Maintaining and nourishing your pet’s health is crucial to giving them the healthiest and safest lifestyle they deserve. What may be tasty to humans can be toxic to dogs, cats, and other house pets. Advantek Pet lists the people foods your furry friends should not eat to stay happy and healthy.
1. Chocolate and Caffeine
Any chocolate or caffeinated products can cause seizures, heart problems, and several other health issues that can affect your animal long term. Any sweets or high sugar foods should be out of reach from your pets at all times. You should also avoid feeding them gum, candy, and any baked goods. Make sure to inform your younger children that they cannot share their sweets with your family’s pets.
2. Fruits
Citrus fruits can upset your animal’s stomach and are especially dangerous because they can cause nervous system depression. Ingesting small amounts will not be harmful to your pet, but you should not intentionally give them anything citrusy. Fruits like grapes and raisins are also known to cause kidney failure. Though coconut is known to only cause minor stomach discomfort and diarrhea, you should steer clear of this fruit to be safe. Coconut water should be avoided altogether, as it is high in potassium and can affect your pet’s kidneys.
3. Onions and Garlic
Foods like onions, garlic, and other similar kitchen ingredients can create gastrointestinal issues for your pet. It can also lead to red blood cell damage, and cats will have a greater risk if exposed. Dogs should avoid these foods as well, as large amounts will cause similar issues.
4. Raw Foods
Raw foods aren’t healthy for humans to ingest, which means your animals should avoid them completely. Bacteria, such as Salmonella or E. coli, are harmful to both pets and people. These bacteria can be found in raw or undercooked eggs, meats, and bones.
5. Milk and Dairy
Surprisingly, most cats are lactose intolerant regardless of popular belief that cats love milk. Your pets should stay away from milk and dairy products because their digestive systems are not meant to handle these types of products.
6. Fatty Foods
Even healthy fats like nuts and avocado can be toxic to animals and cause a slew of problems, including vomiting and diarrhea. Macadamia nuts specifically can cause depression, tremors, weakness, and hyperthermia in dogs. Imagining the discomfort your pet could be in is reason enough to avoid feeding them these foods.
7. Table Scraps
Even though your pet may beg by your side while you enjoy your tasty meals, they should not eat table scraps, as there may be some ingredients in your food that your children do not know are harmful to animals. As sad as it is to see that puppy dog pout or innocent face looking up at you, do your pet a favor in keeping them healthy.
For a full list of foods your pets should avoid, visit the ASPCA to learn more.
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