DOG HEALTH - How NOT to feed your dog... Dangerous food from the table
Narrated from: Dog NutritionDogs are hungry fellows. When you are eating something, your dog will probably look at you with big eyes as if saying: “Hey, I haven’t eaten for so veeeery long! Feed the starving puppy, feed the starving puppy!”
Could you resist your buddy’s plea? Well, you should.
It is bad for the dog if you give it food from your table. The dog has no way of knowing that, but as its owner, you should.
Dogs are quite different from us; they are not supposed to eat our food. If you feed scraps to your dog, you may cause some very dangerous problems: diarrhea, pancreatitis, allergies… And that’s just the beginning.
Furthermore, there are some types of human food that are particularly dangerous for dogs and must never be given to them:
• Chocolate – it contains a chemical (theobromine) that dogs cannot digest. It is especially dangerous for smaller dogs – 30 grams of baking chocolate per kilogram of body weight is considered poisonous!
• Caffeine, coffee, tea – contain the same chemical as chocolate.
• Chewing gum, candy, etc. – such treats usually contain xylitol; it is not dangerous to all dogs, but may cause liver damage.
• The pits of fruits – if the dog chews the pits of fruits, it may suffer cyanide poisoning.
• Onions – may cause anemia if fed continuously. Baby food with onion powder can be lethal for puppies!
• Alcoholic beverages – Dogs get drunk and it doesn’t do them any good. Beer is especially dangerous - it could inflict hypothermia, with fatal results!
• Macadamia nuts – one gram per pound of body weight is considered toxic.
• Grapes and raisins – in recent years it was suggested that an unknown substance contained in grapes and raisins leads to kidney failure.
• Avocado – all parts of the avocado are toxic.
• Mushrooms – some sorts of mushrooms may cause liver or kidney damage.
• Raw eggs or raw fish – dogs can suffer from Salmonella poisoning just like you.
• Food allergies – have it in mind that dogs are subject to allergies to the same degree as you; a food considered generally safe might be harmful specifically for your dog!
But whatever you feed your dog, you should also think about the weight problem. What you consider a minor snack may cause your dog to get fat – and that is extremely dangerous. Getting fat will have a severe effect on your dog’s health as dogs are not supposed to carry extra weight.
So, keep tight control over your dog’s diet and do not feed it scraps from your table no matter how often it begs you to! This is the only way to ensure your dog’s health stays OK. You will therefore have the pleasure of looking into your buddy’s hungry eyes for many more years to come!
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