Beware of Dangerous Foods

Did you know that many common foods that we eat everyday are in fact extremely unsafe for your dog? Sometimes they can prove to be fatal for your four-legged companion as well. Over the years, I have come across a number of dog owners who are in the habit of sharing their table food with their dogs. Do they realise how harmful this can be?  Instead of sharing your table dinner with your pet why not cook him some special nutritious lip smacking recipes, right at home.

Below are items that might be favourites for us, but are harmful for your pet companion.

Dangerous Foods for Dogs

Who can resist those big brown eyes and cute doggie grin? Can a little reward from the table really hurt your dog? Well, that depends on what it is and what's in it. If it contains the sweetener xylitol, it can cause your dog some real problems. In fact, there’s a lot of people food your dog should never eat. And, it’s not just because of weight. Some foods are downright dangerous for dogs and some of these common foods may surprise you.

Xyliol

Candy, gum, toothpaste, baked goods, and some diet foods are sweetened with xylitol. It can cause your dog's blood sugar to drop and can also cause liver failure. Early symptoms include vomiting, lethargy, and coordination problems. Eventually, your dog may have seizures. Liver failure can happen within just a few days.

Avocado

Is a treat from the table OK for your dog? That depends on what it is. Avocados, for example, have something called persin. It’s fine for people who aren't allergic to it. But too much might be poisonous to dogs. If you grow avocados at home, keep your dog away from the plants. Persin is in the leaves, seed, and bark, as well as the fruit.

Alcohol

Alcohol has the same effect on a dog’s liver and brain that it has on people. But it takes a lot less to hurt your dog. Just a little beer, liquor, wine, or food with alcohol can be bad. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, coordination problems, breathing problems, coma, even death. And the smaller your dog, the worse it can be.

Onions and Garlic

Keep onions and garlic -- powdered, raw, cooked, or dehydrated -- away from your dog. They can kill his red blood cells, causing anemia. That's eventhe onion powder in some baby food. A rare small dose is probably OK. But eating a lot just once or can cause poisoning. Look for signs like weakness, vomiting, and breathing problems.

Coffee, Tea, and Other Caffeine

Give your dog toys if you want him to be perky. Caffeine can be fatal.  Watch out for coffee and tea, even the beans and the grounds. Keep your dog away from cocoa, chocolate, colas, and energy drinks. Caffeine is also in some cold medicines and pain killers. Think your dog had caffeine? Watch for restlessness, fast breathing, and muscle twitches.

Give your dog toys if you want him to be perky. Caffeine can be fatal.  Watch out for coffee and tea, even the beans and the grounds. Keep your dog away from cocoa, chocolate, colas, and energy drinks. Caffeine is also in some cold medicines and pain killers. Think your dog had caffeine? Watch for restlessness, fast breathing, and muscle twitches.

Grapes and Raisins

There are better treats to give your dog.  Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. And just a small amount can make a dog sick. Vomiting over and over is an early sign. Within a day, your dog willget sluggish and depressed.

Milk and Other Dairy Products

On a hot day, it may be tempting to share your ice cream with your dog. Instead, give her an ice cube. Milk and milk-based products can cause diarrhea and other digestive problems for your pup. They can also trigger food allergies, which can cause her to itch. Lactose free milk is suitable for puppies as is goat's milk.

Macadamia Nuts

Keep your dog away from macadamia nuts and foods that have macadamia nuts in them. Just six raw or roasted macadamia nuts can make a dog sick. Look for symptoms like  muscle shakes, vomiting, high temperature, and weakness in his back legs. Eating chocolate with the nuts will make symptoms worse, maybe even leading to death.

Chocolate

Most people know that chocolate is bad for dogs. The problem in chocolate is theobromine. It's in all kinds of chocolate, even white chocolate. The most dangerous types  are dark chocolate and unsweetened baking chocolate. Chocolatecan cause a dog to vomit and have diarrhea. It can also cause heart problems, tremors, seizures, and death.

Fat Trimmings and Bones

Fat trimmed from meat, both cooked and uncooked, can cause pancreatitis in dogs. And, even though it seems natural to give a dog a bone, she can choke on it. Bones can also splinter and block or cause cuts in your dog's digestive system.

Persimmons, Peaches, and Plums

The problem with these fruits is the seeds or pits. Seeds from persimmons can cause problems in a dog's small intestine. They can also block his intestines. That can also happen if a dog eats the pit from a peach or plum. Peach and plum pits also have cyanide, which is poisonous to people and dogs. People know not to eat them. Dogs don't.

Tomato 

Tomatoes contain tomatine, an alkaloid. Intake of tomatoes can cause weakness, lethargy, drooling, difficulty breathing, colic, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, widely-dilated pupils, paralysis, heart problems, central nervous system disorders that include seizures and tremors.

Raw Fish

Like raw eggs, raw fish can have bacteria that causes food poisoning. Some fish such as salmon, trout, shad, or sturgeon can also have a parasite that causes "fish disease" or "salmon poisoning disease." It's treatable, but get help right away. The first signs are vomiting, fever, and big lymph nodes. Fully cook the fish to kill the parasite.

Salt

It’s not a good idea to share salty foods like chips or pretzels with your dog. Eating too much salt can make your dog seriously thirsty. That means a lot of trips to the fire hydrant and it could  lead to sodium ion poisoning. Symptoms of too much salt include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, tremors, high temperature, and seizures. It may even cause death.

Sugary Foods and Drinks

Too much sugar can do the same thing to dogs that it does to people. It can make your dog overweight and cause problems with her teeth. It can even lead to diabetes.

Yeast Dough

Before it’s baked, bread dough needs to rise. And, that’s exactly what it would do in your dog’s stomach if he ate it. As it swells inside, the dough can stretch your dog’s abdomen and cause a lot of pain. Also, when the yeast ferments the dough to make it rise, it makes alcohol that can lead to alcohol poisoning.

Walnuts

Accumulated fungus or mould in walnuts are extremely dangerous. If a dog eats even a small amount of it, he might become ill and die. The visible symptoms of walnut poisoning are vomiting, trembling, drooling, lethargy, loss of appetite, blood-tinged stool or vomit and jaundice.

Fruit Seeds

Seeds present in fruits like apple, cherry, peach, plum, apricots high in cyanide content. Large intake, especially thorough chewing of these seeds may cause direct cyanide intake which is dangerous.

Your Medicine

Dogs shouldn't take people medicine. It's can make them very sick. Just as you do for your kids, keep all medicines out of your dog’s reach. And, never give your dog any over-the-counter medicine unless your vet tells you to. Ingredients such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen are common in pain relievers and cold medicine. And, they can be deadly for your dog.

Kitchen Pantry: No Dogs Allowed

Many other things often found on kitchen shelves can hurt your dog. Baking powder and baking soda are both highly toxic. So are nutmeg and other spices. Keep food high enough to be out of your dog’s reach and keep pantry doors closed.

Given below are a shortlist of other products that are harmful for your dog:

Apart from rice, large amount of whole grains may cause indigestion.

Wild mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, liver damage, indigestion, diarrhea, coma, or even death

Raw egg whites are high in protein called Avidin that can cause hair loss, weakness, growth retardation, or skeleton deformity.

7 Common Household Chemicals Harming your Pets,

& their Non-Toxic Alternatives

Pets are more vulnerable than people to exposure to toxins in and around the home. Since pets are smaller, they are closer to carpets, garage floors, lawns and restricted spaces which may harbor chemical and pesticide residues. Their natural curiosity, coupled with a lack of awareness about toxic hazards, make them more likely to encounter substances harmful to their health. Animals also have faster metabolisms and smaller lungs than we do. Their bodies have to work harder to try and eliminate these toxins. Not only are they processing these chemicals at a faster rate, they are also breathing them in more rapidly.

Most pet owners go to great lengths to care for their pets, but there are unseen health hazards to pets which are commonly overlooked, yet easily avoided. Here is a list of potentially toxic materials which may be affecting the long-term health of your pet.

1. Flea control chemicals

Flea control is a challenge for most pet owners. Surveys show that as many as 50% of American families report using some kind of flea and tick control product on pets, exposing millions of pets (and children) to flea control chemicals on a daily basis.

Flea repellent products labelled as ‘natural’ may still be toxic to your pet. The chemical d’Limonene, derived from citrus peels and found in many natural anti-flea products, can be highly toxic to cats. Flea sprays and dips which contain “all natural Pyrethrin” can be toxic to some pets, and Pyrethroids , synthetic derivatives of pyrethrins, expose your pet to more chemicals.

Flea control formulations which use essential oils can be particularly hazardous to cats. Essential oils are absorbed rapidly into their skin and enter the bloodstream, and because cats do not efficiently metabolize essential oils, exposure can build to toxic levels. And while there may be no initial adverse reaction, the effects of essential oils can be cumulative and manifest themselves at a later date. Other natural ingredients known to cause allergic reactions or have toxic effects in some animals include Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil and Pennyroyal oil.

Pet-safe Alternatives:

Electric flea traps, also called ‘plug-in’ flea traps, are effective for controlling flea populations and are safe for indoor use around pets. These traps are inexpensive and easy to use.

Diatomaceous earth is a nontoxic substance which will control flea populations in the home, and will also kill other insect pests such as ants, roaches, sow bugs and most home insect invaders.

For homes with persistent flea control challenges, it is recommended to use electric flea traps to reduce the active flea population, followed by the application of diatomaceous earth to control emerging populations over time.

2. Lawn fertilizers

Lawn fertilizers are often combined with herbicides, commonly referred to as ‘weed n’ feed’. In a 1991 study published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, a link was found between the herbicide 2, 4-D and malignant lymphoma in dogs and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in people. According to the study, “researchers report that dogs were two times more likely to develop lymphoma if their owners sprayed or sprinkled the 2,4-D herbicide on the lawn four or more times a year. And even with just one application a season, the cancer risk was one-third higher than among dogs whose owners did not use the chemical.”

Even if you do not use chemical-based lawn fertilizers, your neighbors may. Dogs are more vulnerable than humans to lawn care chemicals since dogs run ‘barefoot’, and often roll, sniff and dig in the grass. Some dogs even eat grass occasionally.

Pet-safe Alternatives:

Corn gluten is a natural, nontoxic alternative to commercial ‘weed ‘n feed’ products. Corn gluten is an organic fertilizer and a pre-emergent weed killer which has become popular for use in residential lawns as well as school fields and golf courses. Exposure to corn gluten is safe for pets.

Awareness. Know where your pet goes when outside the home, especially in spring and fall when lawn fertilizers are applied. Wipe or wash your dog’s paws after running on lawns which may have been recently treated with fertilizers.

3. Garden herbicides and insecticides

Herbicides, insecticide baits, sprays and granules are often used in gardens without consideration of the effects these chemicals may have on pets. Slug and snail baits containing metaldehyde are toxic, and can be lethal, to dogs if ingested. Metaldehyde toxicity causes rapid onset of neurological symptoms that can be fatal if untreated. Signs of poisoning begin within one to four hours of exposure. Repeated seizures due to metaldehyde poisoning can elevate body temperature, which can lead to complications similar to those observed in pets suffering from heatstroke. Affected pets usually require hospitalization for 24 to 72 hours after metaldehyde ingestion.

Fly bait and garden insecticides often contain methomyl or carbofuran, which can cause seizures and respiratory arrest in dogs and cats. Organophosphate toxicity from garden insecticides may lead to chronic anorexia, muscle weakness and muscle twitching which may last for days or weeks. Some organophosphate insecticides commonly used include coumaphos, cyothioate, diazinon, fampfhur, fention, phosmet, and tetrachlorvinphos. These insecticides inhibit cholinesterases and acetylcholinesterase, essential enzymes which break down acetylcholine, causing seizures and shaking due to continuous nervous transmission to nervous tissue, organs and muscles.

Pet-safe Alternatives:

The Flies Be Gone fly trap uses nontoxic sterilized food materials as bait, and is very effective for outdoor fly control.

Holey Moley nontoxic mole control uses the natural ingredients Castor Oil and Fuller’s Earth to repel moles. These ingredients are safe for pets, children and the environment.

See our guides to Natural Slug Control and Nontoxic Garden Pest Control for nontoxic solutions to most common outdoor insect pest problems.

If pesticides are used, always store them in inaccessible areas—and read the manufacturer’s label carefully for proper usage and storage.

4. Antifreeze

Most antifreeze formulations in use today contain ethylene glycol as the principal ingredient. The sweet smell of ethylene glycol attracts animals, but it is deadly if ingested even in small amounts. As little as half a teaspoon of spilled antifreeze can kill a small sized dog. Unless you catch it early, the damage to pets’ kidneys can be irreversible. Spilled or leaked antifreeze also washes into rivers and lakes, harming fish and other wildlife.

Pet owners should be aware of the potential danger of antifreeze, and keep an eye out for any small green puddles in the garage or the pavement where cars are parked. Leaks from engine coolant systems are not common, but small spills may occur when topping up the car’s coolant reservoir.

Pet-safe Alternatives:

Use “Low Tox” antifreeze made of propylene glycol. This is just as effective as ethylene glycol, but it is a little more expensive. The added cost is hidden – the mix ratio for ethylene glycol is 50:50 (antifreeze/water), while the propylene glycol mix is 60/40. But considering how little antifreeze car owners need to buy, the added cost is a small price to pay for safety to pets and the environment.

5. Household cleaners

According to the EPA, 50% of all illness can be traced to indoor pollution, which can be directly related to the use of household cleaners. The National Center for Health Sciences says “… perhaps the most serious exposure is to modern household cleaners, which may contain a number of proven and suspect causes of cancer.” Cleaning products with ingredients such as bleach, ammonia, chlorine, glycol ethers or formaldehyde can put pets at risk for cancer, anemia, liver and kidney damage.

Even when the toxic cleaners are put away and closed, the vapors left behind can continue to harm both us and our pets.

Ammonia, found in oven cleaners and window cleaning formulations, is an irritant to the mucous membranes. Chlorine is a toxic respiratory irritant that can damage pets’ skin, eyes or other membranes. It can be found in all-purpose cleaners, automatic dishwashing detergents, tile scrubs, disinfecting wipes, toilet-bowl cleaners, laundry detergents and mildew removers. Chlorine is heavier than air and lands in low-lying areas where pets live. Because your pets are smaller and breathe faster than adults, they are even more vulnerable than children to toxic exposure.

Laundry Detergent residue left behind on clothes and pet blankets can be harmful to your pet, especially those that chew on their bedding. Toilet bowl cleaners may be ingested by pets who have the habit of drinking from the toilet bowl.

Pet-safe Alternatives:

Most home cleaning chores can be done without the need for commercial chemically-based home cleaners which may be toxic to pets. For a list of non-toxic home cleaners which you can make yourself, see our page Nontoxic Home Cleaning.

Nellie’s All-Natural Dishwashing Powder uses biodegradable, nontoxic ingredients to clean dishes safely and effectively.

Soap Nuts Laundry Liquid replaces chemical-based detergents with the natural cleaning properties of saponin, extracted from the Soapberry tree.

Nellie’s All-Natural Laundry Nuggets are nontoxic, biodegradable, hypoallergenic and leave no residue on clothing or bedding.

7. Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is present in many new home furnishings, household cleaners and some construction materials. It is considered toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. According to the EPA, formaldehyde has been shown to cause cancer in animals.

Pets can inhale formaldehyde from new fabrics, wood-veneer furniture, laminated flooring, wood paneling and doors made of particleboard, plywood, and medium density fiberboard. These pressed woods are bonded with resins containing formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde emissions are highest from new pressed wood furniture, drapery and unwashed new fabrics such as upholstery fabrics, and will gradually subside over time. New furnishings which contain formaldehyde should be set outdoors for a few days to “out-gas” before bringing into the home. Rooms which contain new furniture or draperies should be well ventilated. Wash new clothing and bedding before use to remove formaldehyde-containing fabric finishes. Consider buying solid wood or used furniture.

Newer mobile homes and trailers are made using materials which contain formaldehyde, and many illnesses have been reported from occupants. The mobile homes provided by the government for victims of the Katrina hurricane sickened many people due to the off-gassing fumes.

Air purifiers are ineffective at removing gaseous pollutants and should not be used to mitigate formaldehyde off-gassing. Ventilation is the preferred option.

Pet-safe Alternatives:

Dog houses should be made of solid wood. Plywood and pressed wood products should be avoided, but if they are used they should be painted on both sides.

New dog cushions and blankets should be washed or left outdoors to off-gas for several days before letting the dog come into contact with them.

Dogs kept in apartments or small homes during the day should have access to fresh air. Keep a screened window open if possible.

7. Mothballs

Mothballs, when used properly, are effective at killing moths. But used carelessly, they pose a hidden health threat to pets. Inhalation of mothball vapors causes headaches, respiratory distress, eye irritation and many other symptoms. Ingestion causes toxic poisoning leading to liver damage, respiratory failure, seizures, heart arrhythmia, and the possibility of death. The ingestion of just one mothball can produce significant illness. Repeated inhalation of fumes or ingestion of a few mothballs can be fatal to cats and dogs.

Pets can be attracted to the curious smell of mothballs. This leads them to heightened exposures to which the pet owner is unaware. Ongoing exposure to mothball fumes in the home may remain undetected which results in long-term exposure for the pet.

Mothballs are impregnated with either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, both toxic substances. They work by releasing toxic vapors which build up within airtight spaces and kill any moths or moth larvae emerging from the clothing or other stored items. Mothballs should only be used in closed, airtight containers where the pesticide fumes are trapped. If mothballs are not kept in sealed containers, the vapors are gradually released into the room. This long term exposure can pose health concerns if the exposure is high enough.

Pet-safe Alternatives:

Make moth-repelling sachets using small squares of cheesecloth stuffed with juniper shavings (aromatic cedar, pencil cedar) and place them in closets, bureaus and clothes chests.

Buy non-toxic pheromone-based clothes moth traps

Domestic pets may have keen senses of smell and hearing which alert them to danger, but they have no defence against the hidden dangers of chemicals in your home. As a pet owner, you will need to identify the presence of these unseen hazards and take preventive measures to ensure your pet’s long term good health.