If you often give into those sweet eyes and toss your pets a bit of the food you’re eating, you should be careful. Pets have their own healthy dog food, cat food, and puppy food for a reason—there are many human foods that are actually toxic for pets. If your furry friend consumes these, it can result in an upset stomach, diarrhea, and in severe cases, death. Here are the toxic foods you should keep away from your beloved pet:
1. Chocolate
While humans love to indulge in a sweet piece of chocolate, your furry friend will not like to do the same. Chocolate is poisonous to pets due to the stimulant theobromine—this is toxic and can result in kidney failure if they ingest it. Dark chocolate has the highest contents of theobromine, but all chocolate should be kept away from your pet.
2. The onion family
Onions, garlic, chives, leeks, and shallots are all part of the onion family. While these can provide great flavor to your meals, if you drop some on the floor while chopping it up, don’t call your dog over to clean up the food. The onion family is toxic to dogs and cats alike, if consumed, it can result in red blood cell damage and gastrointestinal irritation. The symptoms of illness may not show up until a few days later, so you should take your pet to the vet regardless of if they’re showing signs.
3. Macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts, if consumed by dogs or cats, can cause inflammation of the pancreas, weakness, panting, vomiting, hyperthermia, tremors, swollen limbs, and even paralysis in the hind legs of dogs. While the paralysis will only last for a few days, it’s still important to avoid your dog ingesting any macadamia nuts as it can be a frightening experience for you and your dog.
4. Xylitol artificial sweetener
Many healthy sweets, chewing gums, and beverages contain artificial sweeteners that allow you to get a sweet treat without the unhealthy sugar and calories. However, you should check the ingredients list for xylitol. Xylitol is an artificial sweetener found in many products, and if your dog ingests it, they can experience hypoglycemia (deficiency of glucose in the bloodstream) that can then result in liver failure and blood clotting issues. While this is dangerous for dogs, it doesn’t have a serious impact on some other pets, like cats or ferrets.
5. Grapes and raisins
It is unknown which ingredient in grapes and raisins is toxic to dogs and cats, but we do know the consumption of either can result in severe liver damage and kidney failure. It doesn’t matter what form the fruit is in, both can have the same effect and be fatal, so be careful when eating these that you don’t leave them unattended or drop any.
If your pet has consumed any of these foods, even in small amounts, you should take them to the vet immediately. Consuming toxic foods can be fatal, so you won’t want to take the risk in assuming they’re okay.