10 Human Foods That Are Bad For Dog
Dogs are man’s best friends, we share our heart and home with our pup to provide them with the luxury they deserve. As a responsible and informed dog owner, you may know that too much human food can make your pooch ill or overweight. If your pooch starts to act sick after binging, it can be either because there is something physically wrong with your pooch or due to the type of food which need to change. It is important to note down how your pooch reacts to different food. Eating the wrong food on a regular basis can give your dog a digestive problem, as dogs have different digestive systems than humans hence it can be very dangerous for their health and may even be disastrous in some cases.
10 human food that is bad for your pooch and has to be kept out of their reach are
1. Chocolate
Chocolates are toxic for dogs as it can result in serious illness because it contains theobromine chemical and caffeine which is very difficult for dogs to metabolize. Dogs are more sensitive to chemical effects, darker and bitter the chocolate is more harmful to dogs. Chocolates can cause stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration in dogs and these symptoms can also increase and lead to serious problems like heart attack, muscle tremors, internal bleeding and death. It is very important to keep your pup away from chocolate no matter the occasion and severity of the chocolate depending on the type and how large the chocolate is.
2. Garlic
Garlic is a type of allium which is toxic for dogs, the presence of thiosulfate causes oxidative damage to the red blood cells resulting in hemolytic anaemia. It also contains the substance called as organosulfoxides which may lead to diarrhoea, stomach pain, and vomiting in dogs and can also lead to anaemia. The symptoms of anaemia include pale mucous membrane, jaundice, rapid breathing, weakness, dark-coloured urine. Consult your vet before giving garlic to your pup, especially if your pooch is pregnant garlic can change the flavour of breast milk which can be passed to puppies so avoiding garlic is the best way to protect the health of your dog.
3. Ice cream
Ice cream causes indigestion and diarrhoea in dogs because of high sugar content which is not healthy for your pooch, and some dogs have an intolerance to lactose. Flavours such as chocolate, rum and raisins are highly toxic for your pooch even sugar-free ice-creams contain xylitol which is also deadly. Even though vegan ice cream doesn’t contain lactose, but it is made of nut-based milk which can be harmful to your pup. Adult dogs don’t have stomachs that are really ready to handle the lactose, whereas puppies can digest milk but giving more ice cream to your puppies can be more serious and dogs with weight issues should stay away from ice cream.
4. Salty food
Humans love salty foods and sometimes even add extra salt to boost the flavour, we use salt in almost everything but it’s not great for your pooch. Too much salt can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, and nausea in dogs, more than 1.5 grams of salt per pound of body weight is dangerous for dogs. Salt can be fatal keeping it minimum in the food is very important, as it can cause a condition called sodium ion poisoning, excessive thirst or urination. Symptoms of this poisoning include involuntary shaking or tremors, high temperature, seizures, vomiting and diarrhoea. Dogs naturally need sodium for electrolyte balance hence small amounts aren’t bad for dogs.
5. Avocado
Avocados contain a substance called persin, which is harmful to your pup as it can cause diarrhoea and vomiting. The content of a person is high in unripened avocado when compared to ripe avocado fruit. The dense calorie content in avocado may lead to the weight gain of your pup, and high-fat content may lead to gastrointestinal upset. The stone that presents in the centre of the fruit can result in choking.
6. Sugary food
Just like how sugary foods aren’t good for humans, it can lead to some problems for canines as it does for humans. Feeding sugary food can make your dog overweight, and it can even cause diabetes and problem with its teeth. The sugary treat can lead to an upset stomach and bacteria in the teeth, which produces acid and causes dental disease. Constantly feeding sugar makes your pooch overweight and can lead to several other problems such as heart disease, joint problems, difficulty in breathing and lethargy. Avoiding sugary food can increase your dogs quality of life.
7. Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits such as orange, lemon are actually quite toxic to your pooch as they can cause an upset stomach and nervous system depression. If your pup gets its paws on any of the citrus fruits it may experience obnoxious side effects such as diarrhoea and unusual light sensitivity. Eating these fruits in big amounts can lead to issues with the central nervous system. The acid will be present all over the plant hence make sure your pet is away from all citrus trees.
8. Coffee and Caffeine
Most of us name coffee as the number one source of caffeine, but many teas and sodas contain caffeine too. Even chocolate contain caffeine along with theobromine a close chemical relative to caffeine. Feeding caffeine to your dog makes it hyperactive and increases its heart rate, furthermore, caffeine raises blood pressure and causes cardiac arrhythmias which are really dangerous. It also affects the gastrointestinal tract and causes vomiting and diarrhoea among dogs, as dogs and cats are more sensitive to caffeine than humans.
9. Raw or undercooked food
Feeding your dog raw food may lead to nutritional deficiencies, as raw food could be contaminated and lead to bacterial infections which compromises your dog’s health. Raw food consists of raw eggs, uncooked meat, and certain vegetables. Raw food is more likely to be contaminated with bacteria like salmonella, E.coli which can make your canine seriously ill. Bones are part of raw food which is not safe as they can break their teeth or pierce the intestine these injuries are life-threatening.
10. Grapes and Raisins
It is best to keep the grapes and raisins out of reach of your dog because of the presence of toxic substance cause renal failure in dogs. Feeding grapes and raisins may also cause lethargy, anorexia, abdominal pain, weakness, dehydration and tremors. The toxic components present in grapes and raisins are still unknown and toxic level varies from dog to dog, ingestion of any quantity should be taken very seriously. Excessive thirst and very little urine production are signs of kidney failure, poisoning can happen even from eating them as ingredients in baked foods like cookies and cakes.