How to Avoid (Accidentally!) Poisoning Your Dog

Don't we just love our fur babies?! Our best friends, our loyal companions, our worlds. All good dog owners want to give their four legged friends the best life possible, shower them with love, give them an active, healthy and fulfilling life. Who doesn't love seeing their tails wagging and their faces lighting up when you give them a tasty treat?! Well me for one, it filled me with joy when I saw my 12 year old red-fox Labrador licking her lips! But as I found out these treats are one of the worst things you can do to your dog, which we all need to be made aware of.

The other night I had a huge scare with my beloved Labrador, Lola. Whilst entering the living room she completely lost her balance, fell to the floor and had a seizure, she was on her side, her legs were shaking in a paddling motion. It only lasted for seconds, but I went into complete panic mode. I thought she was having a heart attack. I felt her heart which was beating very rapidly, then she seemed to go back to normal. However minutes later she had another seizure. Lola was rushed to the emergency vets.

What caused this seizure? Toast with butter, simple as that! For the past few weeks I had been giving Lola a piece of toast, with butter, as a breakfast treat. Which, I found out, is extremely bad for a dogs digestive system and sends toxins to the brain. The thought of other dogs going through this is very frightening to me, so please know which foods you must avoid.

Dangerous Foods..

There are many foods which can be dangerous for dogs, and in the worst causes even fatal. It's highly important to refresh our minds on what foods your dog must never ever eat. No matter how much they beg or give you that adorable 'please feed me too' face! Remember it's for their own good. Your not being kind, you're damaging your dogs health.

Xylitol, which is commonly found in baked foods and sweets. This can cause liver failure, blood sugar to drop, blood clotting disorders, and seizures. Chocolate is very bad and poisonous, which could give your dog diarrhea, vomiting, abnormal heart beats, tremours, kidney failure, and seizures. Caffeine is to be avoided too. As is raw meat and eggs, which can contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. Coli.

What's more normal than giving your dog a bone?! They love bones! But never give a cooked bone as it's possible for the bone to splinter in their tummy. Avoid macadamia nuts, the high fat content is not only bad for their stomachs, they can also give your dog swollen limbs. Corn on the cob also does not digest well, though it's the cob itself which is the most harmful as it can cause intestinal blockage.

Safety And Awareness

Avocado is very high in fat content and bad for their stomachs, as is citrus fruit. Onion, garlic and chives destroy red blood cells and can cause difficulty in breathing. Grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure and liver damage. Milk, dairy products, coconut, coconut oil, are all bad for the digestive system, causing upset stomachs and diarrhea. I think it's fair to say all dogs would eat a slice of bacon, given half a chance! But no, no, no! Bacon is very high in fat, which can lead to pancreatitis. Also white bread with its high levels of sugar and oils is a cause which can lead to pancreatitis too.

It should be pretty obvious to never give your dog alcohol. But if your dog is partial to a drop of booze, stop now! It can cause vomiting, bad coordination, difficulty in breathing and damage to the nervous system. Raw dough is also a no, it can be fatal as the dough will continue to rise in your dogs stomach, causing blockages and tremendous pain.

If your dog does come into contact with any of these products go to have them checked over at the vets as soon as possible. I feel terrible for giving Lola food which could of been fatal for her, and now anything which I ever viewed as a 'treat' is now best viewed as 'poisonous.' Thank goodness my Lola is all okay. Lola means the world to me. My advice is to just give your dog foods which are meant for dogs only. There are plenty of dog 'treat' products out there, which contain all the ingredients which are healthy, nutritious and delicious. Stick with these products; my Lola certainly will be.