8 Human Foods Toxic to Cats & Dogs · Vet Tips

vomit vet visits and very stressed pets pet owners if you want to avoid these three v's and there's one thing that you can do do not let them snack on these eight toxic human foods if your dog has ingested any of the following Foods or is showing signs of illness it's best to contact your vet immediately most pet parents are very aware that chocolate is a no no for our dogs and cats now it's important that we talk about why the toxic ingredient in chocolate is actually something called theob bromine and this is going to be a dose dependent problem so it's really important that if your pet gets into chocolate that your veterinarian knows how much what type and we know how much your dog weighs it's because all of these things will impact how toxic it potentially is for example dark chocolate and baking chocolate is going to have a much higher concentration of theob bromine or cocoa than its counterparts milk chocolate will have even less white chocolate will have even less so that's why it's helpful if your pet gets into chocolate that if you can give your veterinarian a rough guess of how much what type and how much your dog weighs it's going to be easier for them to Det determine based on a calculation if we're reaching a toxic dose and they need to be seen symptoms of chocolate toxicity are going to vary depending on how much your pet has gotten into in mild cases we may see dogs experiencing things like vomiting or diarrhea if they've eaten a little bit more and we've gotten into that Medium toxic dose range we may see things like tacac cardia a high heart rate or arhythmia in a regular heart rhythm as we work up to more severe doses we may see things like muscle Tremors and seizures so this can be extremely dangerous this might be for those small dogs eating big portions of dark chocolate those are the cases that I worry about seeing severe toxicity number two grapes and raisins again a lot of pet owners are familiar with the fact that grapes and raisins are a problem for dogs but they don't know why interestingly we're still kind of figuring out about the toxic principles and the toxic dose in grapes and raisins but we know that there is a potential for even ingestion of small amounts to cause kidney failure if you know that your dog has gotten into grapes or raisins it's important to call your vet we may see signs that indicate toxicity such as vomiting diarrhea lethargy changes in appetite increased thirst and urination or even abdominal pain number three onions and garlic onions and garlic are in the alien family and we know that things in the aliam family have the potential to cause hemolytic anemia in our pets now hemolytic anemia is the fancy word for saying that their body will attack and Destroy its own red blood cell count and make that count go down which can be a problem signs that your pet has hemolytic anemia may include things like Le Argy weakness pale gums but we can even see things just as simple as vomiting or diarrhea so if you know your pet has gotten into onions or garlic please contact your vet toxicity with onions and garlic is going to be dose dependent but I tell owners if you want to avoid the stress these are just things that we don't need to be putting in their diet or letting them snack on number four is Xylitol Xylitol used to be a sneaky toxicity in dogs and cats but I think people are slowly becoming more aware that it's a problem now xylitol is an artificial sweetener that we're finding in more and more products on the market these days a lot of people are aware that it can be found in things like peanut butter but we can also see it in toothpaste gum I've even seen it in things like gummy probiotics so the problem with xylitol is that it causes a rapid release of insulin in the system and insulin is what tells our body to start taking in glucose or sugar as a source of energy if we have this rapid release of insulin we can potentially see a very problematic drop in blood sugar called hypoglycemia and this can be life-threatening additionally for our pets it can also cause liver failure so XY is a really tricky one that we want to avoid number five alcohol while we may enjoy a pint with our friends alcohol should never be shared with our pets this is rapidly absorbed into their bloodstream and because of their size they can be even more susceptible to the effects in SS of alcohol toxicity in our pets we can see signs similar to people in milder cases it may just be vomiting or disorientation and weakness but in more severe cases it can cause things like respiratory distress difficulty breathing or even coma because of these risks do not give your pets alcohol and be very mindful of those open glasses on the table when our pets are around number six is avocados while avocado toast may be one of my favorite breakfast I'm not going to be sharing this with Jordie and I'll tell you why so avocados contain a compound called person and we know that this is toxic to animals interestingly person is usually going to be more of a severe problem for horses and birds especially our bird friends which is why we want to avoid avocados for them altogether in dogs and cats we worry a lot more about the fat content I see dogs coming in with things like vomiting and diarrhea and potentially even pancreatitis if they've consumed avocado particularly in large amounts the thing that I also worry about is the pit now that is a huge choking hazard and you know that if you've ever accidentally cut an avocado and the pit has gone flying those things are slippery and dogs can have those in their mouths very quickly so please avoid avocado for your pets and really make sure that you're mindful when you're cutting out the pit and getting rid of it I know that a lot of pet owners are tempted to give their dogs bones particularly after they're done cooking as a fun treat or something to chew on for their teeth now now this is a common misconception because unfortunately bones act as a very common source of foreign bodies splinters of Bones coming off from being chewed on will often Lodge themselves in places we don't want them to be I see too many pets coming in with foreign bodies obstructions or perforations of the gut because of bone splinters so I don't often encourage people to let their dogs chew on them additionally bones are one of the most common reasons that I see fractured or broken teeth in dogs and those dogs need to be put under general anesthesia and have the tooth surger remove I know that bones seem like a fun treat for your dog but I'm not going to be the person who says they can't have treats there are plenty more safe options that we can offer our pets that aren't going to put them at increased risk of things like gut perforation or broken teeth even in small numbers macadamia nuts can release toxins that affect the dog's nervous system in some cases we can see signs like vomiting Tremors weakness or even increased body temperature while some cases will be mild and resolve with time severe cases may require hospitalization for treatment with your vet while the foods that we've discussed so far are potentially very toxic to our pets there are safe options for human foods that we can share with them so if you're ever not sure or if you want suggestions contact your vet