Toxic Foods You Shouldn’t Feed Your Pet

From barbeques at your patio to pool parties and other gatherings, celebrations are an excuse for our pets to be exposed to food that piques their curiosity, Heavenly smelling burgers, delicious fish, juicy back ribs and other drool-worthy goodies. While you may think that treating your pet to a nibble here and there is okay, well, sorry to burst your bubble, you may be accidentally poisoning your furry friend.

To avoid rushing to the veterinary ER over the weekend, keep these popular foods out of your pet’s reach.

Fatty Foods

Foods that are rich in fat can cause diarrhoea and vomiting. Pancreatitis often follows the ingestion of fatty meals, especially in dogs. Certain breeds like schnauzers, miniature, Shetland sheepdogs and Yorkshire terriers appear to be more susceptible to a bout of pancreatitis than other breeds. So, you have to fight the temptation to share fast food leftovers, foods jampacked with grease and oil, or junk food with your pet. Burgers, ribs, steak, hot dogs, pork chops, and fried chicken is a big NO for your pet.

Raw Fish and Meat

Its one thing to properly prep up the food and feed your pet a raw food diet, totally another thing if your pet counter surfs and eats raw meat or fish that hasn’t been carefully handled. Raw fish and meat, like raw eggs, contain bacteria that causes food poisoning. Keep your raw meat and fish in a place where your pet can never reach. Certain kinds of fish such as trout, salmon, shad, or sturgeon can contain a parasite that causes “fish disease”. If not treated, the disease can be destructive within weeks. The initial signs of illness are fever, vomiting and swollen lymph nodes.

Caffeine, Coffee and Chocolate

Caffeine, Coffee and Chocolate contain substances called methylxanthines, which are found in cacao seeds, the plant used to make coffee, and the nuts of an extract used in some sodas. When consumed by pets, methylxanthines can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, panting, excessive urination and thirst, abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, tremors, hyperactivity and even death. Also, dark chocolate is deadlier than milk chocolate.

Alcohol

Alcohol is briskly absorbed into the bloodstream and affects pets quickly. Pets can easily become attracted to a discarded bottle or cup of wine, beer or especially sangria left sitting on the ground after a party. Consumption of alcohol can cause dangerous drops in blood sugar, body temperature and blood pressure. Intoxicated animals can experience seizures and respiratory failure. Bear in mind, desserts containing alcohol or yeast-containing dough are often the unknown culprits.

Fat Trimmings and Bones

Table scraps generally contain meat fat that a human didn’t eat as well as bones. Both are dangerous for dogs. And, although it seems normal to give your dog a bone, a dog can choke on it. Bones can also splinter and cause laceration and obstruction to your dog’s digestive system. So, it's better to have a trash can with a lid or a trash bag that can be sealed so that your pet cannot nose around for bones or scraps.