Can the Food Your Dog Eats Be Leading to Seizures?

It is my opinion that traditional dog food sold in most stores leads to a great number of ailments in dogs. I even think it might be a reason why my dog has seizures. My belief has come about because the seizures Cory was having were lessened after we no longer fed him hard dog food or canned dog food. Finally, he ceased having seizures altogether more than five years ago, and we never had to give him an anti-seizure medication. However, are you aware of the fact that certain foods can lead to seizures or cause your dog to be sick? There are a few of these that really took me by surprise.

*Chocolate is an absolute no-no.

The majority of dog owner's know that chocolate is known to cause seizures and in some cases, even death, in dogs. My dog, Cory, ate some of my son's chocolate candy from Halloween. He had consumed quite a bit of it when Jayson discovered him, with Cory?s head deep inside the bowl of chocolate bars and his tail wagging with exuberant glee. Immediately, Jayson called poison control and followed their instructions to pour hydrogen peroxide down Cory's throat, which in turn, induced vomiting. I am very glad that I keep Hydrogen Peroxide in my first aid cabinet. My son performed this emergency procedure outdoors. Fortunately, Jayson found out about the incident quickly enough to ensure that no harm was done. If you think your dog has gotten into some chocolate, and you do not know how much time has passed, you should contact a vet right away. Otherwise, if you see your dog eating it, you can use the Hydrogen Peroxide solution. What some people don't know is that dark chocolate is even more dangerous to dogs than milk chocolate.

* Foods that Have Onions or Onion Powder for Ingredients

These contain sulfoxides and disulfides which can cause damage to the red blood cells, resulting in the dog becoming anemic.

* Raw Fish is off limits.

Particularly in Oregon and Washington, a lot of fish are contaminated with a fluke that is contaminated with a bacteria that is known to trigger seizures and possibly even death when eaten without it being cooked thoroughly. If you make sure the fish is fully cooked, this bacteria is eliminated, but you still need to take care to remove every single bone from the fish prior to giving it to your dog. There is also some speculation that if the fish is frozen at a cold enough temperature, the fluke will be destroyed. However since I am not aware of what that temperature is, or the time the fish would have to be frozen before all contaminants are gone, I would not suggest giving uncooked fish to a dog.

* Foods Containing Nutmeg

It never really crossed my mind to put nutmeg on Cory's food, not even at the holidays, but it has been shown to cause tremors, seizures, and yes, even death. No more sharing those cookies with your buddy unless you are sure that they don't contain nutmeg, I think you'll be just fine on this one.

* Mushrooms.

There are mushrooms out there, especially the ones found in the wild, that contain toxins that have been shown to cause problems for canines. I already was aware of this danger, so I was able to keep Cory from eating any as we took our walks. ?Leave it? is a great command to teach your dog early.

* Cat food.

Poor Cory, he loves to lick the plate clean after our kitty's done eating, and now that I found out about this one, he won't be able to anymore. Basically, cat food contains too much fat and protein for a dog's digestive needs. OK, maybe he can still lick the kitty?s plate, but don?t substitute cat food as meal for your pup.

* Seeds of Apples

Fruit pits and apple seeds all have cyanide in then, and that leads to seizures.

* Grapes and Raisins are more that are off limits.

There is conflicting information regarding raisins and grapes because when I discovered that these foods can lead to kidney failure in dogs, I was actually using a dog training manual that said to feed dogs raisins as treats. I called the person who wrote the training manual to discuss this and she dismissed my issues because she said she has fed her dogs raisins for as long as she has been training them. All I can say is be aware of the risks and do more research before giving grapes or raisins to your dog.

* The Whites of Eggs

You are certainly able to give your dog full eggs that include both the whites and the yolks; however, it is not safe to allow him to eat just the whites. This is because egg whites include a protein called avidin, which takes important B vitamins away from your dog's body. Apparently the yoke contains the antidote to this protein, so if the egg is served whole, there is nothing to be concerned about.