We all love to spoil our beloved pets, giving them treats and sometimes human food. However, feeding human food to your cats and dogs comes with many risks. The risks of human food consumption include obesity, allergies, and in the worst cases illness and toxicity. To help pet parents be more informed about what human foods are unsafe for their furry friends, we’ve compiled a list of foods to avoid:
1. Onions and garlic
Garlic and onions should never be given to cats or dogs, even as a treat. Consuming these foods can cause a variety of health problems for your pet such as vomiting, anemia, weakness, pale gums, blood in the urine, rapid heart rate, and panting. Unfortunately, garlic and onion are used as seasonings in many prepackaged foods as well. Even the consumption of garlic powder and onion powder is dangerous for your pets. If you give your pets prepackaged human foods, like meat, it is important to check the ingredients list and make sure it’s onion and garlic free.
2. Raw eggs, raw meat, and bones
Your pet’s consumption of raw eggs can put them at risk of contracting salmonella. The infection caused by salmonella, salmonellosis, causes vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. Raw meat and bones can be contaminated with a number of harmful pathogens like E. Coli, listeria, and salmonella. These pathogens cause mild symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea as well as severe symptoms like fever, muscle pain, and breathing problems. Bones are often considered to be a treat or chew toy for many pets, especially dogs. However, bones can splinter and bone fragments can break off. These fragments can travel to the gastrointestinal tract and cause blockages or the fragments may become lodged in the throat.
3. Chocolate
Cats and dogs should never consume this human food in any quantity or form. If your pet consumes this food they may experience vomiting, increased thirst, diarrhea, panting, restlessness, rapid heart rate, and excessive urination. If they’ve consumed a large amount, they may have seizures, muscle tremors, and heart failure.
4. Grapes and raisins
While raisins and grapes are healthy and delicious treats for us humans, they can have devastating effects on our pets. Even eating just one grape or raisin can cause acute kidney failure in dogs and cats. The fruit’s tartaric acid and potassium bicarbonate are responsible for the renal damage and potential sudden kidney failure observed in pets who consumed grapes.
5. Caffeine
Caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, and energy drinks should never be given to cats and dogs. These beverages and caffeine-containing foods raise your pet’s blood pressure and can cause cardiac arrhythmias. The gastrointestinal tract is also affected resulting in vomiting and diarrhea. In severe cases, muscle tremors, loss of muscle control, and seizures are possible.
