Dogs are man's best friend. As soon as you adopt a dog, you welcome them as part of your family and treat them as one of your own. However, it's still important to remember that taking care of a dog is not the same as taking care of a human child—there are certain things that are strictly prohibited for dogs to have, such as certain foods. Before you decide to give your dog a bite of your meal, make sure you know what foods are dangerous for dogs to consume. To get you started, here's a list of five human foods you must never feed your dog:
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#1 Chocolate
Topping the list of dangerous foods for dogs is chocolate. Chocolate contains a compound called theobromine, which isn't harmful to humans but is incredibly toxic for dogs. Theobromine is found in all types of chocolate, but it is especially high in concentration in dark chocolates and baking chocolates. When ingested in your dog may experience severe dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea as minor symptoms. If ingested in higher quantities, your dog could experience more severe symptoms, such as heart arrhythmias, seizures, tremors or even death.
#2 Bacon
Most people think it's fine to feed bacon to their dogs because it's a meat product. However, bacon, like ham and other meat trimmings, is extremely high in fats and it can cause pancreatitis in dogs. Coupled with the high fats is an elevated salt concentration as well, which can cause upset stomachs. In severe cases, your dog may get overly dehydrated, causing it to overdrink water and bloat to a lethal degree. If you are going to feed your dog meat, it's best to stick to leaner choices (but even then, perhaps you should still limit their meat intake altogether).
#3 Garlic
Garlic and onion is a bad combination for dogs. When ingested, the compounds in them can actually destroy the dog's red blood cells, causing it to become dangerously anemic. A small amount might not do too much damage, but if your dog ends up ingesting higher quantities, it can lead to blood poisoning and death. Lethargy, vomiting, hyper breathing and a significant loss in appetite are some symptoms to look out for in order to determine if your dog has ingested garlic and onion.
#4 Grapes
Grapes are not good for dogs, and thus neither are raisins. Like garlic and onion, small amounts ingested may not do too much harm to your dog, but if ingested in higher quantities, your dog may experience renal failure. Its kidneys will start to shut down, which will cause a slew of unpleasant symptoms like vomiting and lethargy. In severe cases, it can also lead to death. Therefore, it's important to keep grapes and raisins out of your dog's reach—if you do want to feed it some sort of fruit, apples should suffice.
#5 Avocado
There's a lot of controversy surrounding avocados as an acceptable food for dogs. The debate revolves around the substance persin, which is found within avocado leaves, seeds, bark, and fruit. Persin, when consumed in high quantities, can be toxic. However, most dogs are said to be resistant to it. So what's the big deal? Well, avocados pose more of physical danger to your dog due to its seeds, stems, and pits, which can be very difficult to digest. If your dog ingests one of those parts, it could experience a gastrointestinal blockage, which can be fatal.