My 9 year old Bedlington Terrier has always been a good little dog; never being overly naughty – no interest in chasing cats, never chewed shoes or stole food… until this past Christmas season! Still generally a good little dog, however the temptation of all the tasty treats we had around the house apparently proved too much after 9 years of being a good boy! He got into various sweets and chocolates, thankfully vomiting afterwards and being okay, but it was still cause for concern until he had vomited and gotten back to his normal self.

All this got me thinking – there are plenty of human foodstuffs that are bad for our dogs, but what are some of the more serious foods to keep your dog away from?
Chocolate – an obvious and widely known human food to not feed your dog. Garlic and onions, grapes and raisins – not necessarily commonly known human foods to keep you dogs away from.

 

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Chocolate
Everyone knows not to feed chocolate to dogs, however a lot of us still do it! Feeding your chocolate may also encourage stealing chocolate too.
But what is it that makes chocolate toxic to dogs? Caffeine and theobromine. These are also found in more dangerous quantities the darker the chocolate, whereas white chocolate contains quite low quantities – so as a general rule; the darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is.
If your dog does ingest chocolate the affects may vary from vomiting and digestive discomfort, to seizures and death. A small amount of chocolate usually causes mild digestive discomfort, and often vomiting – which clears the digestive tract of the toxin. If this does not happen, and you dog has ingested a fair amount of chocolate, veterinary attention should immediately be sought!


OnionandGarlicOnions and Garlic
Garlic is more toxic to dogs than onions (gram for gram), but both garlic, onions and related foodtuufss are toxic enough to cause serious health problems in your dog.
Sulfoxides and disulfides can be found in these types of foodstuffs which can damage red blood cells and cause anaemia. It is quite uncommon for dogs to eat enough onion or garlic  for this to happen (raw is more toxic), although these foods should be kept well away from your hungry dog!

 

grapes-and-raisinsGrapes and Raisins
Vomiting, lethargy and diarrhoea can be caused by your dog eating grapes or raisins (and related foods), as well as more severe toxicosis causing kidney problems and possibly kidney failure (resulting in death).
It is unknown what exactly it is in grapes and raisins that causes these toxic effects. Some dogs can eat grapes and raisins with little or no ill effects, and others do not experience ill effects until a later date – so it is best to keep your dog clear of them!

My little Barney wouldn’t touch fruit or veg with a barge pole, so I don’t worry too much about that  (still keep them away from him though)! However, with his newly acquired sweet tooth I am having to be more mindful of where I leave my tasty treats so that they don’t end up being eaten by him! This means remembering to put chocolates and sweets back into cupboards or the fridge (preferably high up ones) so that he cannot reach them, and he cannot open any doors to get at any!

Bedlington Terrier

 

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