Dangerous Foods

Chocolate toxicity
Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.

When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a dog can become excited and hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhoea are also common. The effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine will either increase the dog’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise.

After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.

Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Thus, a chocolate mud cake could be a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog unwell.

Semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the dog, the less it needs to eat.


Onion and garlic poisoning
Onions and garlic are other dangerous food ingredients that cause sickness in dogs, cats and also livestock. Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.

At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.

The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anaemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion

While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.


The danger of macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts are another concern. A recent paper written by Dr. Ross McKenzie, a Veterinary Pathologist with the Department of Primary Industries, points to the danger of raw and roasted macadamia nuts for pets.

The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.

Dogs have been affected by eating as few as six macadamia kernels (nuts without the shell) while others had eaten approximately forty kernels. Some dogs had also been given macadamia butter.

Luckily, the muscle weakness, while painful, seems to be of short duration and all dogs recovered from the toxicity. All dogs were taken to their veterinary surgeon.

Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.



Other potential dangers
Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips (contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide posioning)
Potato peelings and green looking potatoes
Rhubarb leaves
Mouldy/spoiled foods
Alcohol
Yeast dough
Coffee grounds, beans & tea (caffeine)
Hops (used in home brewing)
Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)
Broccoli (in large amounts)
Raisins and grapes
Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars

mate some good points you made some i new and some i deffo didint know.....
well worth been a sticky.....

i never knew most of them, ive given my dog onions and brocolli from the leftover dinner plenty of times, ill be sure not to do that again then.

Very helpful topic

i was told by freind who is a lecturer at moreton morrel agri colege that garlic is a good flea repellent ill be asking her to check just in case eh who knows how many students are thinking the same!

Just been reading about dogs & raisins and supposedly as little as 2 raisins can really damage a dog... and seeings as raisins are just dried out grapes im guessing grapes have the same affect.

Onion and garlic poisoning
Onions and garlic are
other dangerous food ingredients that cause sickness in dogs, cats and
also livestock. Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient
thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

it was only last week i bought some garlic bikkys from the local pet store as a treat
i gave roxy a few and she loved them but later in the day i found my 4 year old son had gave her almost a kilo of these biscuits
well that nite she was sh1ting through an eye of an needle it was bad

she also eats brocli as i do her a small roast on a sunday ill be sure just to keep her on her normal pet food from now on

thanks for a great thread

opps charlies been having rasins all her life, i didnt know this, shes 11 now so she must have been lucky

Good post steve, onions i know are bad but i was advised at ringcraft to give garlic tablets for healthy skin and coat i know a lot of people use these for their dogs. Luckily dante don't like them they're still in the cupboard been there ages. I bought them from Pets at home too.

not sure about the Garlic,as they say its a herbal remedy aswell,mine have been given this for ages

Amandastaff wrote:not sure about the Garlic,as they say its a herbal remedy aswell,mine have been given this for ages

yeah i was told they were good, if your dogs are fine they must be ok, it's so confusing! Mines a bugger to give tablets at the best of times wonder where the research came from

Oh Sh*t. Was washing some grapes and a couple fell on the floor. Ruby ate them.

Will she be OK.

I'm dead worried now

staffyruby wrote:Oh Sh*t. Was washing some grapes and a couple fell on the floor. Ruby ate them.

Will she be OK.

I'm dead worried now

I dont think you have to worry about it

Shoei has eaten grapes several times and didn't get anything from it. So don't worry

Thank God. Did not sleep all night. Notice this morning Ruby looked and seemed fine

When you start reading on google some posts make scary reading.

Thanks all

I have given my dog chocolate bforel ike once or twice only a little bit shes ok though. But she did get into easter eggs on easter but she was ok ... Sum dogs have different affects

your lucky than but chocolate is really bad for your dog so don`t give it to them

Yep, hardtrackz is right, chocolate is really bad for a dog

Hi Steve
Thanks so much for this post. I had no idea broccoli would be on that list - will definitely cut back on Chilli's intake from now.
Mandy

It's interesting because when we got our puppy the breeder told us to feed her garlic as it's a herbal remedy,I think for a healthy coat and to ward off fleas and ticks, but a lot of people say not to. As you say it must have to be large amounts to have an effect. As for grapes and raisins, the vet told us they only have an effect in large amounts, for example every day. I thing they were supposed to cause either liver or kidney damage over the long term but I can't be sure. So I wouldn't worry about the occasional grape.

Shoei wrote:Yep, hardtrackz is right, chocolate is really bad for a dog

The better quality the chocolate is, the worse it is for dogs.

So cheap English chocolate which has very little in the way of cocoa solids is not as harmful as continental chocolate - which is the proper stuff! That may explain why the Easter eggs didn't do any damage as they're not usually made of the best chocolate.

But of course it's safest to avoid all of it.