How can you resist that face? I mean, he looks so hungry and there you are with your full plate of steaming hot delicious food. It's the holidays and he should have a treat too! You're torturing him! Well, just so you know, dogs always look hungry. It's a survival mechanism that began long ago when wolves first crept around our campfires. They learned to be cute to get our scraps. We're suckers for sure. Now, grab a hold of your pity and steady your resolve because those left-overs are bad for Fido and you won't be doing him any favors. The problem with most people food is the manner in which it is cooked. Chicken, for instance, is fine as long as it's not covered in spices, salt, and oil. Since almost all of our food is seasoned, it's just safer not to give table scraps to your pet. I've compiled a list here of foods that are big no-no's for dogs and cats. The afflictions that these foods cause range from vomiting and diarrhea to kidney damage, toxicity, and death. To have a safe holiday and not spend it at the vet's office, this is what you should avoid:
- Chocolate, Tea, Coffee, and anything with caffeine.
- Citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruit)
- Raw garlic
- Grapes, Raisins
- Hops - That's beer to you and me.
- Macadamia Nuts
- Onions, onions, onions!
- Pepper
- Blackberries
- Salt
- Avocado
- Spices - Most are harmful so just stay away from them all.
- Spinach
- Raw yeast dough
- Bones - Buy the ones from the pet store and don't give ones from your table. They are too small and can cause choking and stomach perforation.
- Fat trimmings- This is a favorite scrap of many people but it can actually cause pancreatitis.
- Mushrooms
- Raw eggs
- Vitamins containing Iron
- Dairy - It's not toxic but don't give it to your pup or kitty on a regular basis.
Good info - we gave our cat an egg the other night but it was scrambled - she didn't eat it anyway. Probably a good thing because I had salted it. Just wondering if tuna has salt in it - I'll have to look at the can - whenever we open a can of tuna the cats come running and we leave just a little in the bottom of the can for them.
ReplyDeleteYou should write a book - we love your blogs!
Thanks so much for the kind words. There probably is salt in tuna but unfortunately that's not the main concern with this food. As I learned recently, the ASPCA released a report in 2004 that said too much tuna can drastically lower Vitamin E levels thereby causing steatitis, a really nasty disease which causes the fat cells in a cat's body to die. Their conclusion was that it's fine every once in a while but not on any sort of regular basis. It's too bad because they love it so much. My cat would knock through walls to get to a can of tuna! I'm sure that giving them a little in the bottom of the can is fine as long as it's once a week or so.
ReplyDeleteThanks it's good to know that. Wonder if eating tuna would cause the fat cells in MY body to die??? Not that I want a nasty disease and my Vitamin E lowered, but I could lose a few fat cells...
ReplyDeleteHaha! No, I'm afraid it's only cats.
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