, just don’t feed it to them.
Mike H’s last blog post..mike27cubes: @smokenspirits love the CAO Gol, nice choice
I hadn’t heard about the avocados. We will keep that one in mind, as California is like the land of the avocado — they are everywhere!
Dennis the Vizsla’s last blog post..just call me mister reeeeemisssss
Mike H, good advice. I tried to make the post as comprehensive as possible. Like you I found it annoying when no reasons were given about WHY.
Hi Dennis,i’m jealous. We love them. I tried to grow some from seed but they are not doing too well. May be a grafted one this year and give it a go.
Xylitol, a natural sweetener made from corn or birch bark, is also deadly for dogs. It is actually beneficially to humans- studies show it prevents tooth decay. Because it is being used in more and more products (chewing gum, Rescue Remedy pastilles, etc) it is important that pet parents be aware that it is poisonous to their dogs. I hope you will add it to your already great list.
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Thanks for the informative post… I’m going to print this out.
Very informative article! I didn’t know about cooked bones. I’ve been thinking of giving my dog bones to keep her teeth clean. I would have never thought of freezing them instead of cooking them.
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Nadine, many thanks for the information. I will update the post tomorrow.
Penny, that’s great! Glad it was helpfull.
Ross, you only need to freeze Pork bones first. All other raw bones are fine. You really will be amazed how clean your Dogs teeth become with a bone or two a week.
Thanks for writing about this. I wasn’t aware that cooked bones were dangerous for dogs. Now I know exactly which foods to avoid feeding my dog and why. Great post!
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Excellent list TDB! Glad you made it clear that both onions and garlic are big no-nos for dogs since they can cause anemia. And cats (I know this is kind of a dog site, sorry) are more prone to become ill if they ingest any of these two vegetables. They’re very healthy additions to a human’s diet, killers when it come to animals. And while we’re at it, mushrooms also fall under this category. Until next time!
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Julia, you are welcome.
Karina A, I didn’t think to put mushrooms in but you are right. Thanks for the tip.
All good to know. I didn’t know avocados were bad for dogs or that alcohol was any worse for them than it is for us. One thing about the chocolate is that it does take more than a bite-sized candy bar to get them sick. Not that a dog should have any chocolate at all, it shouldn’t, but unless your dog is tiny, you don’t have to worry if he sneaks some M&Ms.
When in doubt, call the vet!
hey i want to cook for dogs and these tips are great !!!!!
hey me again were did you get your info !!!!!
thanks!!
Hi Piper, glad you found the list helpfull.
I was aware of most of that list, what surprised me was the garlic. When #1 was sick about a year ago the vet had us feeding broiled chicken and cooked rice mixed with some garlic powder to make it more appetizing. #1 loved it.
It likely has to do with amounts given, but I’ll have to look further into this. Thanks.
Great explanations on, ‘Bad Foods For Dogs’.
We will be having a litter of Labradoodles soon and I will include this info and the sight address in the packets.
Thanks for providing the info
Angie, I would just be careful with the quantities. Don’t let the amounts build up too much over time.
Tricia, very kind of you. I am glad it was helpful.
The dog that i have been watching, a 13 year old Bichon Frise, got into my garbage today and ate coffee grounds, chicken, corn, and who knows what else. What should I do/ This is my neighbors dog.
Hi Amy, The best you can do is keep an eye on the Dog. If there is difficulty eating or the Dog becomes sick then get straight to the Vet.
If you are really concerned then I would go to the Vets anyway. The main danger is from eating cooked Chicken Bones. Mosat of the time Dogs will be OK but it can be a concern.
Hope this helps and I hope the Dog is OK.
Just wanted you to know that the dog is fine. He had diarrhea for a full 2 days after, but he’s fine now. I am now putting the garbage up so he can never get into it again. Thank you for the help.
Amy that’s great. Thanks for letting me know. Glad the Dog didn’t come to any harm.
Nice job! Like many others, I am just getting started on my new blog. The tips you provided are most useful.Thanks.
Peanut butter is in a lot of dog treats, so that’s safe, right? (Except peanuts aren’t exactly a nut, so a moot point.)
I just fed my dog half of a sunflower butter and grape jelly sandwich. I remembered – after she’d finished it – that I’d read somewhere dogs shouldn’t have grapes. There wasn’t much on it – I’ll watch her closely.
And sunflower seeds, I will assume, are okay? It’s not a nut?
Ack! Having to watch out for foods I’m allergic to, my daughter is allergic to, my sons might choke on, and the dog can’t have is keeping me on my toes!
But thanks so much for the info!
Hi, my Jack Russell has a rash on her hind legs and has been panting like she is out of breath. I recently bought her a new food because she continuously scratches. The new food is made with avocados and says it is healthy for dogs and will build up her immune system which fights allergies But she developed the rash. Is there a food or pill which will help her? I read the article about k-9 clear up do you think this will help and can I buy it at the pet store?
Thank you,
Brenda
So, every once in a while, my kids leave some chocolate laying around where our dog can get it. Of course, before you know it, our dog is feasting on it. Is that a big problem?
Brenda, she may be having an allergic reaction to the new food. I think talking to a Vet is probably the best thing to do. I would not want to give you incorrect advice. I would not imagine that the amounts of Avocado in the food are harmful but it may well cause her to have a bit of a bad reaction. Try a different food and see if it helps her.
Got Dog Kennels, it could be a problem. I would just make sure the kids eat all their chocolate, if not why not help them out!
Oh my goodness!!! I’ve been feeding my dogs Avoderm, and that is an avacado based kibble!! I’m so sad that they have been eating this, thank goodness they’re okay now… hopefully there are no effects. Thank you SO much for writing this!
has anyone heard of dogs eating grass to help there digestive system………..?? i have been told by several people that it is in there nature and it helps them vomit if there tummys are feeling sick……………?? please answer me I am worried that the grass might make her sick…………??
Hi Cindy,
This is a real tough one. It is still not clear if Dogs are sick because they eat grass or they eat grass because they are feeling sick. Either way if a Dog eats grass then they are usually sick. This makes it very important to not use any chemicals etc on grass if it is possible that a Dog will eat it.
In my experiencce over the years the result of a Dog eating grass is that more often than not it will be sick. I hope this helps.
Is it okay to give a dog fish oil pills? I have been told to give my labs 1 fish oil pill a day. Also I have pecan trees in my yard and the dogs are always cracking them and eating them is this okay for them?
Thanks, Dennis
Hi Dennis,
I think fish oil is very good for them. As for the pecans, there is a real debate over many nuts. High numbers can be dangerous. I would just avoid allowing the Dogs to have more than an occasional nut and you should be fine.
I am not questioning your expertise, but do have a comment. I had two dogs when I lived in S. California many years ago. They loved to eat grapes off the vine, and since we lived in the middle of a large avocodo farm, their favorite treat was avocados they found on the ground. They were always chewing on avocados. The coyotes also seemed to love avocados. My dogs were always healthy and lived long and happy lives. The avocados and grapes didn’t seem to hurt them at all. Is it only some dogs that are affected?
I was surprised about garlic. The Animal Planet training show, It’s Me or the Dog, suggested adding a little garlic powder to chicken because dogs love it.
I read another dangerous foods for dogs list on another site before reading yours. You didn’t mention potatoes that are green or the sprouts that can occur on potatoes. Said they can cause bloody diarrhea, nervous system trembling, paralysis and cardiac arrest. I assume they are referring to raw potatoes—it really didn’t say. Thanks for your info.
i found out the hard way. you cannot feed your dogs pizza crust. one of my dogs got very sick from eating it. it was a very costly lesson and almost killed my dog. i didnt know that pizza crust has tooo much fat for them. also am glad to have found your web site. as for my dog he is just fine now,and noo more pizza crust.
Respectfully, I do not see much more information here, just a longer list of what my dogs should’t eat. This is not an attempt to be contrary only to find out if these have a basis in fact.
This information seems all to be anecdotal. I often wonder how much of this information is “Old wives tails” handed down through time. Is there any factual data from test results or necropsies that prove any or all these lists? Is information shared between Vets and compiled in some data base that can be refered to? Thanks JK
I have heard that cruciferous (cabbage, broccoli,cauliflower,turnips,mustard,etc.) vegetables were dangerous for dogs to eat. What’s the scoop?
hi, my mom mixes cat food with my meals because the Kmart store manager said cat food has more fish oils that will be good for me. should she stop doing that?
I also love people food mixed in with my doggie food or i won’t eat….well, guess what? I ended up in the hospital two weeks ago for three days due to pancreatitis!! That sucks because now
she’s so careful with what i eat and i won’t eat unless I’m absolutely starving!
What are your thoughts on these?
I appreciate all your advice and information…
maggie (I’m a bichon frise)
Hi Laine,
The problem with many of these foods is that not all Dogs can be effected, and in differing proportions. Some will be fine and some won’t. That is why caution is urged if at all possible.
Kelly,
It is better to be safe than sorry though, isn’t it?
Alyce,
Good point. Green potatoes are unsafe just as they are for humans. Boiled skins though are a treat now and then.
Tomera,
Glad all is OK now. Sounds scary.
Hi John,
There is scientific proof for a number of items on the list. But the problem lies in the fact that the reasons why some of the foods react badly in Dogs is simply not known. This does not alter the fact that many Dogs can have severe consequences from eating them. Science is far from being able to give answers to everything.
Maybe some are old wives tales, and maybe not. I would simply rather be cautious.
Kate,
I have not heard that but please don’t take me for the expert in this field. As far as I am aware, cooked in small quantities these are fine.
Maggie,
I see no problem with a small amount of Cat food. However, why not just give a fish oil supplement, or even a small amount of cheap tinned tuna? Yum.
As to the whole human food thing and Dogs not eating. When Daisy was a bit under the weather a few weeks ago we began giving her more treats in her food to build her up. Yep, you guessed it, now normal Dog food is not good enough for her. She wants extras.
You have to be strict. Just go back to regular Dog food with no treats in it. This is a harsh lesson but true.
“A Dog has never killed itself by not eating when food is available.”
It is harsh but true. In a few weeks all will be back to normal and your Dog will eat what is put in front of it. Trust me, I have been through this a few times over almost 20 years of having Dogs. They will try their luck but won’t starve themselves to death. They may lose a little weight but won’t starve.
This is why scraps should only be given in small amounts and only at their meal times. Giving scraps at any other times lead to them begging and being fussy. I hope this helps, it has always worked for me. They will get used to what you feed them.
Someone sent me this link in an email sent out to all her friends. I’m guessing people are sending the link on to their friends in mass emails.
E.Rayes,
Ah, that expains it. Thanks for letting me know.
if nuts are bad than i can only guess and say peanutbutter is bad also??? my puppy of 12 weeks loves the stuff,,,
also i came across this article on msn.
I used MSN article to access your website.
Re: Chocolate
My understanding is the quality of the chocolate is significant. The “good” stuff has much more “bad” stuff in it.
Eating a bar of cheap chocolate will be less harmful than a piece or 2 of expensive chocolate. No chocolate is still best.
MSN does send you to Bing for article choices. Try it. You probably only see the Bing source.
Thanks a bunch for posting this and the helpful replies.
My dog will be sad – 2 of her top 5 produce varieties are on the list. She enjoys catching moonlight mushroom stems, and red and green seedless grapes. We remove any mushrooms that sprout up in the yard just because, but didn’t realize ‘edible’ mushrooms were on the bad list. With grapes, I wonder if it’s the seeds, or herbicides, or just bad mouthed as the predecessor of the Raisin…we never noticed a change in her. Half a a kilo would be over one pound of raisins – that can’t be good for anyone. She is a 50 lb, 10 yr old muttling. When she finds a whole chestnut some ignorant squirrel buries in the yard, that’s a different story. She will be sick.
I got here from a ‘Dangerous Food for Dogs’ link under ‘Barking up the Right Tree’ on the MSN home page.
Thanks for all the information listed above, especially on the tomatoes.
We have alot of wild mushrooms in our yard and our dogs love them, will fight to get to them before we can pick them up. One of them has just been in hospital and we assume that it is because she ate the mushrooms. We try to pick them up every morning but I know that we miss some. And also they grow so fast. We have also explored options of getting rid of them and have been told that there is nothing we can do but dig them up. Do you know of any solution?
My dog loves most veggies and fruit (but no grapes). He eats a RAW meat diet. Found you through Bing.
This is my first visit to your blog. Though I already knew about the foods/info within this post, I do wonder what your qualifications are for writing this? … and where your information came from. I suppose if I were a regular visitor I might know more about who you are, etc. I’m all for sharing info between each other via our blogs, etc., but I feel strongly about folks making it clear in their posts about where their info came from, and what qualifies them, if anything, in making certain claims in their posts. My feelings for these issues stem from my deep love for all of my pets, not just my dog. It’s so important to have knowledge, but even more important for us to know exactly where it came from.
I’m even more amazed at the amount of questions folks are asking, and then apparently waiting to see if they get a reply in return. If we take the step to bring a dog, or any animal, into our homes/lives, then we should take the needed steps to be very responsible for their well-being. CALL YOUR VET to get these serious questions properly answered.
Again, I’m all for sharing info, tips, etc. via the internet, but when it comes down to life altering decisions it is my belief that we all should be calling our Vet or taking our beloved pet to the Animal Hospital for proper care.
I do applaud your efforts and desire to get the word out on some of the dangerous foods for dogs. Thank you, kindly.
I got here from a ‘Dangerous Food for Dogs’ link under ‘Barking up the Right Tree’ on the MSN home page.
September 6, 2009, approx. 4.15 pm, PDT; Thank you!
Always need additional information to understand how best to treat my canine companions. Found this article via Bing!
BTW, some other “foods” are dangerous: seeds that many humans assume are harmless. Pepper (ground or any form) though the veggie (red or yellow) probably is just fine. Assume table pepper or any form used for cooking ingredient to be far more dangerous than salt. Sesseme seed is to be avoided; poppy seed is very dangerous and must be avoided. Also, the discussion on chocolate: it is a problem since it accumulates, over time, the caffeine-like substance. Thus, “my dog had a bar of chocolate (likely, milk chocolate) and survived!” That is a warning…the next amount the dog consumes, even years later, can be fatal. Amounts are proportional to dog’s weight though not always. And, some dogs may be hyper-sensitive to certain compounds.
I have read that brown rice is dangerous; other information intimates that white rice is to be avoided and only brown rice allowed. This information needs to be clarified.
Occasionally one of my dogs ( a 3 year old Golden Retriever) eats a roasted peanut. He will grab and eat one or two if it falls to the floor as I am eating them. Are roasted peanuts dangerous for dogs to eat?
loved the article and realy found it informative…do you have any tips on the safest and best store bought dog foods ?
Thank you,katt
ps;got to your site via Bing,no lie!!
Is beef bologna bad for your dog? My dog is 3 years old and has never eaten dog food, we feed her boiled chicken , chicken noodle soup and such, is any of this bad for her? Also she likes little pieces of pop sickels.
Yikes, a lot of new comments. Firstly, thanks to everyone for letting me know where you all came from. Trust me I don’t normally get 4000 people to a single post in a day. Anyway:
Hi Barb,
I would stay away from the peanut butter. Apart from anything else too much fat and salt is very bad for Dogs. See some of the other comments for the many problems that high fat diets cause.
N. Engelhart,
Exactly right. The higher the cocoa content the more dangerous it is for Dogs to eat. No chocolate is best. Dogs do not need chocolate so we don;t need to feed it to them.
Hi Julia,
I have similar problems. Our Dogs have just learnt to forage somehow. Faye eats blackberries from the bushes, climbs almond trees, eats fermenting olives off our trees, jumps at fig trees and more. They love their walks at the moment as so much free food is in the campo here in Spain.
Mzz April,
You are welcome.
Donna,
I am afraid I don’t know how to get rid of the mushrooms. If anyone who reads this knows please leave a reply.
Amy,
That’s great. Raw is a great way to feed Dogs.
Pearl,
I understand your sentiments. I am in no way qualified and even if I were would that make me 100% right. A large majority of Vets don’t like feeding raw diets to Dogs yet the evidwence that it gives them longer lives, stops them getting bad breath and stops tooth decay is a proven fact.
Qualifications do not mean people (vets) don’t sometimes have alterior motives. I am not suggesting there is an evil conspiracy to keep us taking our pets to the vets when we don;t need to but they often do not give us the best advice.
Our first Dog cost us a fortune id dental bills becasue we only fed him bought Dog food. Not once has any vet told me to give Dogs bones as it will clean their teeth. They just suggest we come in regularly for teeth cleaning. See what I mean. No money for them.
As to the source of this article. It was from lots of research about dangerous foods for our Dogs.Some is backed up by science and some is from observations of many pet owners.
For everyone who reads this, all I can say is it is better to be safe than sorry. We all make our own minds up about what we believe when we read something. I have no ulterior motive apart from to write good content and to offer my completely inexpert opinion. I am just a Dog owner.
Denis,
Thanks for the contribution. Very good point about chocolate. They can be fine eating it a few times but the next time…..
Joe,
You have to watch the salt content. A single nut will be fine but lots of roasted and salted is not good.
Pat,
Thanks. I will not be popular for saying this but for me much store bought Dog food is much the same. Far better to simply replace a few meals each week with some raw meaty bones or a nice homemade Dog food.
Glen,
Raw is best if possible. Noodles etc are not the best. Artificial additives especially. Popsicles? Naughty. All that sugar is alien to Dogs. Try going for some raw meat and raw bones, he will love it.
p.s Sorry if there are spelling mistakes, I can’t face reading through it again. Thanks everyone.
i hope you guys can help me. i have a new puppy i have tried evrything i can think of to house break him. he will poop outside be just wont pee out side. i’m at my wits end with him. he is only 2 months old,he is part lab and pit.hes very sweet and good natured him and my 4 year old grandson get along like bandits. i dont want to get rid of him but if he doesnt stop peeing in the house i dont know what to do. please help. thank you
Hi Tomera,
2 months old is very young and normally they have only just left their Mum at that age. There are not many pups that will be housetrained at that age. You need to be patient and be aware that any excitement will make him pee. As well as when he wakes up, after playing, after eating etc.
You need to take him outside as often as possible and praise him each time he goes for a pee. He will gradually begin to just pee outside. You need to take him out whenever he has done any of the above. He will gradually learn but it is not an instant fix. All puppies take a while to understand that they must pee outside. Keep an eye on him. If he looks like he is about to do it grab him and put him out. Also make sure that when you take him out he has a pee. You may have to be patient and wait a while but this works very well.
Hope this helps. Let me know how you get on.
I found your site through the ASK search engine! Thanks for the information…I did not realize that many of those foods could pose a threat to our French Bull dogs which we dearly love. Thanks again.
I found you through a search on Google.
I was eating almonds on my couch and my dog was staring at me with her big brown eyes saying please give me one. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that almonds were bad so I used Google to search “Can dogs eat almonds” and your website was about the 4th down on the resulting list.
As a person who always ensure that my pets get the best nutrition, I always go to the extent of preparing my own dog food. One of my favorite recipe:
1)Hamburger meat
2)Egg white (with yolk removed)
3)A mix of oatmeal
4)Some slice of carrots (whether he likes it or not)
5)Dog vitamins (bought from pet shop)
I was just wondering what people fed their dogs before dog food was invented and if any of them survived?
Can you feed dogs unsalted peanuts?
I taught garlic can be fed to dogs for flea problem. Some dog owners advice that garlic is good for flea problem, now I don’t know if I will or will not give garlic to my dogs. Anyways, I have a site about dogs called All About Dogs and there I have a post about hypoallergenic dog food that might be useful for dog owner.
I think this is a valuable article. My dog ate some chocolate after christmas one year and it almost killed her. I never new that chocolate contained another chemical besides cafeine that was toxic to dogs. Thanks for the great article.
Very good article but there are a couple things I’d like to point out as someone who’s worked in animal hospitals for several years…
1. Avocados, it actually depends on the variety. Haas avocados which are the main variety found in grocery stores and are grown primary in CA are non-toxic. It is the south american and some mexican varieties that are a problem. Avoderm is made with Haas and other american varieties of avocados that don’t cause problems and is perfectly safe to use if you are feeding a dry kibble.
2. Pork, another concern with pork is intestinal parasites. Which is also one of the main reasons why humans should not consume raw pork as well.
3. Chocolate. I asked a couple of the vets I work/ed with, and the holistic nutrition dvm my allergy dog sees, about a build up of chocolate toxicity as I noticed someone else had said that was possible. All of whom stated it wasn’t possible over a long period of time, short term (within a few day) could possibly cause a problem though. A rough guide of toxic levels would be as follows:
Using a dose of 100 mg/kg of theobromine as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker’s chocolate.
So if a 45 pound bulldog got a hold of hershey’s bar (which is 1.5 ounces) it’s not an issue. If your 2lb chihuahua gets ahold of that same bar, you should contact your vet. Now if that same bulldog gets ahold of a Lindt baker’s chocolate bar (90% pure and 5.3oz) you would need to rush him immediately to your vet.
For those of you who read this and go “oh its ok for me to give my dog chocolate then ’cause it’s really not enough to kill him” that doesn’t mean it’s good for them. It can still cause intestinal issues i.e. vomiting, diarrhea, etc. I’m only listing this here for those who’ve had their dog steal things like brownies or an entire bag of m&m and who are concerned.
i have a 4 years old beagle ..nought hi don everyday and each time he would smell some cooked bone on grass area and eat them before i could stop him ….is that reaaly dangerous ?cause i dun wan to restrain him to go to the grass area
I have a 2 yr old (6 lb) yorkie. She loves carrots! I used them as a treat to potty train her. It worked. However, I still give them to her when she does her business. Yes, I still do it. My thinking is that it’s healthy, so what is the harm? I do have a nagging thought, though. I know if horses eat too many carrots, they can get bloat and die. Will carrots cause bloat in dogs? She gets 6-8 sliver slices per day). It’s around 10% of her total food intake for the day. With her size, do you think there could be a build up of beta carrotene that would harm her? Thank you, for your informative site. What a blessing!!
Hey, I was told garlic was ok for dogs that it helped kill fleas? but what about apple jelly? I love having it on toast in the morning and my dog looves the buttered center of toast so is it ok to share or no?
I’ve been looking around the web for an answer to this question and maybe I’m not googling it right. This is a great site by the way – thanks so much for your list of dangerous foods for dogs. Anyway, my question is this: My dog, a yellow Lab Retreiver (8) constantly and I mean pretty much everyday on our walks NO MATTER where I walk him, at a park, near a business, near my apt, behind a store, no matter where… this dog ALWAYS MANAGES TO FIND A BONE OR TWO IN THE GRASS! They are usually small chicken like bones the size of my index finger though some have been shorter like that of a chicken wing size. One time he found a rib bone, a big one, like the kind you barbeque. It was curved and I quickly got it out of his mouth. All of these bones have no meat on them, have been sitting there for some time, maybe just inside shrubbery or along the grassy areas where I walk him. He doesn’t have to dig for them, they are just there! I’m constantly having to watch what he’s sniffing because before I know it he’s got one in his mouth and trying to down it. I wear gloves when we walk and like clockwork they end up getting slimed as I’m fliptopping his jaws open to get a bone out of his mouth. It’s like find the “magic bone” or something and they appear. This isn’t around garbage or picnic areas either, this is in clean sections…random areas where people walk or park their cars and do fitness walking or walking their dogs. My dog goes alot with me in the car so if I think he has to go potty, I’ll go maybe behind or near stores if there’s a little green area and ok I can understand finding a random bone there – maybe someone was having their lunch and tossed a leg out the window. I know retrievers are hunters and retrieve…this guy has some nose but it’s amazing how many “magic” bones are out there laying around. They dont really look like “raw” bones either. But honestly I can’t tell what they are from. Chicken or maybe a little rodent or bird…? These bones really look a little too large to be from wildlife …so I’m very stumped by this. How can so many single bones be laying around to where a dog like mine finds them? I’m worried one day I won’t be able to get the bone out of his mouth in time and he’ll swallow and choke to death. I’ve tried a muzzle on him and he wont tolerate it at all and tears it right off. Could it be people are eating chicken legs or something and tossing bones into the grass in all these random places? What to do!
Hi GIA
It does sound like they are fast food throwaways. Which means they will be cooked and not god at all. Raw is fine but cooked bones can splinter when chewed so not god at all.
I don’t really know the answer to stopping him from eating them, apart from a muzzle like you say. It is a difficult one to stop as I know Dogs can sniff out a bone really easy. Sorry I can’t really be of more help for this problem, maybe someone who reads this will offer some advice.
thanks this really helped but my dad fed my dog 3 cooked pork bones! he swallowed 2 whole and chewed one to bits, is he going to die? please answer as soon as possible
Lin, sorry for the delay, I was on holiday. I hope everything is OK and that the Dogs are fine. It is dangerous for them to have cooked bones so I hope nothing bad happened.
Hi,
I noticed suzannes comment about the carrots, and I feed my Yorkie carrots often too, i know its not bad to do, but what is too much for a small dog? (10 lbs)
Grapes & raisins are toxic to dogs. Fruit has no nutrient benefits to a dog although they do like apples. Veggies are ok only if they are mash/juice or cooked well to digest.Dogs should never eat sugar,,chocolate,,onions,,bones or nitrate perservatives such as hotdogs or coldcuts. Old dogs should not have salt in their dogfood or chewies.I have raised over 60 dogs in my life.mment
Thanks for the info. Wondered if my Boston could eat almonds, and now I know.
Thanks so much for these tips! My GWP cant actually seem to tolerate even raw beef bones – throws up every time without fail!
What a great blog- thanks! I am a bit shocked about garlic though as Dr. Pitcairn
uses it in almost all of his recipes, and I really consider him the homeopathic God of vets! I feed Maia raw- and yet leave a very high quality kibble for trips in the pantry. She gets raw bones daily, and I have a hard time keeping her out of the liver- she would eat it daily( all day every day!) if we let her. I only let her have it atwo times a week now- and skip a week a month and fill in with heart or kidney instead. Would you please send me the link to the dangers of garlic sites you found, in the meantime, I’ll do some googling! thanks- love the helpful blog!!
I will try to find them, but I wrote this article quite some time ago now. That is great that you feed raw, ours absolutely love it when we come home with a big bag of bones for them. Even the Cat gets in on the action now 😉
No problem Stefanie, that is a shame about the bones though, they are so good for them.
My dog ate about 8-10 roasted salted almonds last night. Some time during the night she vomited all over her bed. Then she ate her bowl of kibble this morning- and shortly thereafter vomited all of the undigested food again. I am hoping she is expelling out the almonds on her own. Naturally, I am worried about her 🙁 She is nearly 10 and about 65 pounds (Shepard mix). Any thoughts?
Rachel I am sure that we be the end of it. She is probably over it by now I am sure. But as always, if problems persist then a Vet visit is in order.
Hide them nuts 😉
According to Gregory Tilford, (author of All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets), dogs can quite safely consume 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder per pound of food 3 to 4 times a week.
Dr. Martin Goldstein (author of The Nature of Animal Healing) recommends adding garlic to home-made pet food and he himself feeds garlic to his own cats and dogs on a regular basis.
Dr. Pitcairn (author of The Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats) recommends the following amount of fresh garlic for dogs, according to their size:
10 to 15 pounds – half a clove
20 to 40 pounds – 1 clove
45 to 70 pounds – 2 cloves
75 to 90 pounds – 2 and a half cloves
100 pounds and over – 3 cloves
Dr. Messonnier (author of The Natural Vet’s Guide to Preventing and Treating Cancer in Dogs) recommends one clove of fresh garlic per 10 to 30 pounds of weight a day to boost the immune system and cancer prevention.
As with most herbs, at least one to two days off per week or a periodic week off from garlic is a good idea.
can dogs have turkey ?
PLEASE add XYLITOL to this list, it is 100x more poisonous than chocolate to dogs!
My experience: I was trying a new diet for myself from a book I read that recommended Xylitol as a sugar substitute (no warning labels mind you). I bought a bag of it and started using it on everything, it is delicious. I had sprinkled some on some strawberries one day, when I was done one of my great danes wanted the last berry and licked the bowl, an hour later (around 9pm) I found her shaking under a bush in my backyard lying on her side, an abnormal amount of drool coming out of her mouth. I called my vet’s emergency home # to double check how much hydrogen peroxide to use to induce vomiting. I put the recommended 5-6 tablespoons into an empty Gatorade bottle, pried open her clenched jaw and put it into her throat while holding her steady-which is the easiest way to force a big dog like this to take a liquid medicine of any kind. She threw up within 30 minutes and then had a lot of diarrhea; she went and laid back down in the grass shuddering, I thought I was going to lose her. After one and a half to two hours of lying in the grass and drooling the shuddering became less severe and the drooling stopped (I stayed nearby though she wanted to be alone), I asked her if she wanted to go inside and slowly she crawled to me from a few feet; using me to lean, she got up and we slowly walked back inside all the way to my room using me as a crutch (an observation I made along the way: she took a glance at the water dish in the kitchen on our way to my room and steered FAR from it) she went and feel asleep on her sofa and I went to bed. After a fitful sleep I woke up 5 hours later to find her alive but exhausted. I asked her if she wanted some water, she got up and walked all on her own to the kitchen water bowl and drank a couple cups worth then went outside to tinkle and had more diarrhea. We went to the vet that afternoon and the Dr. prescribed some antibiotics. Star was weak mostly for a few days but didn’t fully bounce back for about a week and a half. I feel very fortunate and blessed to still have her in my life, and want to spread the word about Xylitol to prevent others from ever having to experience their dog being poisoned, I still tear up when I think about what could of almost happened!
More stuff my vet said went I had called him: When poisoning gets to the point of those symptoms activated charcoal is not going to be very affective because the substance has already started to absorb, it would have taken at least an hour for the vet to get to the hospital so it wouldn’t have made a difference other than a huge vet bill; he said my instinct to induce vomiting was the best option, there were no ‘tainted’ pieces of meat, nuts, raisins, or foreign objects in the vomit so at the time I had no idea what caused it. But after googling EVERY substance she came into contact with Xylitol came up to my surprise. Xylitol is also found in a lot of chewing gums. Star had at most a teaspoon of Xylitol and had THAT severe of a reaction, so please add it to the list!
That sounds awful. Glad that everything is OK now. I am sure that the readers will appreciate you sharing your experience with them. It definitely is a worry about all the possible things that can cause such a bad reaction. Luckily you were there and thought quickly on what to do.
Dogs are often allergic to grains like corn and wheat. That is why commercial dog foods can be hard on a dog’s health. The natural diet for a dog is mostly meat.
It says avocado is not good, why do they have a dog food named Avoderm made with avocados if it’s not good for them? I have fed my dogs this food without complications, but switched back to Natural Balance because they didn’t really like it. Also a lot of high quality foods have garlic in them, if not all of them. My mom used to give her Chihuahua a garlic oil pill every day to keep the fleas and ticks away, which worked, again without complications. He lived to a ripe age of 15 🙂 I’m very confused as to what to believe.
http://www.avodermnatural.com/About/why_avocados.htm
On page 51 of Lew Olson’s book Raw and Natural Nutrtion for Dogs garlic is very in small amounts is very beneficial for dogs over 20 pounds. She has a PhD in natural nutrtion with a specialization in canine digestion. She points out that it’s dynamite for killing bacteria, fungus, and parasites and provides immune support. She goe son to pointout many other nutritional benefits of garlic. Garlic is an ingredient in most of the Nature’s Variety Instinct kibbles, and that is a very highly rated/regarded dog food company.
Almonds — According to Steve Brown’s book Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet (pg 56) “add three freshly crushed raw almonds for every gram of fish oil.” It is, according to him, a good natural source of vitmain E that will prevent oxidation of Omage 3 in the dog’s cells. He is a highly regarded writer on pet nutrition.
But don’t get me wrong. I’m fine with garlic in small amounts. I’ve read plenty to clear up the wide spread misunderstandings surrounding its cummulative effects. However, I have serious doubts about the safety of almonds for dogs, and even if this expert recommends feeding almonds to dogs, I’m not going to do it.
Well I am an enabler for animals to eat things they would not normally eat. My dogs routinely eat nuts. They just seem to lack the grinding teeeth to break them down. If they somehow get a hold of them by themselves they will eat them a little and then throw up.
If they sit down with me I can feed them nuts harmlessly. I chew it up for them. This way their digesting system can handle the smaller fragments without a hitch. I first started this with the chihuahua. She is so small and losing many teeth. She never gets sick from the nuts either. Although she is expected to eat her regular dry dog food from Prarie, she has a healthy digestive system.
Sounds odd to do it for a larger animal but nut butters on crackers work just fine for the Dachshunds. They eat Almond, cashew, peanut butters and crushed whole nuts all the time. They are not as fond of walnuts because of the flavor but will try them . I don’t encourage these off tasting things like macadamia nuts walnuts, and chestnuts as they are typically not favorites and may indeed be unhealthful on some level
Now for Avocados they are a fav of the Dalmatian. The possums knock them down and she does the rest. Just seems to get sick from them when they are a little rotten, like they sat on the grown too long or in the tree when the skin was broken and bacteria could move in. Dalmatians are a bit different than other dogs. They eat grass for fun and never throw up from it. We used to make jokes about the black spots making them related to cows and other grazing animals. Our Dalmatian ate grass every day of her life and Avocados about 1/3 of the year as they would fall from the tree in all stages of development. We she was nearly 16 when she passed on of old age. She would rather have a nice piece of ripe avocado than a piece of anything else except maybe Steak. I think she would have still have been with us if she was not so stubborn and intense about life, she would wear herself out and felt to obey her master was optional. By the way she was also an excellent ratter, especially on two occasions where one got in our home. She stayed up all night hunting with me until we caught the bugger. If you feed you do these foods mentioned make sure they are wholesome, crushed or soft and not too full of things that make dogs sick like too much salt, or bitter dark chocolate loaded with caffeine, etc. Maybe the food is not the problem. Just the form or the additives. Something for thought. Chihuahua is 14, Dachshund is 15, and the Dalmatian was nearly 16, so we can’t be doing things too badly. They are always expected to eat their dog food as well so they have the healthy stable diet too.
Good luck,
I hope my post helps more than it confuses.
One final thing to remember is you dog is a individual so they may not like certain kinds of food they are known to eat, by breed. Also things like onions and garlic are just for human flavor so why give them to your dog. Finally things like raisins and grapes are fruit and dogs just don’t want them so good or bad it makes no sense to give a protein seeking carnivorous animal a grape or a mango. At least a nut has some protein in it.
Take care and enjoy the time you have with your precious ones.
In short just Love them,
JC
Many of the foods that are dangerous for dogs have to be ingested in fairly large quantities. That said, I would suggest avoiding them altogether. I only say this because if your dog eats a bit of onion, it isn’t the end of the world. I also wanted to point out that it is only the pit and skin of avocados that is dangerous for dogs. The ‘meat’ is perfectly fine and is actually very good for their skin and coat. Breeder’s Choice dog foods has been producing AvoDerm for more than 30 years and dogs do very well on it. If it was deadly, I don’t think they would have become quite so successful.
yourdogreference.com
I have two beautiful american bulldogs and lots of pecan trees in my back yard. My female isn’t really interested in them but my boy absolutely loves them; I know you said that almonds and macadamias were bad, but how about pecans? I try to keep him from getting them but I think he just likes to crush them up because hes seems to be spitting most of them out.
Can dogs eat sesame seeds?
We are thinking of getting a black olive tree for the garden, do you know if my weirmaniar dog would be ok if he eats the olives?
I’m a little confused about nuts being harmful mostly because many different companies use peanut butter in their dog foods. I also know several dog owners (including myself) who used peanut butter (told to us by pet shops) to put it into kong toys. When you have a chance, could you address this? Would love to understand the discrepancy. Thanks!
I am very grateful you have this site. I love the information as I know many people think many of the foods you say stay away from actually give to their pets. Especially the one about chocolate. I remember fighting with my sister when I was young when she wanted to give my new puppy chocolate and I had to explain it was very bad for them Keep up the good work.
Trish, our Dogs keep eating them as we have so many trees, they aren’t that great for them as ours will be sick if they eat too many but I don’t believe there are actually any bad side effects.
Thank you for the article…it was most helpful. However, I would like to ask if sesame oil or seeds are toxic to dogs — do you know if sesame oil/seeds are chemically similar to any of the foods you mention above?
Looking forward to your reply and thanks agin for your article…
-H
Hal, I am sorry but I do not know, maybe someone else can answer your question?
Very good article, like another reader I am confused about the peanut butter, as it is included in a few dog treat recipes I have from the site Dogtipper? I gave my dog the treats, he loved them and had no adverse affects.
My dog got into a walnut roll I left on the table . It had ground up walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon in it. How dangerous is it . She ate a very large piece.
Great post, very informative article. I learned so much I had never realized before. Thanks again.
its so helpful to know that all these kinds of foods are bad for doggies . Every time my family has steakes ,my dad gives them to Fred , our yorkie . But my aunt says no . I even tell him that ! He just wont listen ! Now I can tell him” I told you so !”
Hey! My dog has been eating, I believe it is walnuts, lately and we can not find out where she Is getting them from! We have no walnut trees in our yard. She has puked a few times today and we found a half eaten walnut next to the piles. Yesterday she had a walnut but hasn’t ate it yet and we got it from her as soon as we saw it because I knew nuts were bad for dogs! Please write back I don’t know what to do. By the way she is a Boston Terrier
Well, I remember how one of my dogs ate onion like we (humans) eat apples. It was a German shepherd that lived 17 years.
One of my current dogs keeps eating various fruit once she finds it. I had a dog who ate spinach, almost every vegetable and fruit just like if it was raw meat.
Of course I don’t feed my dogs onion and garlic every day, but when they eat it, it’s not going to kill them.
My dogs also love walnuts – not sure if they count to “nuts” above. Again, I don’t overfeed my dogs with walnuts and they only eat what falls down to the ground in Autumn.
But overall a great article with explanations – many articles do miss them, your article is DIFFERENT and much BETTER!
Great info! My brothers dog eats the greens off of the plant Lantana, also known as ham and eggs. He really seems to like it and searches it out along my mothers fence line. Could it be harmful to him, or is it rich in some nutrient that he needs ?
can a dog eat mushrooms?
But what happens if your dog gets ahold of some vitamin D-3
Only one pill of course
My daughter dropped a vitamin D pill on the floor but didnt find it. It was onnly aa few seconds later when I saw my little chihuahua chewing on something.. We still havent found the pill so im concerned that my dog ate it and will become ill can anyone tell me if she could become ill and/or die
Sabrina, I don’t think it is anything to worry about at all. I am sure she will be fine.
kailene, maybe in small doses cooked but it is best not to make a habit of it.
I am writing a cookbook for dogs, where 100% of the proceeds will benefit the animals in TN.
I found your blog on the three dog blog about dangerous foods that dogs shouldn’t eat.
I WOULD love to use your comments and all your information.
Is that ok?
Thank you in advance.
Lori E Elam
615.429.3930
noahsarksociety.org is our animal society!
My dog has serious allergies and it is hard to find food for him…..He loves fresh veggies and I am not sure if turnips are ok to give him (cooked or raw)…
Your article was vas very hopful. The most helpful that I have found in a long time. Thank you so very much!
Angie a small amount of cooked should be fine.
Lori that would be fine.
Celery can be also dangerous for dogs if they have sensitive stomac.
Good site does anyone know what will happen to my dog as he ate a frozen beef burger that fell put the freezer 🙁
My Pitt/lab ate a pound of chocolate, how can I help from home?
Love your website. I can tell you have put lot of work into this site and I thank you for it. Very informative. I was searching on google to find information as to why one of my 2 blk lab mixes suddenly started having loose stools – was it the dog food or too many raw dog bones? I have a butcher here that I buy neck bones from which by the way are quite meaty and my vet has told me these 2 dogs have the cleanest teeth she has ever seen and the dogs really like the bones = they get a bone after breakfast and after dinner. Their breakfast and dinner consist of 1/2 can dog food mixed with a 1/4 cup dry dog food. I don’t buy the canned dog food in human stores like Walmart cause they seem to carry only low quality brands but rather from Petsmart -not the highest cost but medium quality like ProPlan or Beneful and never had a problem. Both dogs with firm stools and always went potty outside (Yes they are house dogs but I walk or take them to a field by our river to run daily – I even drive down the dirt paths and they run along side of the car and love it). But last month in Nov I was short cash and bought about a months worth of the cheaper dog food – and now at least one dog has loose stools and has even gone in the house when I’m not home! Horrible! So I didn’t know if the change in dog food or raw bones was doing it. We’re now back on the better quality of dog food so I’m hoping in a few days the problem will be cured. Your site (as well as others) have reaffirmed the dog bones are not the problem – which they have been getting for about 2 years now so I didn’t think that was the problem. And I thoroughly enjoyed reading the information your site has. Great job and thanks again.
Shirley, sorry for the delay. It will have been the change in food no doubt. Bones will give them very tight and white stools. So if it happens again I would suggest a few days of just bones and nothing else. It will make a dramatic difference and very quickly too. Usually within a day.
shaun, I don’t really know what you can do once the deed is done. Hopefully no harm will have come from it.
LOTS of info on this site. I appreciate you try to respond to all questions and comments. One thing I have noticed throughout the site is that people are concerned about peanuts and peanutbutter, due to the nuts issue. I am not trying to sway people one way or the other on feeding it to their dogs, I just want to point out that ‘peanuts’ are not nuts. They are legmes, related to such things as beans. Again, peanuts are leguimes not nuts.
While many people do not know about the dangers of chocolate, what most people don’t know is that it is the baker’s chocolate that is the most dangerous, by far and away.
I have a question, I have a friend and he let’s his dogs eat fish bones, isn’t that wrong because of those little and sharp bones? He and his family said: “It isn’t and they have fed there dogs fish bones for years and so far, nothing has happened!”. I have a Chihuahua and I was also wanting to know if they can eat raw bones that were not frozen. -Christian
Oh by the way, your article is very helpful, if I had to give it a 1-10 it’d be a 10. 😀
Oh I almost forgot, I thank you for making an article that actually makes sense! That just goes to show how much you care for dogs, I appreciate that! 😀
Christian, I would be wary of fish bones, and under no circumstances should they be cooked. And re frozen, it is only pork bones that need to be frozen before you thaw and give to your Dogs. Other bones are safe as far as I am aware.
I have Schnauzers and they have very sensitive skin, one has a terrible rash and scratches all the time. Does any one know anything about a supplement from Nutvet Labs? they say on their site that it helps with the rash for good and that it helps the dogs immune system.
German Shep ate two pounds raw pork roast sprinkled with garlic powder What advice please
Norma, yikes! I would just see how it goes and if there are any issues then get in touch with the vets.
I can’t put in words how truly moving your article was to me in every way (as I’m sure it was to countless others), having been personally touched by cancer myself when both my uncle and oldest two dogs passed in the same year from that horrid disease in ’09. Thank you so much for sharing great resources and article.
Thank.
Molly
I have two dogs a pit bull and a golden retriever I have found out that depending on what type of pit you have you have to watch giving pits dog food with corn in it or giving pits corn in general it messes with their digestive system and also makes them break out also TBD giving dogs chicken bones are not good because they can break easily and get caught in their throat or top of their mouth this happened to my golden retriever one thanksgiving and we had to get it out
My dog ate a whole bag of Cracked Pepper Sunflower Seeds. She is throwing up, and diahrria (SP). She is only 10 weeks old. What should I do?
I have been feeding my dogs boiled liver with kibble for a over a year, each morning. Recently my 13 year old female terrier has become very ill. The Vet has advised me that she is in liver and kidney failure due to an abcessed tooth.
With-in a week my 3 year old med sized dog female started vomiting. This is now day 2 of not eating. I have tried to get her to take rice and cottage cheese. She has no interest.
Both are drinking pleanty of water and voiding.
Because we currently live outside of the US in a small isolated fishing village I dont have access to quality vet services.
Besides removing the liver from the diet, do you have any other recamendations?
Vicki, I am sorry to hear about all the problems. But to be honest I can’t think what to say. I would really try to find a good vet, even if it means travelling.
thank you this is a great article.
My dad just gave my dog a little bit of pizza crust and I am worried about him so yah.
I’m a bit confused about giving almonds to my dog. Half of the websites say yes while the other says no. My girl loves almonds and has anywhere between one to five a day. Has been a perfect treat to reward her with during training. She hasn’t shown any symptoms of illness nor has she displayed any form of discomfort after eating. Almonds have become a part of the training routine so I’m wondering weather or not I need to find an alternative keeping in mind that she is on a well balanced diet and like I mentioned before is not showing any symptoms of illness. My girl nyx is five months young and as healthy and strong as a horse
Shawn, maybe just keep it to a minimum. To ne honest I would always err on the side of caution, if there are Doggy alternatives maybe use them?
Peanut butter is included in dog treats or put in Kongs because PEANUTS ARE NOT NUTS. They are legumes. TREE nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds et al are totally different from peanuts and those can be dangerous. It’s confusing, but I learned the difference because my boyfriend is allergic to tree nuts, but can have peanuts (which I also thought was odd, before I learned all of this). Hope that helps!
I have an avocado grove and the dogs have been eating them for years and years. Never had a problem, but your list raises concern now. Is there something I should be looking for in their behavior to tell me if they are in danger?
About a month ago, i just happened to arbitrarily come across an article online that said raisins were toxic for dogs. Strangely enough, a couple weeks later, about 2 wks ago, i had bought a tub of cinnamon raisin rice pudding. I was sitting on the couch eating it with a plastic spoon. I ate about 1/4 of it then closed the lid on it & went to the bathroom. When i closed the lid, it wouldnt completely seal becuz the handle of the spoon was just barely poking out but it pretty much closed for the most part. IT didnt even dawn on me that raisins were in it. When i came out of the bathroom, i found the empty pudding container on the floor empty with the exception of a handful of raisins. I have two dogs and wasn’t sure WHICH dog got into it, or if both of them did. Then it hit me that i just read somewhere about raisins being toxic for dogs and i panicked! I immediately got a needleless syringe and put a couple teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide in it and administered it to both of my dogs then gave them each activated charcoal to absorb any toxins. There was an 800 number on the tub of the pudding so i called it and asked the company approx how many raisins come in one of those tubs of pudding and they said about 75. I counted 25 left in the empty container and i ate a quarter of the pudding myself which probably could account for about 25, so there were 25 raisins ingested but again, i wasnt sure which dog ingested them, but i figured they both did, so they each possibly ate about 12 and a half. I then rushed thrm to the vet. Neither of them had vomitted from the hydrogen peroxide so i gave them another dose before leaving for the vet. The vet drew both of their blood snd the test resukts came back immediately bcuz there is a lab on site. Both their test results came back normal and no indication of kidney failure, but again, symptoms were too early to show. The vet injected them subcutaneously with fluids and sent us home and i hoped for the best. Luckily they are both fine and were not affected by the consumption of these raisins but i wasnt willing to risk it and got them medical attention right away. There is only one account of a dog dying after ingesting raisins that is actually documented by a veterinarian. The article about this tragedy is posted on the snopes.com website and it is the only place it appears. Interestingly enough, i think its worth mentioning that the owner of snopes website that wrote and posted this article sits on the board of directors for the animal poison control hotline, which charges $35 to give information to pet owners who call in when their pet has ingested something that might be toxic and didn’t think it was worth mentioning and therefore didn’t disclose this at the end of the article which seems they should have done so because it apoears there would be some conflict there. I’m not saying they intentionally created this “scare” about raisins so they could profit off the calls that may come pouring in after a concerned owt owner reads it after finding their pet has ingested raisins. But i do find it odd that they dont know the readon why raisins are toxic to dogs and even more odd that no studies have been done to even confirm raisin toxicity in dogs. All i know, is the article prompted me to call animal poison control which cost $35 and a subsequent $500 at the vet, which trust me, there is no amount of money i wouldnt spend to save my dogs life, that is, if they REALLY did ingest something toxic. Its just something to consider. There is no scientific evidence that proves for a fact that raisins are toxic for dogs. I’m not saying that they are not. But my dogs ingested approx 12 and half each and it had no affect on them whatsoever. It would be nice to know for sure if raisins are really toxic for dogs. The way i see it is either its toxic or its not. Why would it only effect SOME dogs but not others?
What about sesame seeds found on hamburger buns?
Okay I have to say you r wrong on garlic. Have you ever read the back of a bag of dogfood? I’ve looked I always look. Almost every dog food contains garlic. Also my vet suggests garlic when making homemade dog food because it keeps fleas down and also is good for their coat.
Spinach, Lettuces, bitter gourd or sweet gourd and mango, apple, orange guava, banana etc are these dangerous for a dog?