I often refer to my English Springer as a ‘hoover’. He walks along with his nose fixed to the ground and hoovers up anything that appears appetising. This, combined with his mischievousness and curiosity, means that I need to keep an eye on what he is eating.
It is amazing the foods that can have a potentially life threatening impact on your dog. Most dog owners are oblivious to them and will often use dangerous foods as treats for their dog.
You may well be surprised with some of the foods mentioned as a number are healthy and nutritious choices for humans. Feel free to print out the summary table at the end of the article to use as a reference. Of course, if your dog has eaten any dangerous foods consult your vet immediately.
Ranked as one of the best fruits a human can eat, grapes are extremely toxic to dogs and can ultimately lead to death. Both seeded and unseeded varieties, as well as dried grapes (sultanas and raisins) are potential killers.
It is easy to forget that a number of cakes and snacks have sultanas and raisins as ingredients. Many dog owners will innocently thrown their beloved pet a piece of hot cross bun, fruit cake or even garibaldi biscuit. They all contain grapes of a variety.
Another ingredient that is common in everyday foods for us humans are onions. Whilst onions can liven up almost any food, for dogs they can have a destructive effect on red blood cells ultimately leading to kidney damage. Think about what you are scrapping in to your dog bowl from meal leftovers.
It is now more widely known that chocolate can be poisonous to out four-legged friends. However, this wasn’t always the case with dog owners often using chocolate as rewards. My nan often fed her German Shepherd treats in the form of chocolate mini eggs. Whilst small quantities such as this are unlikely to have much of an effect on dogs, larger quantities (such as a 25g bar for an English Springer) will.
The chemical Theobromide is what does all the damage. It can cause destruction to vital organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys and the central nervous systems. Go hide that box of roses now!
If you grow apples, peaches, plums or cherries in your garden you will need to watch your dog carefully. The pits and seeds of these fruits contain cyanide. My neighbour used to have a crab apple tree and it was quite a job ensuring my Springer didn’t eat any.
You also need to be careful to discard rotten and mouldy food out of the reach of dogs. They can contain various toxins that can be lethal.