Who could resist the eyes of a dog and throw a piece of ham into an eagerly set mouth? Sharing food is one of the most common bad habits of people with regard to dogs and animals in general. I have a good dinner, so I want to share it, right? Unfortunately, I’d rather not. There are several reasons for this, let’s go through them.
If you don’t have a proper Great Dane at home, even a slice of ham is a serious bite for a dog. Treats and treats must not exceed 10% of the dog’s total diet per day. At that moment, the diet ceases to be balanced, which is manifested either by immediate nausea and diarrhea, or worse, long-term problems. Small breeds often suffer from pancreatitis and a wide range of digestive system disorders precisely for this reason. Our love for them can hurt.
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Salt, spices, onions, garlic and fat
People are used to salt and spices for a long time, but dogs are definitely not. Even a small amount of salt unnecessarily burdens the kidneys. Although dogs get their energy primarily from fat, not carbohydrates, the fat in our food is not the kind of fat a dog’s stomach can handle. Most often, after tasting at the table, expect diarrhea, with large bites and vomiting. Frequent diarrhea indicates a more serious health problem that needs to be addressed with a veterinarian, and human foods are a very common cause. Spices are a chapter unto themselves. With spice mixes, you can bet they contain onion or garlic powder. All bulbous plants of the genus Garlic they are poisonous to dogs (15-30 g of bulbs per kg of a dog’s weight already causes serious blood changes).
Other dog poisons that you normally have at home
Chocolate almost everyone knows it as a pollutant, the problem is theobromine found in cocoa. However, there are many other foods to watch out for. Coffee and tea are just as dangerous, and dogs can’t deal with caffeine either. The worst are dark chocolate or cocoa, where the theobromine content is the highest. Cheap milk chocolate doesn’t contain that much cocoa, but it’s still better to keep it in the cupboard. Special dog chocolate is safe because it does not contain theobromine.
Boiled bones sounds like a treat, what could be wrong with them? After all, the wolf gnaws the bones with the flesh. That’s true, but you’d better buy a dog bone at the pet store. By cooking, the bones begin to break and split. The damage they do is, for example, fragments lodged in any part of the digestive system (including the mouth) or blockage of the intestines (necessary surgery, which is expensive). The absolute worst are the poultry bones from the broth, which are cut into sharp splinters. If the broth is already salted and seasoned, a good intention becomes more like torturing a dog.
Grapes and raisins they contain substances causing kidney failure, poisoning is caused by tartaric acid. What is especially treacherous is its varying amount in grapes or raisins, depending on where the wine was grown, what type it is and how ripe it is. Likewise, it does not have the same effects on every dog, some individuals are more resistant, others more sensitive. In short, the danger is very unpredictable, yet very real and potentially deadly. Watch out for anything that may contain tartaric acid – for example tartar baking powder, sweet pastries with raisins, grape juice or juice. Keep in mind that there is no safe amount because you don’t know how sensitive your dog is to tartaric acid.
Xylitol (also called birch sugar) is an artificial sweetener that has recently been commonly used in chewing gum, candies, but also sweet pastries or peanut butter. Check everything carefully, xylitol will cause a sharp and drastic drop in blood sugar in dogs. Symptoms include tremors, disorientation, vomiting, seizures, liver failure, and death. Marked hypoglycemia appears already at 50 mg per kilo of weight, liver damage at 0-5-1 g/kg. Xylitol becomes the dog’s biggest killer with the advent of sugar-free foods(xylitol has a very complicated structure for the human body to be able to break it down into simple sugars, so you feel a sweet taste, but the substance passes through the body without a proper change, and therefore without weight gain). That’s why you can find it in many human foods, but the smallest dose is very dangerous for a dog. If a dog ingests xylitol, seek emergency veterinary care immediately.
Moldy residue, but even moldy cheeses contain mycotoxins, which can be dangerous for dogs and cause tremors and convulsions.
Macadamia nuts it is not one of the ingredients you have on the table every night. It is not deadly, convulsions and hypothermia will probably only torment the dog, even so it is better not to expose the animal to unnecessary risk.
Avocado it circulates in people’s consciousness as a dangerous raw material, but compared to others, it only causes problems with digestion, i.e. usually only abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Yeast dough in raw or unbaked form, it still contains live yeast, which continues its work in the dog’s stomach. A dog, being more of a carnivore, has a tiny stomach for its size compared to ruminants. The fermentation of the stomach swells and causes alcohol intoxication to a greater extent.
Intestinal obstruction
Intestinal obstruction is one of the most common veterinary emergency operations. In the kitchen, the dog can usually dig up skewers, stones, lids, packaging, parts of bags in the trash, simply everything that smells good, and doesn’t think about the taste anymore. My dog, for example, always goes for the absorbent napkin that you find under the meat in the package. Soaked in blood and flesh fluids, it becomes an irresistible and very dangerous delicacy. This is where your caution and dog training play the most important role. Everyone should teach the puppy from an early age not to pick up anything to eat from the ground and baskets outside and inside. In this way, you reduce the risk of poisoning and other problems of the digestive system to a minimum.
What to give the dog instead of dangerous bites?
Very simply, you have two options. Either you don’t mind begging at the table or you don’t. If you don’t mind, you can give the dog fresh vegetables and fruits (without mold, not steamed, without seeds), unsalted and unseasoned cooked side dishes (rice, pasta), from which the dog has nothing nutritionally but a lot of calories, which appear very quickly in a small dog at every dinner (obesity falls under neglect of care and in extreme cases, when it affects the animal’s health, it ranks as abuse). Give the meat raw or cooked (boiled without bones), unsalted and unseasoned. If I have a piece of ham and chopped raw green pepper on the table, I definitely serve the pepper under the table – my dog is usually excited. The easiest way is to have a bowl of ordinary dog treats on the table. Those who can’t stand begging have the option of putting treats in the dog’s bowl in the kitchen so they feel like the dog is eating with the family without a drooling lap.
About the author
Sara Rybkova she is a student of the agricultural school, majoring in animal husbandry. Animal breeding is also her main passion, she is interested in animals of all sizes and all numbers of legs, fins and wings. He also trains an assistance dog.
You could find this article in the magazine Recipe No. 11/25.
