When you're a dog owner, it's not unusual to have your dog begging for a bite of your food. While your dog may be able to wear down your willpower, there are plenty of reasons to avoid giving in and feeding your dog what you're eating. What's safe for human consumption may lead to dire health complications for a furry companion.
1. Garlic
Garlic is a popular anti-flea supplement some dog owners give to their pet, so it may be surprising to see it listed as potentially harmful. While no one seems to be idly handing bulbs of garlic to their dog, food heavily seasoned with the herb may lead to damaging red blood cells, anemia, or methemoglobinemia. All three of these can cause a dog's cells to become fragile and unstable, leading to complications of poor blood flow, and an elevated heart rate.
2. Coffee
Whether it's in its ground, bean, or liquid form, coffee is a stock item found in most households that can lead your dog toward serious health problems or potentially death. Dogs are prone to suffering from hypothermia, elevated heart rates, and uneven heart rhythms after consuming coffee. Hyperactivity, tremors, and seizures are also dire side-effects caused by even a modest amount of coffee in their system.
3. Avocado
In recent years the avocado has spiked in popularity, but a chemical known as persin can cause complications for your dog in large enough doses. Symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting are prominent with enough exposure to the fruit. While avocado reactions aren't as severe as reactions to coffee or chocolate, prolonged exposure may result in stomach ulcers or internal bruising of the intestines and bowels.
4. Xylitol
Xylitol is a type of sugar substitute known as a sugar-alcohol. Sugar-free foods commonly contain this sweetener. While you may not give your dog sugar-free gum as a snack, some brands of peanut butter contain xylitol. To play it safe, give your dog an unsweetened variety of peanut butter as a treat instead. Xylitol is fatal for dogs due to how it reacts inside of a dog's pancreas. For a human, the pancreas doesn't produce insulin as a result of consuming sugar-alcohol. In contrast, when a dog consumes xylitol, their pancreas produces too much insulin. So much insulin that it plummets their blood sugar levels which can be fatal or lead to seizures.
If you find yourself dealing with your dog ingesting any of these foods, or other foods that are possibly toxic, contact local animal hospitals like Center-Sinai Animal Hospital for assistance in helping your furry family member.
Share31 July 2020
Owning a pet has so many benefits. It helps to combat feelings of loneliness, keeps you active, and provides opportunities for socialization. Of course, you are also responsible for caring for your pets, and establishing the best way of doing so is not always easy. What food is the best? How do you train your pet to do tricks? If you have questions like these about pet care, you've come to the right place. This is a website all about pets. We share your passion for pets, and we've enjoyed combing the internet for reliable information to include in these articles. You and your furry companions are sure to benefit from what you learn here.