10 Common Human Foods That Are Toxic To Dogs: Beware!

As pet owners, its our responsibility to ensure their health and safety. Its super easy to give your pet your scraps from dinner or some food under the table, but its important to recognize that there are many foods that seem common to us that are toxic to dogs! Here are some that have very harmful effects that you should keep away from your pup.

Chocolate

Chocolate is probably the most well-known food that is toxic to dogs. But you may not know the reason: chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which can be very harmful to dogs. These can cause heart and central nervous system issues that can be extremely dangerous, even deadly.

Photo by Jessica Loaiza on Unsplash

Grapes and Raisins

Both grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. They can be very harmful and even a small amount can hurt them. Be sure to keep grapes and raisins out of reach from your pup!

Photo by Nataliya Melnychuk on Unsplash

Onions and Garlic

Onions contain ingredients that can damage your dog's blood cells, causing anemia. Be sure not to feed your dog anything that contains onions, onion powder, onion flakes, or anything in the allium family. This includes, but is not limited to, leeks, chives, and garlic, which is considered the most harmful in the allium family.

Photo by Mockup Graphics on Unsplash

Xylitol

Xylitol is an ingredient found in many common food items, such as sugar-free gum, candies, baked goods, and even some peanut butter brands. This is an ingredient that may be easy to miss but very harmful. It can cause a rapid release of insulin, leading to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), seizures, and liver failure.

Photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash

Alcohol

Alcohol can cause many problems in dogs. It is something you need to look out for especially since some dogs can be attracted to it. Alcohol will depress your pup's central nervous system and cause many different symptoms. For example, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, depression, drooling, decreased coordination, difficulty breathing, weakness, collapse, tremors, coma, and even death.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Avocado

Avocados can be harmful to dogs since they contain persin, a toxin that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and even death. Avocado is often considered a "healthy fat" for humans but it much too high in fat for dogs. This can put your pup at risk of pancreatitis.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts can be dangerous since just a few can easily poison a medium-sized dog. The signs of macadamia nut poisoning may be weakness, depression, vomiting, tremors, hyperthermia.

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

Bones

It is commonly said that giving your dog uncooked bones is unsafe, but many vets say that giving your dog any bones is unsafe. Bones can cause many different injuries and illnesses including broken teeth, mouth and tongue injuries, gastrointestinal (GI) tract blockages, bones getting stuck around the dog's lower jaw, vomiting, diarrhea, choking, injuries to the stomach and intestines, bleeding from the rectum, bones getting stuck in the stomach, bone fragments scraping the lining of the GI tract, and illness caused by bacteria on raw bones.

Photo by Kiyoshi on Unsplash

Raw Dough

It is completely okay for your pup to eat baked bread, but unbaked bread dough with yeast can be dangerous. This can be problematic since the dough could rise in the dog's stomach, causing it to bloat. Bloating can cause the stomach to twist, which can be life-threatening.

Not just that, but the yeast ferment carbohydrates in the dough, making ethanol (alcohol). This can ultimately cause alcohol poisoning in your pup and can lead to the many problems listed before.

Photo by Nadya Spetnitskaya on Unsplash

Dairy Products

The last item I have on this list is dairy products. Dogs aren't able to process the lactose in milk products like humans can. This can cause digestive issues like vomiting, diarrhea, gas, stomach pain, and pancreatitis.

Photo by sheri silver on Unsplash

Knowing which human foods your pup can and cannot eat can make a huge difference in your dog's health. Though we might have good intentions, giving our dogs a sliver of our dinner can cause a lot of problems. Just remember, try not to give in to those puppy dog eyes!

Sources:

Lee, Lauren. “26 Common Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs.” Edited by Ghanasyam Bey, GoodRx Health, GoodRx, 2 Mar. 2023, www.goodrx.com/pet-health/dog/what-foods-are-poisonous-to-dogs.