How to Keep Dogs Safe From Dangerous Foods

Ordinary, every day foods that are fine for humans can kill your dog. Since our pets live so close to us, they often get into food that isn't meant for them. Some pet owners treat their dogs like people and let them sample human food. The canine anatomy is much different than a human's. You wouldn't eat dog food and dogs shouldn't eat human food. The impact of these foods on your dog will depend on its breed and size.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Avoid fruits and vegetables. Many are known to be toxic for dogs. Onions damage canine blood. Even small bites of onion over a long period of time can be disastrous. Garlic can cause anemia and kidney failure. Grapes and raisins have been known to prompt renal failure. Dogs are carnivores and should stick to the meat. If fruits or vegetables fall from your table be sure to pick them up before your dog does.

2. Don't be nuts, skip them. All kinds of nuts are bad for your dog. The worst may be macadamia nuts. Just one or two macadamia nuts can give a dog seizures and paralyze them for a while. Don't leave bowls of nuts lying around if you have a dog in the house.

3. Deny your dog sweets. Just a few ounces of chocolate will start your dog vomiting. Consuming more than that could send it into a coma and die. Dark chocolate seems to be worse than milk chocolate, but both will do damage if the dog eats enough. The sugar substitute xylitol is blamed for making dogs wobbly, pass out, have seizures and throw up. Xylitol is found in candy, gum, cookies and cakes. Keep all sweets out of your dog's reach.

4. Skip the canine coffee. Caffeine makes dogs hyper. Just one cup of coffee can raise your dog's heart rate enough to give it a heart attack or trigger a seizure. Be careful not to leave half-consumed cups of coffee sitting around.

5. Be the designated owner and keep your dog away from alcohol. Booze goes straight to a dog's head. Just a little bit of alcohol can shut down your dog's brain function and sink them into a coma. The amount of alcohol a dog can consume depends largely on how big it is. To be safe don't let your dog drink any alcohol. Clean up all those half-consumed drinks after a party.

Tips & Warnings

• If your dog gets sick and you are not sure whether it ate something toxic, you can call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at [phone]. They charge a fee for their service but are available 24 hours a day. A link to their website is below.

Resources

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
• eHow Articles by Kent Ninomiya
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