Toxic Foods and Your Dog

 

Grapes and Raisins

· Grapes and Raisins can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys, possible resulting in death.

• · Ingesting as few as 4-5 grapes or raisins can be poisonous to a 20 pound dog, though the exact toxic dose is not established.
• · Signs of toxicity include vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, decreased urine production (possibly leading to lack of urine production), weakness and drunken gait.

Onions

 · Onions can cause a form of haemolytic anaemia called Heinz body anaemia, a condition that causes the destruction of red blood cells. Kidney damage may follow.

· Toxicity may occur from similar foods such as garlic and chives.

 

 Chocolate

 Chocolate and cocoa contain a chemical called Theo bromide that can adversely affect the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.

· Pure baking chocolate is most toxic, while milk chocolate requires a higher quantity to cause harm. A 20 pound dog can be poisoned after consuming about 2 ounces of baking chocolate, but it would take nearly 20 ounces of milk chocolate to cause harm. Ingestion of cacao bean mulch can also be toxic.

 

Caffeinated Items

· Caffeine is quite similar to the toxic chemical in chocolate. It can damage the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.

• · Common sources of toxicity include caffeine pills, coffee beans and coffee, large amounts of tea, and chocolate.

Macadamia Nuts

 · Macadamia nuts, while generally not considered fatal, can cause your dog to experience severe illness.

• · Signs include vomiting, weakness, depression, drunken gait, joint/muscle pain, and joint swelling.

  Xylitol

· Xylitol is a sugar-free sweetener most often found in chewing gum and candy. In dogs, it stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin, resulting in hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). Xylitol ingestion can also cause severe liver damage.

Alcohol and Yeast Dough

 · Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol – a seriously toxic chemical compound that causes central nervous system and respiratory depression.

Fruit Pits and Seeds

· Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, and plum pits contain the toxin cyanide.

• · Signs of cyanide poisoning include vomiting, heavy breathing, apnea tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, coma, skin irritation.

  

 Rotten or Mouldy Foods

Mouldy or rotten foods can cause many problems for your dog, some more serious than others. Any food that seems “past its prime” should be kept out reach. Be especially careful to keep your dog away from trash cans.

• · Botulism, often from garbage, can cause paralysis, slow heart rate, constipation, and urine retention. An antitoxin is effective only if poisoning is caught early enough.
• · Rotten fruit produces ethanol, causing the same effects associated with alcohol or dough ingestion.
• · Mouldy foods contain toxins that may cause muscle tremors, convulsions and drunkenness.

Mushrooms

Various species of mushrooms are toxic to dogs, and can cause shock and death. Amanita phalloides is the most commonly reported severely toxic species of mushroom.

  Chicken Bones

Though not toxic, cooked chicken bones can get stuck in the roof of the mouth, throat and intestines, and should be avoided, according to many veterinarians. Splinters of chicken bones can also become lodged internally.