A recent report on the news got me thinking about substances that are toxic to our pets; you know, the foods that dogs should not eat; Dangerous dog food.
The subject of the report was the substance xylitol, the active agent in TicTacs(TM), as well as many other sugar-free candies. Apparently, a woman’s black Lab had a propensity for stealing tasty morsels from her master’s bag, including TicTacs(TM) and Tums(TM).
Now, I don’t know about her four-legged friends, but I know for a fact that if I stick a handful of Tums(TM) in my 90-pound Briard’s food dish, she’ll lift her aristocratic little French muzzle up at me. I walked away, no doubt muttering under his less than fragrant dog breath.
Or, er, the doggy equivalent of gossiping.
The idea of a dog devouring (no pun intended) a container of breath mints might seem hilarious until you consider that this particular dog nearly died as a result.
Apparently, xylitol, which is a natural substance and a fairly acceptable sugar substitute for humans, can negatively affect a dog’s insulin levels, as well as its liver.
While I’m not in the habit of giving Allie breath mints of any kind, as tempting as it may have been at times, I have to admit that I didn’t know they were among the foods dogs shouldn’t eat. So I decided to pass the information on to you.
If you suspect your pet has ingested xylitol, contact the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) at 1-888-426-4435. This information is recent enough that even your vet may not be aware of the danger.
After hearing this news, I decided to investigate other edibles that are toxic to our canine companions. There are several dangerous dog foods on the list.
I am sure that most dog owners are well aware of the dangers of chocolate for a dog, as well as onions. But maybe some of the list of foods that dogs should not eat are new to you.
Are here:
- Alcoholic beverages (needless to say, right?)
- Avocado (great for your heart, but don’t feed it to your dog)
- Coffee/chocolate (caffeine, caffeine, caffeine)
- macadamia nuts (my favorite)
- Raisins and grapes (can cause kidney failure within 24 hours)
- Garlic and onions (cats are probably even more sensitive to onions than dogs)
- Salt
- yeast dough
- Moldy and spoiled food (again, it goes without saying)
- Raw salmon (feeding your dog raw food? Remember: NO SALMON!)
This is a pretty basic list. Feel free to add it if you know of other foods that can be fatal for a dog. You just have to visit our blog and the article on the foods that dogs should not eat. The well-being of our pets is what our blog is all about.