What the Chow? Foods Your Dog Should Avoid

If I can eat it, so can my furbaby. Right?

Tempting, isn’t it? Especially when your doggo is sitting in front of you watching you eat that tasty treat you put together for yourself. Their eyes look somber when they’re usually filled with happiness and excitement to see you, but now they’re seeing you...not give them the food that’s in your hands.

Before you give in and offer that tasty treat to your best friend with four legs, have you taken a moment to research what foods are not good for the well-being of your furbaby? We did some digging to look into a few of the no-no’s for Dog Feeding 101. Let’s go beyond the universal knowledge that doggos should not eat chocolate and dive into the foods that are typically shocking for those learning the first time.

AVOCADOS

Avoca-DON’T. This healthy human food is rich in oils that can’t be processed as well by dogs as they are by us. The result? It can get stuck in the intestines and stomach causing possibly fatal obstructions. Symptoms commonly experienced by dogs by way of avocado is vomiting or diarrhea which causes excessive dehydration.

GARLIC & ONIONS

It’s not the smell you should be worried about. Large quantities of any garlic or onion based product can be toxic to dogs. Even the actual garlic and onion produce can be fatal. It strikes down red blood cells and can lead to anemia. If you’re concerned about your dog’s exposure to garlic and onions, keep an eye out for weakness, shortness of breath, and vomiting.

GRAPES

Grapes and grape products like raisins can be dangerous at any amount ingested as it can cause kidney failure in dogs. Reserve the raisin and grape treats for the miniature humans!

BONES & RAW MEAT

Don’t believe pop culture and marketing visuals that heavily pair dogs with bones. There’s a reason why pet stores offer specific treats like raw hides. Bones - like chicken bones - can break and be fatal as they’re ingested. Oh yeah, and that guy that keeps throwing raw steaks at guard dogs to get safe passage for whatever agenda they have? Book ‘em, boys!

Raw meat is potentially riddled with bacteria and can cause food poisoning so if you do offer your doggo a raw diet, make sure you have the contamination side of things handled. Symptoms to keep an eye out for include fever, vomiting, and swollen lymph nodes. You can read up on the benefits and risks in their entirety here.

It’s always a good call to keep your emergency vet contact info somewhere accessible if your furbaby has an unfortunate run-in with any of these food items. But sure, there are more foods to be concerned about! Before welcoming a doggo into your home, make sure things are cleaned up and put away as well as research the foods - in full - that are dangerous to the life of your dog.