For our new article in the series “Let’s Keep Our Pets Safe” we are going to discuss human food that can be dangerous to our pets. It is certainly gratifying to reward your pet with a little treat, but you need to know which foods must be off limits. Some of the items are quite surprising because they are healthy for people. Since dogs and cats metabolize and process their food differently than humans, foods like raisins are dangerous to them and not to us.
If you do give your pet human food you should know which foods are harmful and make sure any food you do give is in small amounts. Random table scraps are not a nutritionally balanced diet that your pets needs. Some human food can also be quite calorie dense and can easily cause your pet to put on excess weight.
So here is the list from the ASPCA of the top 10 dangerous foods. There are certainly other foods that can potentially cause problems. You can always double check with your veterinarian first before giving a new treat.
Chocolate, Coffee, Caffeine
Alcohol
Avocado
Macadamia Nuts
Grapes & Raisins
Yeast Dough
Raw/Undercooked Meat, Eggs and Bones
Xylitol (an artificial sweetener)
Onions, Garlic, Chives
Milk
We hope this makes you more aware of dangerous foods and causes you to pause and think twice before giving a new treat. Next week’s article will be “Common Household Objects that are Dangerous to your Pet”.
