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5 Foods That Can Be Toxic for Your Dog

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We love our dogs like family, but feeding them as such can be risky business. In fact, there are some foods that our canine friends should never be given. Do you know what these are, and what you should do if they get their paws on these forbidden snacks?

Here are five dangerous foods that your bestie should never eat, and what you can do if you discover that they have done just that!

“Pets have different dietary requirements and metabolize things differently (than people),” says Tina Wismer, the medical director at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. “Dogs have amazing noses and when it comes to food, they can get themselves in trouble.”

Never give your dogs grapes or raisins says Dr. Wismer. These can cause kidney failure in canines, and symptoms of poisoning include increased urination and thirst, as well as vomiting.

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Xylitol is another product that is safe for human consumption but poses a serious threat to dogs. It is an artificial sweetener common in sugarless candy, gum, and baked goods, but should never be given to your dog. Canine consumption has been known to result in life-threatening decreases in blood sugar, as well as liver damage. Just one piece of sugar-free gum can result in toxic poisoning in a 10-pound dog, according to the Pet Poison Helpline. Loss of coordination and vomiting are symptoms of xylitol poisoning in canines.

While some of us can never get enough chocolate, even a small amount of the sweet stuff can be deadly for your dog. The type and amount of chocolate that your pooch eats determines the level of toxicity he’s exposed to. Keep in mind that darker chocolate presents a greater danger, with baker’s chocolate and cocoa powder potentially more harmful than milk chocolate. Chocolate poisoning symptoms include vomiting, seizures, and diarrhea.

Lots of dogs come into contact with onions and garlic that may cling to meat or other foods we toss them, but consumption of each can lead to the destruction of red blood cells, and ultimately result in canine anemia. Symptoms of poisoning with either food includes lethargy and a reduced appetite.

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Even a small amount of alcohol can be deadly to dogs. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include seizures and Dr. Wismer recommends calling your vet immediately if you suspect he has ingested any amount of alcohol.

Alternately, you can call the Pet Poison Hotline at 855-213-6680 or the ASPCA animal poison control center at 888-426-4435 if you suspect that your dog has ingested a deadly substance. Both numbers are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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19 Comments
  1. candy says

    I have never given our dogs grapes or raisins before but didn’t know how harmful they can be to the dogs. Wouldn’t want to accidentally do anything to cause them harm.

  2. Jeanette says

    I really like the list that you have here. I did not know that sweetness can do that to dogs. Sisley something to keep in mind when I have sugarless gum in my house.

  3. Sarah Bailey says

    I used to give my dog grapes all the time and she loved it, I felt so bad when I found out they were toxic, we were so lucky the didn’t affect her, but who knows what may have happened in the future.

  4. Tomi C says

    I knew about chocolate but I never knew about xylitol and sugarless gums. Who knew just one stick of sugarless gum could be so harmful to our 4-legged friends. Great inf

  5. Amber Myers says

    I didn’t know a lot of these. I only have cats, but I’ll keep this in mind if we ever get a dog.

  6. Emily says

    This is great information! We have two dogs and so have always known about these food that are dangerous for dogs, but I am always having to bring this up to people (some with dogs) who have not heard of a few of these. Scary to think about!

  7. Liz Mays says

    Oh wow, Xylitol is incredibly common so that’s a good one to watch out for. I didn’t know onions and garlic were potentially dangerous!

  8. Pam Wattenbarger says

    I knew that most of these were dangerous for dogs, but it’s always good to have a reminder. You don’t want them to get sick.

  9. Claudia Krusch says

    I was surprised to learn that grapes were bad for dogs. It is so important to be aware of what is really bad for your pets.

  10. Ali Rost says

    We have two golden retrievers and this was so helpful. I didn’t know about raisins and had no idea darker chocolate would be worse for them. My husband is a huge fan of dark chocolate .. so we’ll have to make sure we keep it far out of reach! x

  11. Rose Cottrill says

    Our dogs’ vet told us that it is okay to feed the dogs table food but he also gave us the list of what not to give them including the ones on your list.

  12. Kiwi says

    Oh wow I didnt know about many of these food items that can be fatal to dogs. I heard of chocolate but wow grapes I had no clue aw poor pups!

  13. Anosa says

    It’s crazy to think I love dogs and often say I want to get a puppy and yet I don’t even know the first think about what foods they can and can not eat.

  14. Mimi Green says

    I only knew dogs couldn’t have grapes, raisins and chocolate. I had no idea about the other items. This was a very informative list.

  15. Yolanda Valerie Broadfoot says

    Thanks for the tips I didn’t know about The grape’s and rasines or onion’s as well my tink doesn’t like rasines or onion’s if he see them he’ll pick them out or he won’t bother to eat it he pretty much won’t eat anything he doesn’t like but thanks for the tips. Thanks grandma yoyo

  16. liz Cleland says

    I had always though human food was very bad for furry friends to be honest. We just never got in the habit of giving them anything ever. I also knew about chocolate but otherwise I have been blessed with not so curious pups!

  17. Terri says

    I knew about a couple of foods but I didn’t know about these. I haven’t given my dog any of these thank goodness.

  18. Rosemary Palmer says

    You have to be so careful, and especially in smaller dogs. It doesn’t take much to mess up- there little stomachs. And costly.

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