Things You should never feed your Dog
Posted: Sunday, November 14, 2004
by primeryder
Dog Food Nutrition
Unfortunately, there are a number of household items which we tend to take for granted that are potentially very dangerous to your dog's health. It is especially important to be aware of this because as you know, dogs are essentially scavengers and will often eat just about anything they can sink their fangs into. I would say that may own dog is more like a mobile garbage disposal. It is also very important to be aware of these items
since their sense of smell is so well developed that your pooch will be able to find what you may think is well hidden.
One of these dangerous household items, it turns out, is simple chocolate. While chocolate has been reported recently to be high in human-friendly antioxidants, it appears to be potentially lethal for our pets, and particularly for our dogs. Cats are mostly unaffected since they do not care for the taste of chocolate, but dogs tend to be crazy about it. Certain breeds of dogs react indifferently to chocolate. The root of the problem is that chocolate contains various chemicals which are called methylxanthine alkaloids(sometypes have more of these chemicals than others)
Sadly, relatively miniscule amounts of these chemicals are capable of causing such serious problems as constriction of the arteries and an increased heart rate. Large amounts may cause even more dire symptoms and a pound of milk chocolate could possibly kill a sixteen pound dog.
If you find that your dog has eaten chocolate then by all means take note of the it's type and try to estimate the amount eaten. Then get on the phone with a veternarian or an emergency facility. Be sure that your children know how important it is to keep chocolate out of your dog’s reach.
If you are not aware that your dog has consumed chocolate, the consequences could be severe. If consumption is not found within 4 to 6 hours without the right treatment, cardiac failure, seizures, coma and death could result, according to veternarian Dr. Jane Bicks.
In addition to seemingly innocent chocolate, there are a number of other common household items that may seem safe for our dogs but that can be downright dangerous.
Some mushrooms, for example, can produce abdominal pain, liver and kidney damage and amenia. So be aware of wild mushrooms when you are out walking your dog in wooded areas. Garlic may seem benign but can cause vomiting, liver damage, anemia and diarrhea so do not give your pet baby food since it can contain garlic.
Anti-freeze can shut down your dog's kidneys and they tend to love the taste. Mistletoe can cause vomiting, abdominal pain and depression. Onions can cause liver damage, anemia and diarrhea. Onion can also sometimes be found in baby food. Cats are actually somewhat more sensitive to this one so keep out of the reach of both.
Coffee, like cocoa, is especially dangerous, and may cause heart rate increase, diarrhea, seizures, coma, death. Caffeine just does not have the same effect in dogs.
When outside be careful around apple and cherry trees. While the fruit is safe, the leaves and roots are not. And be very careful about Moth Balls. it's primary chemical naphthalene is extremely toxic to dogs and can result in tremors and seizures.
Concerning dog food, you should be looking for dyes
and other chemicals, according to Dr. Jane
BHA, for instance, which is one of the main synthetic
antioxidant preservatives used to prevent food
discoloration, has been observed to cause cancer in laboratory
rats at certain doses. Small doses are as yet unclear but since dog food is eaten every day caution is advised.
Many conventional dog food brands have large quantities of sodium to make them palatable, and this can be quite harmful to a dog.
Other ingredients to wary of are dairy, by-products, chemical preservatives and artificial colors. For more information go to http://www.dog-food-nutrition.com/
Aaron Wilmot is an author and researcher in the fields of
human and pet health. For more info. go to
http://www.dog-food-nutrition.info/
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Supposedly, avocados can be toxic to dogs, but I've seen dogs eat them with no ill results
You say that garlic is bad for dogs yet the extremely overpriced dog food (for what it actually is) website that this article directs people to lists garlic as an ingredient. Hello? Perhaps you are connected in some way with this dog food product? I'm not impressed.
no way Garlic is good for your dog exalcaly what J.Jones is saying is right garlick is what you will find in your Regular Expencive Dog & Puppy food and also Garlick keeps the fleas away from them and my Veternarian has told me give your dog a little bit of Garlick every so often and it will keep the Flease away..of Course i know there are other Proudoucs to keep the Flease away like Shampoos Advantige and dont even get me Started on the Subject Flea Cureings anyways there are a hole bunch of other Medacines yeah they work (Some of them do ) but my vet t old me that Garlick is the BEST Cure for Fleas beacuse its all Nataraul i think that the Veternarian that you go to is Probaly two Yung to know these things so i Sugest you Start seeing some other New Vet!!!!!!
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