Pet Care Guide: Foods to Avoid Giving Your Dog

by Natasha Christou Digital Marketing Consultant

Our dogs have long been known as man’s best friend. Because of this, many of us aren’t averse to treating our pets to something other than a pig’s ear from the butchers! However, with over one in four of us owning a dog, do we actually know what foods we should avoid giving our canine friends? Here, alongside dog walker’s insurance providers, Cliverton, we list those delights your dogs must avoid.

Fat trimmings

The UK is a nation that loves a roast dinner — and its fancy friend, the Christmas dinner! Surprisingly, 60 per cent of dog owners will give their pet a Christmas dinner. Even for those who don’t, Christmas time sees the UK waste approximately 55 million plates of food — and it’s likely our dogs may wait patiently for the scraps. However, make sure any fat trimmings from those joints don’t find their way into your dog’s food bowl. Feeding your animal these can actually lead to pancreatitis!

Chocolate

It seems well known that dogs shouldn’t be given chocolate, but not everyone knows exactly why. That innocent bar that we may crave can cause a canine’s heart rate to increase. This can lead to tremors and, depending on the type of chocolate and the quantity, excitation. Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, contains theobromine. This is a toxin for dogs and can overstimulate your dog’s nervous and cardiovascular system. In worst case scenarios this can even be fatal!

Uncooked dough

Take note that your dog’s body temperature may cause any consumed uncooked dough to rise in its stomach. This can be life threatening as the alcohol is produced during the rising process and the dough can expand to multiple times its original size. If you’re concerned your dog may have ate some dough, tell-tale signs include severe abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, lack of coordination, and depression.

Grapes

Grapes may be a tasty treat for human consumption but keep them away from your pet pooch! It’s been well documented that the grapes and raisins contain a dangerous toxicity level in the animal can lead to kidney failure. However, not all dogs will suffer any effects of eating grapes, but it’s not worth the risk! It’s recommended that following any consumption, your pet is taken directly to the vets to induce vomiting and clear their stomach.

Avocado

Avocadoes seem to have hhad a huge rise in popularity. In 2017, over 400,000 tonnes of the nutritional superfood was consumed in Europe. However, no matter how much is consumed in a human’s diet, dogs should avoid it at all costs. This is because avocado contains a toxin called persin which can lead to vomiting and diarrhoea. Of course, its middle stone too can be a choking hazard if a dog was to eat an avocado whole!

Onions

We usually use onions to flavour our foods, but don’t make this the case for dogs. The Allium family, which also includes garlic, chives and leeks, can be poisonous when consumed in large quantities. Japanese breeds of dog, such as Akitas are more sensitive to this family and the onset of any nausea and stomach upset may take a few days to develop.

To conclude, there are many food items that dogs shouldn’t have in their diet and that’s why it’s best to stick to food that is specifically made for dogs. If you do want to treat your pet, make sure you choose foods which aren’t dangerous to their health and are eaten in moderation.