Does your dog eat table scraps? Does he sit or lie near the table while you are eating, waiting for scraps to be slipped to him? Do you let your dog finish any food left after you've eaten your meal?
Some of these foods can kill your dog!NOTE: You will see that many of these foods cause similar symptoms, so it can be difficult to identify which ingredient is the culprit, especially if you feed your dog assorted table scraps or servings of meals which you eat yourself. Many of these foods cause damage to the liver and kidneys and may also affect the heart.
Chocolate: Most dogs love chocolate. It's so easy, when you're eating a chocolate bar, to give the dog a piece, just as a reward for being your friend. I'll bet the kids do the same.Chocolate contains caffeine and bromethalin, both of which are poisonous to your dog. Dark chocolate is more dangerous, because it is more concentrated. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous. The darker and more concentrated the chocolate, the more dangerous it is.
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include difficulty in breathing, vomiting, arrythmia, abdominal pain, diarrhea, tremors, staggering, fever, increased heart rate, and can result in seizures, coma and death.
"These signs can develop quite rapidly, at times less than 30 minutes after ingestion of the product. Therefore, it is crucial that pet owners seek veterinary treatment immediately," Dr. Dunayer said. He also said that there appears to be a strong link between xylitol ingestions and the development of liver failure in dogs. Pips and kernels of various fruits can contain cyanide! Whilst the fruit itself is perfectly good for dogs, care should be taken that they do not consume the pips and seeds. Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips all contain cyanogenic glycosides, which cause cyanide poisoning. Tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmia. Tomato plants are the most toxic, but tomatoes themselves are also unsafe. Onions and Garlic can be dangerous or even fatal, causing damage to red blood cells and to the liver and resulting in diarrhea, vomiting and labored breathing. Although garlic has the stronger taste and smell, onions are much more toxic but both are very dangerous. Pizzas can be potentially dangerous because most of them contain either onions, or tomatoes or mushrooms, or a combination of all three.
The dangers of excessive salt in the diet of humans are well recognized and documented. Some dogs have a tiny body weight compared to humans and their heart and kidneys can be affected by comparatively small portions.
In the same way that excessive salt is harmful to both dogs and humans, animal fat and fried foods are hazardous. Excessive fat can cause pancreatitis.