Food you should never feed your dog

Dogs are very special animals; they are able to express their love and appreciation for family and would put their lives at risk for those they love. It is sometimes difficult not to share our food with them when they are looking at us in the eyes, tilting their heads sideways in a pleading manner. It is important to know the food that may be poisonous for our four-legged friends.

Here is a list of foods that we should never feed our dogs according to Healthline:

Grapes and raisins

You should never feed grapes or raisins to your dog. Grapes and raisins contain toxic compounds that are harmful to dogs. They have the potential to lead to rapid kidney failure and death. Even small amounts of grapes and raisins can make your dog sick, so it’s important to avoid giving them to your dog altogether.

Chocolates

Chocolate is a no-go area for dogs as it contains caffeine and theobromine. These two stimulants are not good for dogs as they cannot efficiently metabolize them. If a dog eats chocolate, it may show symptoms such as dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea. Such symptoms may lead to more serious complications like seizures, internal bleeding, muscle tremors, and eventually death. Darker chocolates are more poisonous than sweetened varieties like milk chocolate, this also includes less sweet varieties of chocolate, such as cocoa powder and unsweetened baker’s chocolate. Even though milk chocolate is less poisonous than darker chocolate, it is better to keep all kinds of chocolates very far from your furry friends.

Avocados

Avocados contain persin, a toxin known to be very poisonous to dogs. Persin can be found in the fruit (avocado), its tree, bark, and even leaves, so. it is wise to keep avocados far from dogs. Indulging in avocados may formulate fluid in the dog’s lungs and chest, therefore creating breathing difficulties, and oxygen deprivation and may lead to death.

Lemons and limes

The skins of lemons and limes contain a substance called psoralen, which can cause dogs to have gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. If a dog is exposed to or consumes very large amounts of psoralen, it can suffer extreme symptoms such as liver failure, muscle tremors, difficulty walking, and even death.

 

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Article originally written and published by Bongiwe Mati for Bona.

Feature image: Pexels