Your pet loves to eat and sometimes your pet loves to eat what you eat. As most pet owners, we want to make our pets happy, so the pet owners or friends and family of them are guilty of appeasing a pet’s begging. But there are a number of foods that we may consider healthy or harmless but can have grave consequences for our pets whether they may be mildly toxic or in some cases even fatal.
People, cats and dogs have different metabolisms and enzymes that help break down the food we eat to meet each species different nutritional needs. As a pet owner it is your responsibility to know what foods are bad for your pet and to keep them away from them. It is also imperative for your pet’s safety that others who are in regular contact with your pet be educated about these food hazards. The following is a PARTIAL list of foods that you should keep away from your pet.
Chocolate
This food can be LETHAL for both DOGS and CATS because of the active ingredient theobromine found in the cacoa bean from which chocolate is derived. Theobromine metabolizes in dogs at a slower rate than that of humans and can have fatal consequences because of the chemical effect it has on the heart, kidneys and central nervous system.
Cats do not have sweet receptors in their taste buds therefore will normally not pursue chocolate as a food. Unfortunately cats will eat chocolate if they are coaxed into eating by their pet owners or any other person that they may trust. The toxic dose for cats is much lower than that of dogs making a smaller serving of chocolate that much more deadly.
The LD50 (lethal dosage for 50 percent of the population) for dogs is 300 mg and for cats the LD50 is 200 mg.
The first signs of poisoning are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and increased urination. As the poisoning progresses it leads to cardiac arrhythmias, epileptic seizures, internal bleeding, heart attacks and eventually death.
RISK FACTOR: DEADLY
SYMPTOMS: Vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, increased urination and restlessness. Lack of coordination, muscle twitching, hyperactivity, increased heart rate and raised blood pressure will be evident. These can lead on to seizures, coma, heart arrhythmia, hyperthermia, and eventually death.
TREATABLE: YES
Grapes and Raisins
Grapes and raisins have been seen as a threat to dogs by the ASPCA. In cases where dogs have consumed them it is known to have lead to kidney failure, anuria (lack of urine production) and death. The toxin is still unknown and the estimated toxic dose varies with the size of the dog. It should also be noted that if these are consumed in low quantities over a period of time the result can still be fatal.
RISK FACTOR: DEADLY
SYMPTOMS: Vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, not eating, increased drinking and abdominal pain.
TREATABLE: YES
Onions, Garlic, Chives and Shallots
It’s important to understand that while most people do not out-right feed there pet a whole onion or clove of garlic many people use onion and garlic to add flavor to their dishes. The same dishes that people feed as table scraps to their pets.
The toxic elements in this type of plant family are N-propyl disulfide and thiosulphate which cats and dogs lack the enzyme to digest. How does this affect your animal? Well, within the red blood cell there is a chemical known as phosphate dehyrdogenase (PD). The purpose of this chemical is to protect the red blood cell from natural oxidative damage. When N-propyl disulfide is introduced into the body it begins to deplete this protective chemical and when the PD levels begin to get low the hemoglobin in the cell oxidizes and forms a “bubble” called a Heinz body on the outside of the cell. When these cells get to the spleen they are removed from the blood stream and as the more N-propyl disulfide enters the body more and more cells are damaged and continually removed. The gradual poisoning causes what is Heinz Body Hemolytic Anemia in your pet and is irreversible.
RISK FACTOR: DEADLY
SYMPTOMS: Weakness and lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, pale or bluish gums, bloody urine, jaundice, decreased appetite, increased heart rate, sever toxicity can be fatal.
TREATABLE: YES
Raw Eggs
While giving raw eggs to your dog or cat may sound like a treat in its most primal form there are a couple of concerns one should weigh in when deciding if in fact this is a treat for your animal. The first common concern of feeding a raw egg to anyone would be that of Salmonella or E. Coli poisoning, especially if the raw egg has not been refrigerated.
The other concern is that raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin. Avidin can bond with up to four biotin molecules and can cause a biotin deficiency in your pet resulting in skin, coat, and growth disorders in addition to disturbances in their nervous systems.
It is recommended that if you do feed your pet a raw egg, only do so once a week if necessary or serve a cooked egg instead.
RISK FACTOR: Severe
Salmonella SYMPTOMS: Fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and dehydration
TREATABLE: YES
Raw Fish
Feeding raw fish to dogs can be extremely risky especially if you are feeding them raw salmon. (Canids) Dogs are the only species susceptible to salmon poisoning which can result in death.
Please be aware of your dog’s habits because they can also find raw salmon digging through trash and other various means in their snack scavenging.
Salmon can be infected with a parasite called Nanophyetus salmincola. The true danger comes when the parasite is infected with a rickettsial organism named Neorickettsia helminthoeca, this is what causes the salmon poisoning in dogs.
RISK FACTOR: DEADLY
SYMPTOMS: Vomiting, lack of appetite, fever, diarrhea, weakness, swollen lymph nodes, dehydration. Death usually occurs within 14 days of infection if untreated. 90% of untreated dogs die if they are untreated.
TREATABLE: YES
Salt
Yes, something as common as salt is a poison for your pet. It is not a good idea to share any salty treats with your pet because eating too much can lead to hypernatremia which can lead to death. Hypernatremia is an electrolyte disturbance that is defined by an elevated sodium level in the blood.
RISK FACTOR: DEADLY
SYMPTOMS: Vomitting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, depression, tremors, elevated body temperature, and seizures.
TREATABLE: Possibly, if treated in time however successful treatments have still resulted in death from complications of the initial poisoning.
