My yellow lab is affectionately known as “the vacuum cleaner.” While we don’t intentionally serve him any human food (with the exception of canteloupe and banana - he can smell them a mile away and I will give him a small piece when he comes running), we have young children and he sits under the table whenever they are eating with the hopes that a piece of pasta or crust of bread will fall on the floor (which it often does) so he can “clean it up.” In the years when the kids were very small and often an entire high chair tray complete with dinner would fall on the floor, he gained ten pounds. Just from eating kids’ food that had landed his way. No kidding. These days if some food falls on the floor, my kids, now older, don’t reach for the broom, but rather call the dog for clean up patrol. On vacation, I find myself becoming quickly reacquainted with the broom and vacuum cleaner and missing my apparently indiscriminate clean up helper.
However, there are some seemingly innocent foods that can in fact be extremely dangerous to dogs - here are just some of the foods listed by the ASPCA as potentially dangerous for dogs (click here for their complete list):
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Nuts
- Avocados
- Raw eggs
- Most fruit stems, pits & seeds
- Unbaked bread dough
- Alcohol
- Chocolate
- Baking powder and soda
- Coffee grounds and beans
- Mushrooms
- Sugarless Chewing Gum (and other foods with Xylitol)
- Nutmeg
- Onions and garlic (stay away from baby food as well as some contain these spices)
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Many of these foods can be harmless to your dog unless ingested in large quantities, but it’s your best bet to keep them out of your dog’s diet. If your dog does accidentally ingest a potentially toxic food, of course call your vet or your local emergency animal hospital immediately. Be prepared to tell them as much as you can - how much your dog weighs, what he ate, how much, and when.
***NOTE*** to play it safe, ask your vet before giving your dog any human food!***
10.05.09 @ 2:41 pm
Why doesn’t the women who had her hair cut for the first time in 30 years on today’s show DONATE it to “Locks For Love” pr pther organization that makes wigs for those who have lost their hair because of illness or cancer treatments????????????????
10.05.09 @ 3:48 pm
I agree Trish years ago a group of women I know all shaved there heads of very long hair and sent it to Locks of Love I have grown mine out twice just for that purpose its a great Org. and a wonderful way to show the kids that we love and support them. Great minds baby!
10.06.09 @ 6:08 pm
I so loved the parents on the show today. After raising 3 boys and only one girl home at this time I agree with alot of their training and it is training tips. The main one I always give when people ask is the rules never never change in our home but each childs dicsipline can be different this allows children to be treated as individuals.
10.07.09 @ 9:25 am
What’s Locks of Love and cutting your hair got to do with feeding your pet toxic food?
10.07.09 @ 10:35 am
TRISH: I thought of the same thing u just said bout donating her hair, actualy I thought that would be an obvious action…
10.07.09 @ 1:45 pm
I don’t know what lock of love has to do with pets but my boyfriend just got his hair cut it was down to his butt and he donated it to locks of love. It is a cool program
10.08.09 @ 1:41 am
Hello
Yeah carebear exactly what i thought!! lol You know i dont get this whole toxic thing because when i was growing up my dogs got whatever family leftovers on their kibble everyday. One lived to be 17 and the other to 15. They got anywhere from meatloaf to spaghetti, we didnt have enough leftovers to for us for another meal, so it went to the dogs. Also the raw egg thing i fed my St bernard raw egg with food once a week, advice from my vet and a breeder. So its confusing.
10.08.09 @ 7:48 pm
I have worked in the veterinary field for over 10 years and yes it used to be fine to feed our dogs anything(when we were growing up) but as human medicine gets better so does animal medicine and we find out daily things that should be avoided.It is best to feed a good quaility dog food, with no fillers.
10.09.09 @ 7:10 am
I know this is not about toxic foods for dogs, I just wanted to clear up the locks of love thing. Locks of love cannot accept hair that has been artificially colored. That is what a friend told me that donated her hair.
10.09.09 @ 7:12 am
Now, my question for dogs. I know I am not supposed to let my dog have macadamia nuts, but are all nuts toxic? Because Lulu LOVES peanuts.
10.13.09 @ 6:26 pm
Be very careful with grapes and raisins. My 70 lb lab/retriever ate maybe a 1/4 cup of raisins and was very sick with bloody diarrhea and lost over 4 lbs in less than one week. This may be an unusual reaction, but it’s not something I knew was toxic to dogs.
10.25.09 @ 8:55 am
I am glad to see this list published. We have a pet supply business and many of our clients who out of pure love for their pets will feed them a wide array of people food. Although human quality food can be great for a dog’s health it is so important to know what foods to give and especially what not to give them. We don’t carry pet food other than treats but do recommend consulting with your vet or a local pet shop for the best foods. We know that our Boarder Collie has such a sensitive stomach that we have to careful what we give her.
10.27.09 @ 10:19 pm
I thought peanuts were okay. Some dog toys are designed to stuff with peanut (or other nut) butter. Both of my doggies love peanut and almond butter. They’ve never had a bad reaction.
11.10.09 @ 1:04 pm
Hello!
I don’t often submit things like this but I have to say that feeding dogs “people foods” can cause some serious problems.
My dog Cherokee, 9 yrs of age, is my baby as all my dogs have been. Up until recently I always gave left overs to my dogs. Boy, oh boy was I wrong to that and extremely fortunate none of them died or got seriously over the past 40 years or so.
Cherokee was no exception in giving her scraps. She was doing alright a few months ago until I noticed she was throwing up alot, not just from eating too fast either. She has a problem with constipation especially in the winter (she doesn’t like to get her paws wet). At that time however, she started having direhrra so bad that it was like water.
I took her to the vet and found out that she had pancreatitis and could have died from it. Eight hundred dollars later and two days of IV’s at the vet hospital she came home to us on the mend. She is now on a prescription diet and will be for the rest of her life.
If you love your dog, ask your vet for some of the things you might be able to give your dog baby. I can still put pumpkin in her food when she has her “back up” problem and it seems to work. Please contact your vet before adding anything that might be harmful.
11.26.09 @ 7:07 pm
yes this is confusing. my dogs have taken brewers yeast with garlic for years. they took it daily 1 lived to be 17 the other 16 i now have 3 year old dane 7 year old jack rus, and 9 week old dane and all take it i have never heard of garlic or raw egg before. i raised an abanoned litter of 8 puppies on homemade milk formula wich called for egg yolk and they all lived and thrived i still see 2 of them and they are very heathy at the age of 4.
12.03.09 @ 9:31 am
I had no idea! Thank you so much for publishing this list! We have 2 Jacks, and they love grapes and peanuts. But no more, thank you!
12.09.09 @ 2:59 pm
I under stand what u are saying about toxic for your dogs. My friend use to give her dog totsie rolls ever time he went out he was a pug and he lived a normal and wonderful life. Now i have a french mastiff and i cant give him anything due to reflux and skin conditions. always something…..i ust dont think dogs should have foods due to these days things arent as good as they use to be made….usually full breads u have problems with. good luck
12.24.09 @ 5:01 pm
Why is garlic bad for dogs? Even my Vet gave me some dog food recipes that use garlic.
I see so many dog recipes that use garlic on the internet.
Thanks.
12.26.09 @ 9:37 am
i think we are just lucky that Ned (our baby dog) is not that sensitive… by the way, he loves eating whatever we are eating, specially if we are holding it, alcohol and beer included. Thank God the vet said his in mint condition.Ü
01.08.10 @ 2:14 pm
It’s like with all us humans’, some are sensitive to different things. You just have to give things in small amounts to see what does and does not agree with them. I am not a Vet/Dr., just a loving Parent to my Dogs. Dog Food Companies love the controversy surrounding difference’s of opinions we all share. While I don’t believe in giving an animal chocolate, I also know it’s not good for me either. I once heard, “if it taste good it’s not good for you”.
Also, strawberries, cherries & peanut butter are not considered bad for us, however I have a son who is alergic to strawberries’, a Granddaughter who is alergic to cherries’ & an inlaw alergic to peanut butter. I think things in moderation and or as a treat provided they are not proven to be harmful to your particular pet is no more harmful than a dog biscut. And have you ever read what’s in some of those animals’ feeds?
01.12.10 @ 1:42 pm
never feed your pets dark chocolate or chocolate of any kind, but dark is especially dangerous. My husband and I are both veterinary technicians. and also with the grapes..those are bad too. I havent heard of garlic being bad. but the rest of the list is pretty correct
01.12.10 @ 1:42 pm
oh…and also raisins. those are bad too
01.13.10 @ 8:57 pm
Hmm.. I will through a wrench into this topic as I personally feed my dogs a raw diet of meat and some veggies never processed dog food. Raw eggs included… Years of this diet proves elimination of certain thing such as arthritis, skin issues etc. I guess a dog food without any grain products would work too but please don’t think a carnivore needs to have rice and barley to be healthy! Only my 2 cents and we all hear every day how we should not eat processed foods I just follow this through to my dog as well.
01.22.10 @ 10:39 am
Peanuts are not nuts, despite their name. They are legumes that grow UNDER the ground. Peanuts and peanut butter are not harmful to dogs.
Just like humans, animals used to get so much more exercise so eating too many calories wasn’t an issue when your dogs were getting all the “leftovers”. Also, the environment as a whole is much more toxic today, so the combinations of things we add to the diet of ourselves as well as our pets are so much more important to be of high quality and nutrient rich.
Diane
01.23.10 @ 12:09 pm
Having bred and raised springers for many years now I will tell you that dogs are like humans more than you think. We all thought rice was good for an upset tummy for our dogs once in awhile until one of my females almost lost her mind itching. Many tests later we found that she is allergic to grains. This was AFTER she turned 10. Environmental or genetic problem? It’s a reallhy interesting subject. But, we learned and learned the most difficult way, we almost lost her. She was so miserable at one point she refused to eat or drink water or at times didn’t even want to move. She and her current siblings are all on grain free dog food now and they ALL, 6 of them, love their salmon grain free food. Do what you think is correct for your animals, but just be aware and pay attention to changes that don’t seem normal for the animal. And, don’t think they don’t know how to read a clock. Time for Scooby Doo on TV. All of my dogs LOVE Scooby Doo cartoons!
01.25.10 @ 7:33 pm
I’m kind of suprised that
Chocolate is not listed on your list of toxic foods for dogs, because from what i undertand, Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can be fatal if ingested in large enough quantities
01.26.10 @ 10:35 am
you forgot to put tomamtos on your list.
01.28.10 @ 7:51 am
Avocado flesh is just fine for dogs. However the skin and seed are not.
01.29.10 @ 8:56 pm
Our dogs (3 rescued pekingese) only get leftover meats, but no other people food. I think that they will eat anything, especially being in puppy mills, they’ve learned to eat first, throw up later. I’m glad to have the list!
02.17.10 @ 10:56 am
Go to the page provided and read the information. They are not extremely dangerous- matter of fact, they even say the items on the list are not toxic. Apples, for example, are Ok; the stems and leaves are not- but who feeds their dog apple leaves? Avacados are fine, the skin is not; raw eggs pose a treat to anyone, but eating a raw egg does not equal instant death. Monitor your dog as you would yourself. If you change your diet, you can upset your stomach- same with animals. I feed my dogs (chihuahua, boxer, sheppard) dry dog food and throw in mangos as a treat every now and then. I also give them frozen tubes of yogurt, venison or PB in the summer as a cool treat. My dog will puke off of oatmeal, so I avoid it. Best advise? Use common sense and monitor your companion.
02.23.10 @ 2:23 pm
I’m very confused because my puppy loves peanut butter as do all dogs that i know. Also she and my in-laws dogs are crazy for raw eggs and it is supposed to help keep their coat healthy and its a good source of protein also my puppy comes running when I cook with garlic and I read that it also helps keep fleas away and it hasn’t seemed to bother her
03.09.10 @ 10:25 pm
Peanut butter (any sticky butter) can be leathel if too much is given at one time, for animals or kids. Sticky foods can get caught in the throat and it’s impossible to do the heimlach on the animal or kid. If you can’t clear it with your fingers…My dogs get some peanut butter, but just a pea sized dab off my finger as a special treat.
Also - watch out for bags that most foods come in - potato chips, cereal, cookie (people or dog), dog treat bags, etc. Dogs have been known to suffocate (it happened to a sheltie I knew, only 3 years old) in the bag trying to eat everything in it.
My dogs gets eggs - egg yolks are ok raw, too many egg whites can cause a biotin problem, best to cook those. Egg whites are a great protein source for a kidney dog - VERY low phosphorus.
Too much garlic (onion family) can cause anemia in dogs.
When giving something new to your dog (dog food or people food), always try just a small amount to see how they do with it. I always try things earlier in the day during the week - if there is a problem (allergic reaction, etc), my vet is open, no expensive trip to the ER!
A raw food diet (IMO, but I am not able to do that myself for my dogs at this time) is the best for dogs.
Commercial dog food only became widely popular in the 20th century. When looking for a good commercial food, look for meat (not by-products) first, then second and third: whole grains (if grain is in the food, not corn, soy or wheat - high allergens and not easily digestable, not leftovers either - like brewers rice) or vegetables and fruits (again, no leftovers - like beet pulp, tomato pumice). No chemical preservatives or added colors/flavorings. Good food doesn’t need flavorings. If an ingredient is listed more than once in different formats, the combination of the formats often puts that ingredient at the higher/highest percentage in the food, before the protein source (most often seen in low quality food: two sources of corn or soybeans).
Good quality commercial dog/cat food will be more expensive, but your pets will be healthier and live longer. Also, look into your dog treat ingredients.
Whole Dog Journal is a very good publication, not just great info for food but treats, toys, etc.