6 Toxic Foods for Dogs in Zion, IL

Dogs can sometimes make us feel like they should share all of our food with them. Dogs are notorious for having the ability to sniff out delicious food, and your dog might beg for people’s food all the time. Many pet owners will feed their dogs part of their meals without realizing that this can be bad for a dog’s health. There are more human foods that are toxic to dogs than people realize, such as candy, coffee, and nuts.

If you are going to feed your dog table scraps or give them some of your food when you are eating, you need to be aware of which foods are safe for your dog to ingest. It can be easy to accidentally poison your dog when you are trying to be nice to them, and you should avoid this negative outcome at all costs. The more that you know about the foods that your dog can eat safely, to better off you and your dog will be.

If you are ready to learn some more about the foods that you should keep away from your dog because they are toxic, you need to keep reading.

Toxic Foods for Dogs in Zion, IL

Human Foods To Keep Away From Your Dog

These foods are toxic to your dog, and you should make sure not to feed them to your pet under any circumstances. While it might be tempting to give your pet the snacks that they are begging for, you should avoid this at all costs if the food is one that they should not be eating.

1. Alcohol

Some dogs are actually drawn to alcoholic beverages, especially beer. You will want to avoid your dog getting into any of the alcohol in the house, as this can be deadly to your pet. Dogs are not able to metabolize alcohol very efficiently, and you can cause your dog lasting liver and kidney problems or even cause death if your pet ingests too much alcohol. If you think that your pet will be given access to alcohol during a party or some other event, you might want to take your dog to the kennel during the party or have a friend watch them.

2. Candy

Dogs love sweet things, and they can often beg for candy or bakery items that smell sweet. You should not share your sweets with your dog since many of these items have far too high of a sugar content for your dog’s needs. Some of these candies will also contain Xylitol which is a highly toxic substance to dogs. This is one of the most dangerous food items that you could feed to your pet, and you should avoid doing so.

3. Fruit Pits

For some reason, dogs tend to be attracted to the pits of various fruits. Most of these pits contain a variety of substances that are not good for dogs to ingest. In the case of fruit like peaches, the cyanide compounds that are contained inside the pit are toxic to people as well as other animals. This is only likely to be an issue if you have a peach tree in your yard, but you will also need to be careful about how you dispose of fruit pits when you are cooking or consuming fruit in your home. Your dog might feel tempted to dig through the garbage for these tempting items.

4. Nuts

Just like the pits in fruit, many kinds of nuts are toxic to dogs. This is also a food that dogs do not digest well, and this can lead to stomach upsets or even major digestive problems. Nuts are not something that most dogs are attracted to, but they are an item that is easy to drop on the floor while you are eating them, and your dog might gobble them up.

5. Seasonings

There are many seasonings that are toxic to dogs, which is a big part of why sharing your meal with your dog should not be something that you do regularly. Onion powder, onion flakes, mustard seed, chives, and many other flavoring items are actually toxic to dogs. This means that many of the foods your pet could normally have a piece of turn into toxic foods for dogs when seasoning is added. While they might not consume enough of these food items to get violently sick if you are just giving them bites of your food, you can still upset their stomach and GI tract with these treats.

6. Coffee

While not something that most dogs beg for, it can be easy to leave your coffee drink in a location where a dog might be able to get access to it. Since dogs love sweet things, if your coffee has sugary components or other sweeteners in it, your dog might be interested enough to consume your coffee. Coffee alone is not good for your dog, but coffee with sweeteners can be just as dangerous for your dog to consume as candy by itself.

Making Sure Your Dog Does Not Consume Human Food

There are many reasons that dogs should not be allowed to eat human food, especially considering proper pet behavior. Dogs that are begging all the time can be very annoying, and they can also sometimes become food aggressive. It is always best to give your dog treats that are made for dogs only and avoid giving them any kind of food item that is safe for people to eat but was not intended for dogs to consume.

The stricter you are about your dog staying away from human food, the less likely it will be that you and your dog will have to make a visit to the emergency vet clinic. There are many kinds of food that are toxic to dogs, and you should simply avoid these risks by making sure that your pet eats their own food and not yours. Dogs were not made to eat a wide array of food types, so the various items that are safe in the human diet are not ideal for your dog to consume. Be sure to double check the safety of a food item for your dog before feeding them anything that is not a part of their regular diet.

If you are concerned with your dog’s day-to-day diet, check out Grey Animal Hospital’s article on How To Choose The Best Dog Food.

For any other questions, give us a call at (224) 304-0668 or book an appointment with us online.