16 Foods Dogs Cannot Eat

Image by James Lacy (Unsplashed)

For people who own dogs, we love giving them some treats that we’re eating, either because they’ve been behaving well, or they put on their “puppy eyes” when we are eating in front of them, or just whatever reason. But the truth is, sometimes we feed them food without even knowing if they are harmful to them, regardless of the portion size. For some food, a little bit wouldn’t be dangerous to them, but some other food tends to be poisonous to them! Here is some food that you should be aware of that you should never feed to your little pupper even if they give you the adorable “puppy eyes.”

1. Chocolate.

This is something everyone should know well, regardless of dog owners or not. Chocolate contains a substance called “methylxanthines” which are found in coffee as well, as they are both made of cacao seeds. These substances can cause a dog’s metabolic process to halt, which is extremely dangerous to them. Although dark chocolate contains more “methylxanthines” than milk and white chocolate, that doesn’t mean you can feed your dog the other two. Either way, they all contain “methylxanthines” and are detrimental to your dog’s health.

2. Cinnamon.

There was once where the “cinnamon challenge” was so popular across the world, and it already shown how ingesting cinnamon powder is quite dangerous to humans. Well, for dogs, they are much worse. If dogs inhaled ground cinnamon (powdered form), they have almost the same reaction as when humans do it, including difficulty in breathing, constant coughing, and can even lead to choking. Other forms of cinnamon, such as the stick form, when ingested, can lower the blood sugar of dogs and can lead to diarrhea.

3. Dairy Products.

Although dairy products, such as milk, seem like they are great for dogs’ health, as when they were young they drink on their mothers’ breast milk, the truth is too much can be quite harmful to them. Dogs lack the enzyme to break down pieces of dairy food products, similar to people who are lactose intolerant. Ingesting too many dairy products would cause dogs’ stomachs to get upset and could lead to diarrhea or vomiting. For more serious cases, they might even develop gastrointestinal diseases. Plus, with their high-fat content, they can cause pancreatitis.

4. Onions and Garlic.

No matter in what form, powered, dry, raw, or cooked, onion and garlic are still poisonous to dogs. They can cause harm to their red blood cells, causing them to be diagnosed with anemia. Consuming too much of them can even be poisonous to dogs’ digestive systems. Unfortunately, if ingested, it would take them a few days to show the symptoms, such as vomiting, difficulty in breathing, and sudden weakness. So if you had fed your dog with them, be sure to monitor them closely for a few days.

5. Nuts.

Consuming nuts for dogs can be dangerous to dogs in two ways. One, if not chewed properly and is still in a big piece, they would become a blockage in their esophagus, and for a more serious case they might even tear up their windpipe. Two, nuts are high in oil and fats, even in a small amount. Consuming too many fats can cause your dog to be obese, and too much oil would cause them to vomit and diarrhea, and even pancreatitis. Salted nuts are also detrimental to them as they can increase water retention, which can cause heart diseases.

6. Bones.

As we all had seen that dogs love to chew on bones from cartoons. Though they love it, that doesn’t mean it is good for them. Chewing on the bone itself is bad for their teeth and their mouth. It could damage their teeth, and some could even scratch their mouth. When ingested (small pieces), they can harm their digestive system, as the sharp edges could scratch their organs. Aside from that, ingesting a fairly large bone could even cause dogs to choke, just like when humans accidentally ingested small bones.

7. Apple Core or Seeds.

When we eat an apple, we tend to just eat the sides and leave the center part as it is, as we all know the core and seeds of an apple contain cyanide, which is a poisonous substance. However, when it comes to dogs, they are even more toxic. When consumed apple core and seeds, dogs would have symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, seizures, dilated pupils, bright red mucous membrane, and even coma! When apples are wilting, their core tends to even more toxic, so be sure to not lay any apple core around.

8. Grapes and Raisins.

Although studies have not shown what substance in grapes and raisins that are detrimental to dogs’ health, it is best to just keep them away from them. The most well-known result dogs have if they consumed grapes and raisins if that they would have kidney failure. Of course, you cannot see that on your own, but when dogs consumed them, your dog would start to vomit or have diarrhea. After some time, they will become weak, sluggish, and even depressed. Even a small amount of it can be fatal to dogs.

9. Ice Cream.

Ice cream all contains dairy as they usually contain milk and yogurt. This means that they are unable to be digested by them, as they lack the enzyme to break down dairy products. Although it is tempting to give your little pup some refreshing and cooling ice cream, you might be doing them more harm. They will show signs such as vomiting and diarrhea, as dairy products would upset their stomach.

10. Avocado.

Although avocado is known to be super healthy for humans, they are not quite so for dogs. As they contain “persin”, which can upset dogs’ stomachs, causing vomiting and diarrhea. If ingested too much, they might even cause fluid to be build up in their chest, which would lead to heart congestion. If dogs are left with the seed, that is an obvious serious issue as it would cause them to choke and worst-case scenario, death.

11. Undercooked Meat.

Of course, no one would feed their dog raw meat, because even humans wouldn’t even eat that. But when you went grocery shopping and got raw meat to be cooked for dinner, be sure to keep your dog away from it. Raw meats can contain bacteria and parasites, such as Salmonella and E.coli, that are harmful to not just your pup, but to you too.

12. Sugar-Free Food.

Sugar-free food, regardless of candies, baked goods, and even some diet food labeling “sugar-free”, can even be more detrimental to your dog than just regular white sugar. They used “xylitol” to replace sugar as a sweetener, thus creating a sweet taste. Not only can they cause poisoning in dogs, but they can also even speed up the circulation of insulin in dogs, causing a rapid decrease in blood sugar levels. This can be shown in dogs as they start to vomit often, and even having seizures.

13. High Sodium Food.

Sometimes you might think to share some of your potato chips with your pup while watching Netflix is a great way to spend the night, but perhaps it is time to stop doing that. These junk food usually contain loads of salt. Minor cases include excessive thirst and often urination, but for more serious cases, the large amount of salt could cause sodium ion poisoning in them! When consumed too much, they will start to vomit and have diarrhea, but more severe symptoms include tremors, irregular body temperature, seizure, and even death.

14. Plums, Persimmons and Peaches.

The fruits themselves are not much of a problem, similar to apples, in fact, they actually contain fiber and great nutrients. What is deadly about these fruits are their seeds. If consumed, they would obviously cause dogs to have their intestines blocked or even get choked. But aside from that, the seed of these fruits do contain cyanide, which is poisoning to us and our pups. Cyanide will interfere with their blood circulation, causing them to have dilated pupils, bright red mucous, and difficulty in breathing.

15. Alcohol.

Just like how alcohol damages our liver and brain, they do the same thing to dogs as well, the only difference is the amount. Just a little alcohol can cause dogs to be fatal. When consumed, dogs will have severe vomiting and diarrhea. Aside from these common symptoms, dogs could also become drowsy, unresponsiveness, and decreased coordination, similar to an intoxicated person. If consumed too much, they might even have tremors, difficulty in breathing, coma, and even death.

16. Candies.

Candies are known to be high in sugar, and if consumed dogs would be lacking in appetite and even get an upset stomach, which would interfere with their movement. However, candies also do contain artificial sweetener “xylitol”, which is also found in sugar-free food, which means that if ingested, they would cause their insulin level to speed up, and decrease their blood sugar. In severe cases, this might even cause kidney failures in dogs.

These are just some of the food that is harmful, or poisonous, even, to dogs. Of course, different dogs would react differently to the food, and some dogs might not have any issues with some milder food listed, such as dairy products (some dogs are okay consuming them). However, it is better to be safe than sorry and just avoid giving your dogs these foods.

*Disclaimer: The writer is not an expert, a nutritionist, or a veterinary of any kind. The information given is all dependent on the research she had done and is considered to be appropriate to be up on this list. All dogs are different and would react differently to each food. Although some of them are not entirely harmful and a small amount are not detrimental, it is best to avoid giving them to your pets. The writer would not be responsible for any medical issues that would happen due to the extracted information shown.