Foods That Should Not Be Shared with Your Canine Companion
May 12th, 2017
Foods That Should Not Be Shared with Your Canine Companion
Those of us who are dog lovers are ready to hang a person who kills a pet from the nearest tree. How bad would you feel if you accidentally poisoned your own dog? The many commonplace foods which are toxic to dogs makes it easy to do just that. Let's start with the one we all know:
1) Chocolate. You may be a chocolaholic, but for your dog it's a big no- no. So if you are munching on chocolate snacks, make sure to put them away. My dog once ate quite a few Hershey kisses, foil and all. We had a very sparkly lawn the next day. The dog survived, but I am still on the guilt trip.
2) No drinking or smoking! Alcohol, hops (an ingredient found in beer) and caffeine can all cause death in a dog. Stick to water.
3) Onions and related products like shallots, scallions and especially garlic. Not just their breath will suffer.
4) Grapes and raisins are a healthy snack for humans but not for our four-legged friends.
5) Raw bread dough. Though this isn't something I imagine someone feeding a dog, but Fido might not be able to resist when it is left on the counter to rise.
6) Avocados. This one is on most lists of foods toxic to dogs.
7) Candy and gum and anything else that uses xylitol as a sweetener. We have all left half a pack of gum lying around. Let's not.
8) Macadamia nuts. Aloha and goodbye to this canine toxin.
9) Raw meat and fish, bones, fat trimmed from meat and raw eggs. Although these might seem like good sources of protein, they are very bad for a dog's digestive system.
10) Persimmons, peaches and plums. The 3 "P" words are prohibited.
11) Salt, baking powder and baking soda. Put these on a high shelf.
12) Apple seeds. Not even if your dog's name is Johnny.
This list is far from complete, so when in doubt, look it up or just don't. Dogs get all the nutrients they need from a nice dish of dog food. It's so tempting when they look at you with those big sad eyes. Use your will power and resist. We all know how creative and relentless dogs can be when foraging for food. They need protected against themselves just like toddlers. So keep all of these items out of reach. Let's not send any dog to the rainbow bridge before his or her time.
;)
