Food Toxins (Poisons) That Effect Dogs:

The best way to protect your dog is to learn about foods and compounds that can be poisonous to your dog and then isolate your dog from coming in contact with these substances.

Please contact your Veterinarian or contact the 24 hour a day ASPCA Poison control hotline immediately at (888) 426-4435 if you suspect your dog has been poisoned.


Some potential threats from food include:

• Salmon poisoning
• Macadamia nuts
• Alcohol beverages
• Onion, garlic and chives
• Grape and raisin
• Mushroom
• Poultry bones
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Yeast dough
• Salt
• Xylitol sweetener
• Fatty foods
  
  Salmon poisoning disease
  Eating raw fish may lead to salmon poisoning, a life threatening syndrome that can cause diarrhea, dehydration, and depression in your dog. Steelhead and other trout can also carry the disease. The disease is caused from a deadly bacteria carried by some free swimming-parasites called flukes. If your dog eats the raw fish that carry the fluke, the parasites can attach to the walls of your dogs intestine releasing the bacteria. The bacteria can enter the blood stream and spread to other organs. It is preventable by cooking all fish before feeding your dog. If you are outdoors hiking or camping or live near streams and rivers were salmon spawn, keep a close eye on your dog on don't let your pet run free to insure that no fish carcasses are ingested. Please see your vet immediately if you suspect your dog has ingested raw salmon.
  
  Macadamia nuts
  Clinical signs are usually seen within 12 hours of ingestion. Dogs can have the following symptoms: ataxia, depression, vomiting, muscle tremors, hypothermia, weakness, and an elevated heart rate. The toxic dose to dogs ranges from 2.4-62.4 grams per kilogram of body weight. This is a very large range and can mean that some dogs will get ill with just a small amount of nuts ingested, while other dogs need to each a lot of nuts to show signs. Try and determine how much your dog ate as this information will be very helpful to your veterinarian.
  
  Alcohol toxicity
  Can cause intoxication, coma, and death. Do not give your dog alcoholic beverages.
  
  Onion and garlic toxicity
  Dogs develop hemolytic anemia if they eat enough onions. The quantity of onions required is high enough that dogs can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of onion without clinically apparent disease, even though there may be measurable changes on lab test results.
  
  Grape and raisin poisonings in Dogs
  Grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities. Symptoms include: gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting, diarrhea and then signs of kidney failure.
  
  Mushroom toxicity
  Mushroom toxicity does occur in dogs and it can be fatal if certain species of mushrooms are eaten. Amanita phalloides is the most commonly reported severely toxic species of mushroom in the US but other Amanita species are toxic. They can cause severe liver disease and neurological disorders.
  
  Poultry bones
  Bone can splinter and puncture the stomach or intestines. Poultry bones are particularly dangerous, as they become brittle when cooked. It is much safer to give your dog a bone designed for pets.
  
  Chocolate toxicity
  Chocolate contains a xanthine compound, theobromine that is toxic in sufficient quantities. Examples of other xanthine compounds are caffeine and theophylline. The toxicity from all of these compounds is similar. Lethal dosages of chocolate are approximately 44mg theobromine/oz for milk chocolate, 150mg/oz for semi-sweet chocolate and 390 mg/oz for baking chocolate. Using a dose of 100mg/kg as the toxic dose the toxic dosages per pound of body weight for dogs work out to be roughly:
  
  Milk chocolate
  
• 1 ounce per pound of body weight (2 ounces per kg of body weight)
  
  Semi-sweet chocolate
  
• 1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight ( 1 ounce per 1.5 kg body weight)
  
  Baker's chocolate
  
• 1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight ( 1 ounce per 4 kg)
  
  Toxic signs may occur at lower dosages.
  
  Coffee toxicity
  Coffee contains a xanthine compound the same compound found in chocolate theobromine that is toxic in sufficient quantities.
  
  Yeast dough
  Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.
  
  Salt & salty foods
  If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
  
  Xylitol sweetener
  Dogs ingesting large amounts of products sweetened with xylitol may have a sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting depression, loss of coordination, and seizures. Some data suggest a link between xylitol ingestion and liver failure.
  
  Fatty foods
  Fatty foods in excess can cause pancreatitis. Try and resist the temptation to feed your dog high fat people food. The signs of pancreatitis include vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.