Most foods won't cause an issue for pets, usually it's the table scraps or human foods that do. Below is a list of foods that should be avoided.
1. Chocolate
The danger with chocolate is the amount of cocoa consumed in relation to the size of your dog. Too much can cause overstimulation, hyperactivity, gastrointestinal signs and can lead to seizures or heart attacks if severe cases. Dark chocolate has the highest amount of cocoa, which makes it the worst to ingest, followed by milk chocolate then white chocolate. Small amounts of chocolate are unlikely to harm your dog but it is advised that you avoid feeding it to them.
2. Onions, Garlic & Bulbs
Ingestion of any onions, garlic or bulbs or any kind can lead to vomiting, weakness, breathing issues and can affect the red blood cells which can lead to anaemia.
3. Macadamia Nuts
It is not well understood how macadamia nuts cause ill effects in dogs, but they have been known to cause neurological problems such as muscle spasms, lack of co-ordination or sometimes collapsing.
Nuts are also high in salts, fats and oils and can trigger vomiting, diarrhoea and in some cases pancreatitis.
4. Raisins and Grapes
Both have been known to cause renal failure, but how it occurs is not known. With kidney failure, the pet's ability to produce urine decreases which means they are unable to filter toxins out of their system.
5. Cooking by-products (cooked bones and corn cobs)
It is important that cooking garbage is disposed of carefully. strings that are used to tie up a roast can smell amazing to pets but can easily get stuck in the intestines. Likewise corn cobs can also get stuck if ingested in the intestines or stomach and require surgical removal.
It is important to never offer your pet anything on a skewer. Dogs have been known to eat the entire skewer and contents which can pierce through the gut wall, causing pain and severe consequences.
Cooked bones have the potential to splinter and perforate the digestive tract and can also become a choking hazard if dogs try to swallow them whole. If you are wanting to feed raw bones, please do so with caution and reduce risk by ensuring the bones are not soft enough to splinter and are big enough to be chewed, not swallowed.
Raw bones should be given while under supervision and removed once your dog has finished with them.
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