Dangerous Food for your dog

There are a lot of foods your dog should never eat.  Some foods are dangerous for your dog and some of these common foods may surprise you.

1. Xylitol:  Gum, candy, toothpaste, backed goods, and some diet foods contain Xylitol.  It can cause dangerous effects in your dogs such as liver failure, and  cause your dog's blood sugar to drop.  Symptoms to watch for are vomiting, lethargy, and coordination problems.  Your dog could ever have seizures.  Liver failure can happen in a matter of days!
2. Avocado:  Avocados contain persin.  Too much of this might be poisonous to your dog.  Keep your dog away from avocado plants if you grow them at home.  Persin is not only in the fruit, but in its leaves, seed and bark. 
3. Alcohol:  Like humans, alcohol has the same effect on your dog's liver an brain, but takes a lot less for your dog to have these dangerous effects. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, coordination problems, breathing issues, coma, even death.  The smaller the dog the worse it can affect them.
4. Onions and Garlic:  These can kill the red blood cells, causing anemia.  Powdered, raw, cooked, or dehydrated keep it away from your dog, even onion powder can be in baby food.  Eating is all the time or just once can cause poisoning.  Look for signs like weakness, vomiting, and breathing problems. 
5. Coffee, Tea, and other Caffeine:  Caffeine can be fatal.  Keep your dog out of coffee grounds, tea, and even the beans.  Also keep your dog away from cocoa, chocolate especially dark chocolate, colas, and energy drinks.  Caffeine is also in other things like cold medications and over the counter pain medications.  Warning signs are fast breathing, restlessness, and muscle twitches.
6. Grapes and Raisins:  These can cause kidney failure in just a small amount.  Signs to watch for are vomiting, depression, and lethargy. 
7. Milk and other dairy products:  Most of u have probably shared out ice cream or milk with our dogs, but they can cause digestion problems and diarrhea.  They can also cause trigger food allergies, which can cause itchiness.
8. Macadamia Nuts:  Just a few Macadamia nuts can make your dogs sick.  Signs your dog has had too much are muscle shakes, vomiting, temperature, and weakness in the rear half of their bodies.  If they get into them with chocolate the affects are even worse and cause death.
9. Chocolate:  Theobromine is the ingredient in chocolate that causes problems with dogs.  It's in all kinds of chocolates including white chocolate.  The most dangerous types are dark chocolate and unsweetened baking chocolate.  Symptoms to watch for are Vomiting, shaking and diarrhea.  Chocolate can cause heart problems, tremors, seizures, and death.
10. Fat Trimmings and Bones:  As tempting as it is.... fat trimmed off meat, cooked and uncooked can cause your dog to get pancreatitis.  Bones that are cooked can cause choking and they can splinter and block or cause cuts in your dog's digestive system.  Uncooked bones are safer but never give pork bones!
11. Peaches, Plums, Persimmons:  These fruits have seeds or pits.  Seeds can cause problems in your dogs small intestine.  They can also block intestines.  This can also happen if your dog eats fruits with pits in them.  Pits also contain cyanide, which is not only poisonous to dogs but us as well.  People know not to eat them but to a dog they're something fun to eat and play with.
12. Raw Eggs:  I have fed raw eggs but the major veterinary medical association doesn't think it's a good idea.  There's a chance of food poisoning from bacteria like salmonella or E.coli.  Talk to your vet if you have any questions.
13. Raw Meat & Fish:  Again I've fed raw meat to my dogs, but like raw eggs, raw meat and fish can have bacteria that causes food poisoning.  Some fish such as salmon, trout, shad, or sturgeon can also have a parasite that causes "fish disease" or "salmon poisoning disease."  It's treatable, but get help right away.  Signs are vomiting, fever, and big lymph nodes.  Fully cook the fish to kill the parasite.
14. Salt: Dogs can get sodium Poisoning by eating too much salt. Symptoms of too much salt include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, tremors, high temperature, and seizures.  It can also cause death.
15. Sugars, sugary foods and drinks:  Like with humans too much sugar can cause your dog to be overweight and cause dental issues.  It can also lead to diabetes.
16. Yeast Dough:  If your dog eat dough before it is cooked and hasn't risen, that is exactly what it would do in their stomachs.  As is swells inside, the dough can stretch your dog's abdomen and cause a lot of pain.  Also when the yeast ferments that dough to make it rise, it makes alcohol that can lead to alcohol poisoning which can lead to death.
17. Your medicine:  This should be a no brainer.  This can make your dog very ill.  You wouldn't let your kids get into your medicine, so don't let your dogs either.  Store them in an area they cannot get to.  Never give your dogs over the counter medicines either unless your vet tells you it's ok.  Ingredients such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen are common in pain relievers and cold medicine.  They can be deadly for your dog.
18. Kitchen Pantry:  Many other things that dogs can get into in your kitchen can hurt your dog.  Baking powder and baking soda are both highly toxic.  Nutmeg and other spices are too.  Keep your food high enough to be out of your dog's reach and keep pantry doors closed.

If your dog Eats something they're not suppose to eat:

No matter how much you watch your dog and try to keep harmful things away from them, you might find that they are sneaker that you think and get their mouths on something their not suppose to.  Keep the local and emergency vet numbers in your phone and on your fridge (incase you have a dog sitter) The ASPCA poison control center number is (888) 426-4435.  If you think your dog ate something poisonous, its better to give them a call then to be sorry later for not calling.   That's what they're there for!

Ending on a positive note here is a list of what they can eat!

1.  Lean Meats:  Most dogs are ok eating lean cuts of meat that have been fully cooked.  Take off all visible fat including the skin on chicken.  Make sure there are no cooked bones in the meat before you give it to them
2. Some Fresh Fruits:  Slices of apples, oranges, bananas, and watermelon are great for your dog.  Make sure to remove all seeds, stems, and leaves that can cause serious issues.
3. Some Vegetables:  Carrots, green beans, cucumber, zucchini.  Even a baked potato is ok, but do not let your dog eat raw potatoes or any potato plants from your pantry or garden.
4. Cooked Pasta or White Rice:  Dogs can eat plain white rice and pasta which is great when they're having digestive issues to ease them back into their regular dog food.  You can also add some boiled chicken or turkey!