Everyone loves giving dogs fun treats. Sometimes you share your food, and other times you get specific goodies to share with your four-legged companions. But there are foods that though perfectly safe for humans are actually dangerous foods for dogs.
Finding out what foods you can and can’t give your dog will make every treat safer and healthier for your pet. They will feel better, and you can avoid problems that can occur as your puppy ages that can decrease their lifespan and lower their quality of life.
Can I Give My Puppy Human Food?
Absolutely, but you can’t give them everything you can eat. Dogs have a different metabolism, and so things that are safe for humans can be deadly for a dog. Some of these items have had a ton of news coverage, while others remain surprising to pet owners.
As a general rule of thumb, it is best to give your dogs less processed foods and less spiced foods. Often, spices can have foods that are not good for your dog, and the herbs usually aren’t necessary to make your dog love the food.
Learning the foods you shouldn’t share will make it easier for you to plan treats that your dog will love.
What Can I Share With My Puppy?
You can share a lot of food with your puppy. Unseasoned meats are perfectly safe. Eggs, cheese, peanut butter, and bread are all ok too. Sometimes your dog may have gastric issues with cheese and milk, so you will have to monitor how your dog reacts to all of these.
There are a ton of fruits and veggies that you can toss your dog to enjoy. Some dogs love these treats, and other dogs may not get too excited over them.
Puppies Vs. Dogs Can They Eat Different Things
There are differences between puppies’ and dogs’ diets. The main reason for this is the size of your pet. Puppies are constantly growing. They need more energy and more building materials to get as big and healthy as possible.
Adult dogs don’t need to add mass. They aren’t building as much, so they need fewer calories and fewer vitamins and minerals.
Puppies are much smaller than adults so that toxins can affect them more quickly. Their bodies are still developing, too, so they won’t be able to process bad foods as well, and they might have worse reactions to some foods.
Dangerous foods for dogs
Here are the most dangerous foods for dogs. These foods are bad for full-size dogs, but you can notice their effects much quicker in smaller puppies.
Some of these aren’t too bad in extreme moderation, but if your dog eats any of these, even in small quantities, you may want to monitor your puppy to make sure they don’t have a bad reaction.
1. Chocolate
Chocolate tops many lists of food dogs shouldn’t eat. The sweet treat contains methylxanthine, which is a toxic stimulant for dogs. It can shut down your puppy’s metabolism and cause the dog to get very sick.
In small doses, it can cause your dog to vomit and have diarrhea. In larger quantities, it can hurt your dog’s heart, cause seizures, and in the most extreme cases, it can cause death. If your dog gets a hold of a chocolate stash, you will want to contact a vet immediately.
2. Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts are horrible to share with your pet. Scientists don’t know the mechanism for how they affect your dog, but they can attack the nervous system. Even as little as two nuts per pound of your dog, can cause partial paralysis.
Your dog may not be able to walk and can get a high temperature and weakness. Puppies can also become lethargic and not be able to get up. Owners have also reported vomiting and nausea with these nuts.
Due to a puppy’s small size, a few of these nuts can be a huge problem. If your dog gets into a bag of macadamia nuts, contact your vet immediately.
3. Garlic and Onions
All allium family foods are dangerous to dogs. It includes onions, leeks, chives, and garlic. Garlic is the most potent member of this family, and so it can hurt your puppy the most. They have a substance called thiosulfate which can destroy red blood cells in your dog.
Your dog can experience anemia from eating these veggies. Your dog may develop pale gums, and they may also become weak. If you notice your dog sleeping or acting tired after eating garlic, they may be having harmful effects.
Your dog can develop these symptoms a few days after eating garlic and onions, so if you think your puppy may have eaten something spiced with these, you may want to watch your dog for a few days to see if they have ill effects.
4. Avocado
Avocado may be a superfood for humans, but for puppies, it can be unsafe. The fruit contains persin, which can be bad for your dog. It can affect your four-legged friend’s digestive system and cause vomiting and diarrhea.
In large amounts, due to its high-fat content, it can cause pancreatitis in dogs. In some extreme cases, it can cause myocardial or heart damage. So skip the avocado and just share the toast with your pets.
5. Grapes and Raisins
Grapes, and their dried version raisins, aren’t good for your puppy. No one knows why grapes are so bad for pups, but consuming these fruits can cause acute kidney failure in your dogs.
If your dog eats grapes, you may notice them being extra tired, reduced urine production, vomiting, and signs of dehydration. If your dog eats grapes, you want to go to your vet or contact an animal poison control immediately and follow their instructions.
6. MSG
Studies have shown that MSG can cause brain damage in dogs. Puppies are even more susceptible to these effects because they are still developing their brain. You can find the flavoring in food to give it a savory flavor.
MSG isn’t always listed on the packaging because it often shows up as artificial flavoring. The signs of small amounts of MSG are not noticeable, but effects increase over time. To avoid MSG, don’t let your dog eat spiced foods. For the most part, dogs don’t need seasoning to enjoy food.
7. Xylitol
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol in candies and sweets as a low caloric alternative. It may have a laxative effect on people, but it can cause a massive insulin release in dogs. Your dog’s blood sugar can drop drastically, which can cause problems.
Dogs who eat xylitol can vomit, lethargic and weak. In extreme cases, it can cause your dog to become uncoordinated and unable to walk. In the worst cases, xylitol can cause liver failure and death. The small size of your puppy can make these problems even more pronounced.
8. Salt
Too much salt can be bad for everyone, but dogs and puppies can have even worse reactions than others. They can get an electrolyte imbalance that can cause problems. Large amounts of salt can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea.
A little salt isn’t bad, but you want to avoid sharing chips and salty snacks with pets.
9. Chicken Bone
Cooked chicken bones can be dangerous foods for your dogs. The cooked bones can splinter and cut your dog’s mouth while they are chewing on them. The fragments can also tear their throat and their digestive tract. Even if they don’t cut your dog, the bone may choke them.
Dogs love chicken bones, and some will even go into the trash to find them. Chefs can cover the cooked bones in spices that can be dangerous for dogs. It is best if you keep your dog away from these bones.
If your dog gets a hold of chicken bones, you will want to make sure they aren’t suffering immediate choking problems, and contact your vet for more advice.
10. Alcohol
An alcoholic beverage affects your dog in the same way it affects you, but the results are amplified. The type of alcohol can also have other unhealthy additives in the drink that can cause your pet problems.
Just the alcohol can cause damage to their liver in much smaller doses than in people. It can also cause vomiting and disorientation.
Bonus: Preservatives
There are a lot of preservatives that can be dangerous for your dog in the long term. When you get dog foods and treats for your dog, you want to make sure they don’t have Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). These may cause cancer and liver disorder.
Studies have been inconclusive about the dangers of these preservatives, but there are still more studies attempting to show a direct link. Try to use foods that have more natural preservatives that tend to cause fewer problems.
Help Your Puppy Grow Healthy
Everyone wants their pup to grow up big and strong, or at least as big as they can get for the miniature and toy breeds. Avoiding foods puppies shouldn’t eat is a great way to help them achieve these goals.
Dangerous foods for dogs come in many different forms. Puppies love most of these foods and will not walk away from them when they get the chance, so you have to watch out for them. Keep these foods out of their reach and share fun foods with your pet, so they stay healthy.
