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Deadly Foods to Cats & Dogs AnonymousCat !!6TJwahn8wU3
wisegeek.com is a great info source

As people have become more health conscious, so have they been paying more attention to the health needs of the furry members of the family. To this end many animal lovers have become aware that the majority of commercial pet foods contain unhealthy ingredients and have shifted instead to sharing the refrigerator and cupboards. While natural, fresh food is far healthier than byproducts and preservatives, keep in mind that the foods listed below are known to be toxic to cats and dogs because of the different ways animals metabolize them.

Chocolate: Although many people are aware that chocolate is toxic to cats and dogs, it's something that is commonly left on a table or counter top. Dogs may tear into a box of candy when the opportunity presents itself. In large quantities, chocolate causes coma and death. In lesser quantities, it will cause gastrointestinal problems including diarrhea. The degree of toxicity depends on the weight of the animal and the amount and type of chocolate consumed. Semi-sweet and bakers chocolate, for instance, contain more theobromine than regular chocolate, making them even more toxic to animals. Dogs love chocolate, so don't let taste be a test of what is healthy. Anything containing cocoa or chocolate should be avoided.

Grapes & Raisins: Though it isn't clear to scientists just what makes grapes and raisins toxic to both cats and dogs, even a relatively small amount can damage the kidneys. For this reason it's unwise to feed these to your pet, even if small amounts are tolerated. Also avoid giving bits of cookie or other foods that contain raisins.
>> AnonymousCat !!6TJwahn8wU3
Garlic, Onions, and Powders: Whether fresh, cooked or powdered, garlic and/or onions can be found among the ingredients of many prepared meals, including baby food. Garlic and onions can be toxic to cats and dogs because sulfoxides and disulfides found in them can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia. Onions are more problematic than garlic, but both should be avoided. If preparing a meal for yourself that will contain garlic or onions, consider preparing a side portion without these ingredients for your animals.

Macadamia Nuts: Macadamia nuts are soft, light-colored nuts often used in cookie recipes. They are considered toxic to dogs because they tend to cause gastrointestinal upsets, lethargy, vomiting and muscle tremors or stiffness.

Mushrooms: Various species of mushrooms are toxic to dogs, and can cause shock and death. Effects will differ depending on the type ingested, but avoid feeding any type. Pluck "backyard mushrooms" that might sprout on the lawn, as these are known to be toxic to canines.

Tomatoes and tomato plants: Tomatoes of all kinds are toxic to cats, as are parts of the tomato plant. Ingesting as little as a cherry tomato can cause severe gastrointestinal upset.
>> AnonymousCat !!6TJwahn8wU3
Chicken Bones: Though not toxic, chicken bones can get stuck in the roof of the mouth, throat and intestines, and should be avoided, according to many veterinarians. Splinters of chicken bones can also become lodged internally.

Other foods to avoid include raw potatoes, especially those containing green spots; turkey skin; nutmeg; and anything with caffeine, including tea. Alcohol and hops should also be avoided as alcohol poisoning can lead to coma and death. Do not allow your pet to rummage through the trash, as moldy food contains toxins that can cause serious illness.

Since many of the signs of toxicity are similar, call your veterinarian immediately if your pet appears distressed, lethargic or in pain. Bloody stools or vomiting are also possible signs of toxic poisoning. Gastrointestinal problems can lead to gas build-up until the stomach becomes distended or bloated and hard to the touch. This is a painful condition that can cause the stomach to burst if not treated. The good news is that, in most cases, treatment for toxic poisoning can be successful if administered in time.
>> Anonymous
Well, I know what to feed my sister's cats now.
>> Anonymous
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Meh.

I feed my animals all of these things and they're all perfectly healthy. (I know this because they all went in for shots and blood tests just a couple weeks ago.) I think that if these things were significantly harmful, I'd have seen the effects by now in my animals. I equate the argument that "chocolate is bad for dogs" with "sugar is bad for humans." It tastes good and even though it's been related to several serious illnesses, we eat it anyway and still survive to tell the tale. Same is true with a lot of these foods -- our pets are still fine, so why all the fuss about limiting these things from their diets? The only immediate danger I can see is that feeding our pets too many of these foods leads to weight gain.

In b4 "stop trolling my /an/," "you're a negligent pet owner," etc.
>> Anonymous
Deadly? That's kind of a melodramatic word for "Bad for." Antifreeze is deadly. Chocolate is just bad for them. I've had dogs that ate chocolate and were fine and others that got sick. It's best to generally avoid it but it's not like your dog will die if they eat a Hershey's kiss. Unless they are seriously allergic.

Mushrooms can be poisonous to everything.

Garlic? Really? That's weird. Absolutely never heard of that.
>> Anonymous
My dogs stole a plastic bottle of garlic powder, chewed it until it broke open and ate all the garlic.

Neither one was sick, although they smelled weird for a day or so afterward.
>> Anonymous
My dog has gotten into a lot of these foods and he is very small (like 12 pounds) and all he ever gets is diarrhea.

My grandpa used to feed his dog grapes all the time but heard they could become a choking hazard, what do you think?
>> Anonymous
God, my two dogs (a lab mix and a rat terrier) found a HUGE fucking bag of M&Ms my mom had dropped while carrying groceries in and ate the whole fucking thing, It was like the size of an Xbox 360 and they ate the whole damn thing.

They were okay afterwards, not a thing wrong.
>> Anonymous
The part about grapes seems highly suspicious. Foxes eat grapes all the time and don't get sick, I can't see any reason why they could be fatal to dogs.
On the other hand, small, fragile bird bones are a real problem with dogs, even large breeds.
>> Anonymous
My dad is a chocoholic and feeds their beggin shepard and blueheeler chocolates all the time.

lulz
>> Anonymous
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> Garlic? Really? That's weird. Absolutely never heard of that.

I've actually heard that one before, as well as about onions, in Kittens for Dummies.
>> AnonymousCat !!6TJwahn8wU3
>>86789

Lighter milk chocolates arent as poisonous as dark chocolates, still certainly want to be careful

A dog we are taking care of for a friend ate an entire tray of cookies, fudge and M&Ms we had sitting on a table last Christmas. She seemed fine afterwards
>> Anonymous
one of my friend's mothers would routinely feed their dog m&m's. It's the hugest dog i've ever seen; i don't know it's current condition, but it seemed to have been going on for a while
>> Anonymous
Chocolate isn't extremely dangerous because it takes a LOT to kill a dog. For milk chocolate at least, a dog would need to eat as many ounces of chocolate as pounds it weighs. For the more potent chocolates, though, it doesn't take much. If chocolate doesn't kill your dog, it will make them sick.

I've had no experiences with the other foods, but my question is why risk it? I don't feed my dog any tablescraps or anything, just dog food. There's no reason to feed your dog human food if you have dog food to feed it. Even if you don't poison them, you're probably shaving away their life-span. What's the point?
>> Anonymous
All of these things become much greater problems if you have a small animal. If your pet DOES ingest anything you think is harmful, you can give it a spoonful of hydrogen peroxide (maybe more for a large dog) to induce vomiting. Wait about 20 minutes and repeat. If your pet acts distressed you should take it into the vet, but if it seems fine after vomiting everything up then you probably don't have anything to worry about.
>> Anonymous
Chocolate and coffee are apparently dangerous to most pet animals due to their theobromine content. More so for the smaller pets like parakeets and chihuahuas for obvious reasons.

Avocado and rhubarb are, far as I hear, also something you'd want to avoid giving your dog.
>> Anonymous
Avocado is actually quite an oddity in the fact that humans are one of the very few species who can eat them without any ill effect.

They are toxic to pretty much any other terrestrial vertebrate, with ill effect ranging from mastitis (inflammation of mammary glands) to more severe things such as heart attacks in rabbits, and asphyxia in pretty much any bird.

The problem with avocadoes is that they don't have any noxious taste or smell to keep pets from eating them, unlike onions that really only humans (and perhaps a few chimps) find palatable.


Regarding Rhubarb, they are actually somewhat poisonous to humans as well, just not enough to matter as long as you only eat the stems. If you eat the leaves your kidneys will take damage. Unfortunately the oxalates that make rhubarb toxic is also what make them taste so damn good. Such is life.
>> Anonymous
Thanks all. It is quite interesting and informative. Heck, when I was a new cat owner and learned around the holidays that Pets and Poinsettias did not mix, I try to keep everything away from them they don't need.

A good thing tuna water is not listed
>> Anonymous
>>86803
My dog used to LOVE grapes and eat them all the time and she seemed fine. Lived a long life, too.
>> 4tran
So that's why Garfield doesn't like raisins... but what of lasagna, with its loads of tomato sauce?
>> Anonymous
I have to wonder, if things like chocolate and grapes are toxic to cat and dogs, animals known to eat all kinds of stuff bones and all, why is it that humans are okay?
>> Anonymous
>>87581
For the same reason that humans can't survive on a diet consisting of nothing but meat, whereas dogs and cats can.
>> Anonymous
I regularly visit the US, and I stay with friends who have a whopping big tart of a German Shepherd. (Golddarn, play with him innocently the wrong way and the bastard cracks a fat.) Anyway, I had travelled halfway around the world carrying a box of chocolate-covered Macadamia nuts for another friend of mine (who loves nuts). I went out for the day leaving my luggage and the dog at home. When I came back I found out the fat fucker had smelt my nuts and dug into my luggage and ate them. All those nuts gave him was runny poo.
>> Anonymous
how about pork rinds
>> Anonymous
>>87582
While that is true, humans CAN survive on a diet consisting only on animal tissues (that includes fats and internal organs), which makes me wonder if cats or dogs could survive on purely meat (muscle tissue) either.
>> Anonymous
>>87667
Survive, yes. Live healthily, no. Unfortunately, animal tissues contain very little vitamin C.
>> Anonymous
>>87667
They can eat plants, don't they? I've seen cats and dogs chew on grass from time to time.
>> Anonymous
>>87727
Vitamin C supplements ftw. I'm not a fan of fruits and vegetables and I'm as fit as a fiddle.
>> Anonymous
>>87727
Wrong. Cats are obligate carnivores. There is 0% required plant material in their diet. They eat grass to help them puke up hairballs since hair cannot be digested.

Dogs are not as much of carnivores as cats are but cats get everything they need from eating meat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obligate_carnivore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felidae