When scrolling the pages of Instagram and TikTok, you would be forgiven for assuming that, for example, it is okay to feed your pet dog a bowlful of beer once in a while or share a chocolate Santa during the holidays on Christmas morning.
However, it is not just chocolate and alcohol that can cause serious issues for your dog, there are also a variety of other human foodstuffs that should never, under any circumstances, be fed to dogs, and here are five of them.
1. Macadamia Nuts
As a general rule, it is definitely the best idea to completely avoid ever feeding your dog any kind of nut, as the rich and complex ingredients tend to be too hard for them to digest and can cause stomach upset (at the very least).
Macadamia nuts, however, are positively poisonous to dogs, and if they accidentally consume a larger quantity of macadamia nuts, this could lead to:
- Muscle Tremors
- Wobbliness
- Heightened Body Temperature
- Persistent Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Muscle Weakness
2. Onions
If you have ever kept bunny rabbits inside your house, you will have noticed that, even though they are interested in everything from their normal bowl of mixed greens to a meat feast pizza, if anything even has the remotest whiff of onion, they run away.
Now, unlike rabbits who instinctively know what will cause harm to their stomach and tastebuds, most breeds of dogs do not have this same innate ability and they may happily eat onions, especially if they are mixed within another meal.
Onions are incredibly toxic to most animals, especially dogs, because larger quantities of the vegetable can damage their red blood cells. Typically, any dog who eats more than a few slices of onion and is left unchecked will develop anemia, either on a less harmful temporary basis or permanently, and need tablets to manage it.
3. Salty Foods
Now, salt is not a good thing for humans, and the same applies to dogs too but unfortunately, dogs and cats are both automatically drawn to leftovers containing high salt levels.
Salt poisoning is, sadly, a common medical condition developing in dogs who are exposed to food containing high levels of salt on a regular basis, and this is usually fatal without the intervention of a veterinary professional.
Obviously, accidents can and often do happen, and should you even suspect your dog has swallowed a food item too rich in salt for your dog to handle, make sure you call a renowned and established surgery, such as Saltwater Animal Hospital, straight away.
4. Cooked & Raw Bones
You would be forgiven for thinking that there is no safer nor more enjoyable treat to give to your dog than a bone, either in raw form or else cooked, due to the close association with dogs and bones throughout the ages.
However, far from them acting as a tooth cleaner (as many dog owners wrongly believe), bones can cause a host of health issues for your animal, from breaking their teeth leading to gum and mouth infections, to intestinal and throat blockages which, if you do not notice at the time, can be fatal.
This is why, from now on, it is much safer to simply never give your dog a bone, unless it is one that has been specifically modified to be pet-safe, such as the more expensive bones you can buy from established pet stores.
5. Dairy Products
The fifth and final toxic foodstuff on the list and one that you should avoid giving your dog, regardless of breed, is actually a group of foods and that is anything that is classed as a dairy product.
Now, unlike chocolate, a small amount of fresh cheddar cheese once or twice a year is not going to do anything other than make for one happy and excited pooch, but a build-up of dairy products can do serious damage.
This is because the vast majority of dogs are lactose intolerant, which means the sugars in dairy products are not properly digested, leading to a whole range of serious stomach problems.
Keeping your dogs healthy is a lifelong task, and it can be hard at times, as you can’t have your eyes on them constantly, but if you do your best to control what they eat, and the foods that are kept within their reach it will help to reduce the potential risks.
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