Saturday, July 12, 2008

Dangerous "people food", do not feed to your pets!

Grapes and Raisins: Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill a dog.
Onions: Onions destroy red blood cells and can cause anemia.
Chocolate: Chocolate can cause seizures, coma and death.
Coffee, Coffee grounds, tea and tea bags: Drinks/foods containing caffeine cause many of the same symptoms chocolate causes.
Macadamia nuts and Walnuts: Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. Limit all other nuts as they are not good for dogs in general. The exception is peanut butter, however, always use organic, salt/sugar free. Regular peanut butter has lots of toxins and is full of pesticides.
Animal fat and fried foods: Excessive fat can cause pancreatitis.
Bones: Cooked bones can splinter and damage a dog's internal organs. Raw bones should always be supervised as a small piece can break off and cause problems.
Tomatoes: Tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias. Tomato plants are toxic.
Salt: Excessive salt intake can cause kidney problems.
Mushrooms or toadstools: Never let your pet eat mushrooms found in your yard.
Xylitol: Even a small amount can cause liver failure and death.
If your pet has ingested any of these foods, get veterinary help immediately.
ASPCA Poison Hotline (888) 426-4435