Poisons For Your Dog

With Valentine's Day coming up, I find it rather alarming that so many people feed their dog chocolate - even though it is highly publicized as a toxin for dogs. They say it never bothers them and they feed it to them all of the time.


While I don't choose to let my dogs live on the edge that far, I thought I would publish the ASPCA list of substances you shouldn't feed your dog, just in case you had an urge - and this is partly because I saw a post circulating around about raisins and liver failure for one particular dog. Raisins have been on the Do Not Feed list for some time now, and this is a case where this kind of information just doesn't reach enough people, or they choose to ignore it, because "it never bothered them before" and now it's too late. Hint Hint!

This list (which we consult all of the time) is the reason we don't have an oatmeal raisin dog treat. Also, the sharp reader will notice that garlic is also on this list, and some of our treats have garlic in them. While we don't just ignore this, most research points that garlic was added to the list primarily because they are in the same family as onions, and onions are very much toxic for dogs.

While garlic is a natural flea repellent, the amounts that it would take to do any harm would be several whole cloves in one sitting. We add a few tablespoons to a batch of 400 treats. I have family members that feed garlic suppliments to their dogs with no problems. I personally don't think garlic has any ill efects, but I imagine a few dogs can have reactions the same as people do - and no single rule works 100% of the time for everyone.

So, I guess the bottom line is that I can find a piece of research saying garlic is ok for dogs for every piece out there saying it is bad. Chocolate, on the otherhand, does not have any such backing - or raisons. So, do your homework - Here's the list:

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet
- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

Warm Weather Hazards
- Animal toxins—toads, insects, spiders, snakes and scorpions
- Blue-green algae in ponds
- Citronella candles
- Cocoa mulch
- Compost piles Fertilizers
- Flea products
- Outdoor plants and plant bulbs
- Swimming-pool treatment supplies
- Fly baits containing methomyl
- Slug and snail baits containing metaldehyde

Medication
Common examples of human medications that can be potentially lethal to pets, even in small doses, include:
- Pain killers
- Cold medicines
- Anti-cancer drugs
- Antidepressants
- Vitamins
- Diet Pills

Cold Weather Hazards
- Antifreeze
- Liquid potpourri
- Ice melting products
- Rat and mouse bait

Common Household Hazards
- Fabric softener sheets
- Mothballs
- Post-1982 pennies (due to high concentration of zinc)

Holiday Hazards
- Christmas tree water (may contain fertilizers and bacteria, which, if ingested, can upset the stomach.
- Electrical cords
- Ribbons or tinsel (can become lodged in the intestines and cause intestinal obstruction—most often occurs with kittens!)
- Batteries
- Glass ornaments
Non-toxic Substances for Dogs and Cats
The following substances are considered to be non-toxic, although they may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in some animals:
- Water-based paints
- Toilet bowl water
- Silica gel
- Poinsettia
- Cat litter
- Glue traps
- Glow jewelry

Courtesy ASPCA (http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_poisonsafe)