12 food items your dog should never consume
Dogs are the most adorable members of our families. Dogs love to nibble on the leftovers. However, some of the foods deemed safe for humans, are on the top of the list of foods dogs should never eat. The following food items prove very harmful to the dog’s health and its overall development. Such foods affect a dog’s digestive system, kidney, liver, brain and at times may lead to death when ingested by your dog. Have a look at some of the food items that have to be completely avoided to ensure your dog’s safety and good health.
Avocados
Avocados have high-fat content, which causes difficulty in breathing, abdominal enlargement, and abnormal fluid accumulation in the chest and abdomen resulting in a stomach upset, vomiting, and inflammation of the pancreas.
Alcohol
Alcohol makes the dog drunk causing it to urinate uncontrollably, suppresses it’s central nervous, respiratory and cardiac systems leading to poisoning and death.
Bones
Dogs are omnivores hence a splinter or lodge of a bone can be stuck in the intestinal tract, mouth or throat which will have adverse effects that would normally require surgery.
Chocolate
Chocolate contains theobromine, an alkaline from the cacao plant, which increases the dog’s heart rate, stimulates the central nervous system and causes constriction of arteries in dogs. This, in turn, may cause vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, seizures, cardiac failure and death.
Ham and other fatty meats
These meats have made it to the list of foods dogs should never eat as they are high in fat and salt. They can cause a stomach upset, inflammation of the pancreas, bloating which causes the stomach to twist which could result in death.
Milk and Cheese
Milk is harmful to adult dogs because they are lactose intolerant hence it may cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammation of the pancreas.
Onions and Garlic
These contain toxic ingredients that damage the dog’s red blood cells causing vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, weakness, and labored breathing
Raisins and Grapes
Raisins and grapes cause gastrointestinal illness such as vomiting and diarrhea as well as kidney failure, which begins 24 hours after ingestion.
Caffeine
Caffeine contains methylated xanthine that stimulates the dog’s central nervous and cardiac systems causing vomiting, restlessness, heart palpitations, resulting in death after a few hours of ingestion.
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts have an unknown toxin that causes damage to dog’s digestive tract, nervous system, and skeletal muscles causing vomiting weakness, depression, diarrhea, panting, lack of movement, and muscle tremors when ingested in small quantities.
Tobacco
Tobacco contains nicotine that greatly impairs the dog’s digestive and nervous system. This causes salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, collapse, coma, hyperactivity, shallow breathing, and rapid heartbeat causing death.
Yeast Dough
Yeast dough rises in a dog’s stomach or intestines producing large amounts of gas in the digestive system, causing severe pain and rupture of the stomach walls and intestines.
