Don’t give in to those puppy eyes! Prevent pet poisoning this Memorial Day

 prevent pet poisoning

With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, it’s time to start planning the menu to kick off the summer fun! Celebrations with friends can be filled with all kinds of yummy dishes that our dogs would just love to sample, so out come the food-begging, heart-melting puppy eyes. 

 

 

Be strong and don’t give in to the cuteness! So many human foods are toxic to dogs, and even a small indulgent bite might lead to a trip to the emergency room—something we all want to avoid.
 
The most common and serious toxic foods for dogs include:

 
  • Chocolate, coffee and caffeine. Ingestion of small amounts can cause vomiting and diarrhea, but large amounts can cause seizures and heart arrhythmias. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate are the most toxic, and even small doses of these can be fatal.
  • Alcohol. It’s probably not surprising that dogs will act drunk if they lap up an alcoholic beverage, but our dogs are lightweights who will go from stumbling and vomiting to severe symptoms, like coma and even death, on fairly little alcohol.
  • Grapes and raisins. Even one grape or raisin can cause kidney failure in dogs. That includes baked goods with raisins in them, like fruitcake and carrot cake.  
  • Onions and garlic. These flavor boosters damage the red blood cells of dogs. This is true for the raw vegetables as well as their powdered forms.
  • Sugarless gums and candies that contain xylitol. This sweetener causes a life-threatening drop in blood sugar and liver failure in dogs. If you keep gum and mints in your purse, don’t forget to store them out of reach.
  • Macadamia nuts. Most nuts are very fatty and can cause vomiting and diarrhea, but macadamia nuts specifically will lead to weakness, tremors and hyperthermia.
  • Yeast dough. This will keep rising in your pet’s stomach, leading to bloat and ethanol production, which causes the same toxicity as alcohol.
     

Although not truly toxic, a few more foods that can lead to trouble are:

  • Fatty foods. Any food that has a high fat content, such as bacon or butter, can lead to severe stomach upset and pancreatitis.
  • Indigestible parts of foods. Our dogs don’t always know to stop eating when they reach the indigestible parts of food, like bones, which can lodge in their gut and cause an obstruction. 
  • Milk. Believe it or not, some pets are lactose intolerant—even dogs! Avoid giving your pet milk and dairy products to prevent diarrhea and an upset stomach

To be on the safe side, keep human food out of your dogs’ reach.

If you believe your pet has eaten something toxic, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435 right away! 

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