9 Foods Your Pet Should Never Eat – You dig into a delicious meal with your family when you look down and realize there is your cat or dog licking their lips and looking longingly at every bite you place in your mouth. Should you share your food with your animal? Some foods are safe, but others are not.
Here are 9 foods your pet should never eat:
- Milk. Not all milk is created equal. What one animal can digest another cannot. Cats and dogs do not have the right enzymes in their bodies to be able to break down the lactose in cow’s milk. So keep your pet away from milk and any product made from cow’s milk like ice cream or yogurt.
- Bones. Dogs chewing on bones is a traditional picture, but you should never give your dog bones from your leftover food. Yes, chewing is good for them, but it’s better to purchase rawhide or other chew toys that won’t break, splinter, or carry bacteria from uncooked meat.
- Ham or other high-fat foods. High-fat foods can cause pancreatitis which can be possibly fatal.
Onions, garlic, and other savory seasonings. These can irritate your pet’s digestive tract, especially cat’s. They can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. If you suspect your pet has eaten some, keep an eye out for vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and strange looking urine. Don’t forget about foods that have been seasoned with these ingredients. These contain persin which is toxic to animals. Even a little can cause severe stomach issues.- Keep alcohol away from pets. Just like for humans, this leads to depressing the nervous system. It’s not funny to see a pet who has had alcohol. It could even cause death.
- Caffeine drinks and foods in which caffeine is naturally occurring.
- Chocolate also contains theobromine which is toxic to dogs.
- Grapes and raisins. This causes a range of reactions in pets from hyperactivity to lethargy and even kidney issues or death. Make sure to keep baked goods that contain raisins out of reach as well.
- Unbaked yeast dough. This can rise in the stomach causing at the least, terribly uncomfortable gas and at the most a stomach rupture which could lead to death. If you are making pizza crust for your pizza night, keep the dough out of reach.
Even the most cautious pet owners cannot control all things. If your pet has accidentally consumed any of these foods, quickly contact Dr. Jim Miller to get your pet medical attention.
