10 Foods Your Pet Shouldn't Eat

Some ordinary everyday foods are toxic to our furry friends

There are a number of foods that you MUST avoid if you want to reduce potential nutritional and physiological problems with your pets. As a pet owner, its likely you have the customary animal food in your cupboards like a bag of bird pellets or seed for your feathered friends, dog biscuits for dogs or cat biscuits for cats. You'll hopefully also have other complementary foods like vegetables and fruit for birds or specially formulated meat products for your cat or dog that provides them with proper nutrition through a balanced diet. Toxic and inappropriate foods for animals can cause problems with feather growth, fur cover, strains the body, vitamin deficiencies and illness, and even death if the food item is highly toxic.

Eating some human foods can increase the risk of pancreatitis and kidney disease – not to mention food poisoning. If your pet eats any human food and shows signs of weakness, vomiting or any other unusual behaviour, contact your vet immediately.

Offering clean water and food daily in clean dishes also reduces bacterial growth and contamination.

What to watch out for: 

Fruit 

• Peaches and plums
  • Can cause obstructions and the stones contain cyanide, which is poisonous to both humans and dogs
• Grapes and raisins
  • Can cause kidney failure in dogs, and even small amounts of the fruit can prove fatally toxic.
• Look out for vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.

Nuts

• Macadamias and mouldy walnuts can cause toxic poisoning.
• Almonds and pistachios can result an upset stomach or an obstruction.
• Bones can splinter and cause an obstruction or lacerations.

Corn

• The cobs can cause a gastrointestinal obstruction.

Alcohol

• Can cause seizures or respiratory failure.
• Watch out for alcohol in hidden foods like desserts, sauces and the yeast in raw dough.

Onion and garlic

• Toxicity from these foods can result in diarrhoea and vomiting and, in severe cases, damage and loss of red blood cells.
• It only takes a small amount to poison a cat or dog.

Fatty foods and meat trimmings

• Can induce pancreatic inflammation.
• Raw meat and fish can cause food poisoning, like salmonella.

Chocolate

• Contains theobromine which can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive panting, abnormal heartbeat, seizures or even death.
• A standard 200g block of dark chocolate is potentially enough to kill a a dog.

Avocados

• Contain persin, a fungicidal toxin, which can cause serious health problems — even death — in many animals and must be avoided.

TIPS:

• Be sure pets can’t get at the rubbish bag and snaffle up those leftovers!
• Train pets to stay off the kitchen benches so they don’t scavenge while your back is turned.
• Be aware of the ingredients in your meals. For example, if your pet gets their paws on a slice of your pizza, double check that there wasn't onions or garlic in the topping.

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