Human Food Is Not For Dogs

A pleading dog’s eyes can be hard to resist and maybe you think that your dog should be allowed to taste a mouthful of all the delicious food that you are eating. Just once in a while you might give Fido a treat after dinner, for example. a piece of dark chocolate or a small portion of the main course, where one of the ingredients are onions. But beware. When you are trying to be good to your dog, you can actually do damage to the dog.

In 2007 the U.S. Animal Poison Control Center had more than 130,000 cases. According to the American site msnbc.com most cases of poisoning occurs when animals eat human food. Much of the food that we humans carelessly eats, can be dangerous to dogs and cats who are accustomed to eating dog food or cat food. The best thing is to give your pet the food that your veterinarian recommends.

Human food that can be toxic to your dog
These types of food are probably not something that you often give your dog, because not many people are likely to offer their dog a cup of coffee, a glass of beer, a bowl of raisins and a pill against headache , but the number of representations to the U.S. Animal Poison Control Center shows that the animals still sometimes are either served or gets to these kinds of toxic food.

Avocado
Avocado contains the toxic substance Persin, which can damage the heart, lungs and tissues of animals. Avocados are very toxic to dogs, cats and most other animals.

Beer
Alcoholic beverages cause the same damage to your pet’s liver and brain as your own. But the damage could be fatal, because your pet is much smaller than you. Even tiny amounts of beer or alcohol can cause vomiting, and at worst, liver and brain damage.

Nuts
Walnuts and macadamia nuts are especially toxic. They may cause everything from vomiting to paralysis and death. Within 12 hours an animal can develop different symptoms as loss of balance, fever, vomiting and increased heart rate. Symptoms may be more severe if your dog has eaten nuts with chocolate. In this case there is a risk of kidney failure, and the dog can die.

Chocolate
Chocolate contains theobromine, which can do away with your dog if it eats it in larger doses. Dark and unsweetened chocolate is especially dangerous. If you give your dog a piece of chocolate cake or let it lick the glaze on the cake, it may be enough to cause the dog to become ill. Theobromine can also cause your dog or cat’s heart to beat dangerously fast and irregularly.

Candy
Candy or anything else that contains sweetener Xylitol, which is a common sweetener used in many diet and sugar free products can cause a sudden drop in the animal’s blood sugar level. This could mean that the animal loses its coordination ability. If the condition is not treated, you risk that the animal dies.

Caffeine
Coffee, tea and other products containing caffeine, affects the dog’s central nervous system and heart. It can cause restlessness, heart problems and death, depending on how much caffeine the animal has consumed.

Grapes and raisins
If your dog eats grapes and raisins it can cause kidney problems. Just one small portion of raisins can be fatal to a dog. But less can also do it. The effect is accumulative. This means that the poison accumulates in the animal if you give it a single raisin now and again, and eventually the animal may die.

Onions
Onions are another very common food that can be very toxic to animals. Onions can destroy the animal’s red blood cells and cause weakness, lack of oxygen and breathing problems.

Medicine
Store medicine safely away from animals just as you keep it away from your children. One of the most common causes of animal poisoning happens when the animal gets medicines intended for humans. And it isn’t necessarily because the animals themselves gets into the medicine cabinet. A lot of poisoning actually occurs because animal owners give their pets a painkiller pill to help the animal if they can see that the rabbit, dog or cat is in pain. But it is a very bad idea. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen, which is the active ingredient in many analgesic medicines are extremely toxic to animals.

It is not all human foods that are pure poison to animals. Here are some examples of food that you can safely give to your pet:

Lean meat
Every piece of cooked lean meat should be good for most dogs. Fatty meats, chicken skin or fat from steaks and pork roasts are not recommended as fatty meats can cause stomach problems. And remember never to give your dog meat with bones in it, as the bones can shatter.

Vegetables
Carrot sticks, green beans and cucumber slices are all good for your dog.

Fruit
Slices of apple, orange, banana and watermelon are great fr your dog � however remove seeds from the watermelon before your dog eats them.

Baked potatoes
Baked potatoes are fine, but be sure that they are thoroughly baked.

Bread
Ordinary bread is fine, but be sure that there are no raisins in the bread.

Rice and pasta
Plain cooked pasta and white rice is ok � veterinarians often recommends white rice with boiled chicken as a good meal for your dog.