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.