Snack no-nos

[CSutherland]

I'm aware that there a few things dogs should never be given, especially chocolate and onion. My vet has said that I can give Bentley (7 months) baby carrots, broccoli, green beans, to name a few. I have a bag of trail mix with dried banana slices that I don't care for. I was about to toss them out but wondered if that would be OK for him for a snack or treat. I have no doubt that he'd eat it because he'll eat anything that he perceives as human food.

As for chocolate, we make sure we keep that away from him, but a friend's beloved pet, a beagle I believe, consumed an entire bag of Snickers fun-size bars while they left her alone in the house. Scared them to death, but she had no reaction.

[Kate H]

It is good quality dark chocolate that is the real danger for dogs - the sort that has a high cocoa content, since it is the drug in the cocoa that causes the problem (cocoa shell mulch in the garden, which some dogs like to eat, can cause the same problems). I've known a dog (corgi, not cavalier) eat a whole packet of chocolate digestive biscuits with no ill effects - which just proves how little actual cocoa there is in them (like your Snickers)! Another thing to look out for is raisins (might need to remove them from your trail mix) - also grapes - though these have to be eaten in quite large quantities, and I had a cavalier who adored raisins and ate them regularly (though in very small quantities) with no ill effects. But generally I would say that if they can eat fruit like bananas fresh, then dry wouldn't hurt, unless nasties are used in the drying process. The only thing to watch would be getting an upset tummy from eating too much fruit or veg, but this can vary from dog to dog - my Aled adores peas but gets a bit of a runny tummy from green beans, for example.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[CSutherland]

Thanks for that info! It was only the dried banana slices that I was wanting to part with! And, I hope he doesn't have ill effects from 2-3 pieces of chopped tomato that I gave him tonight. He was begging at the table when we were having tacos and I couldn't resist. So far nothing has given him any problems. He sure has a wicker/rattan fetish, though and would eat a whole basket if I'd allow it. He has almost ruined the woven seats of our bar stools, and several decorative baskets--one was made in Africa and quite beautiful and I used it for his toys until I discovered that he enjoyed the basket more than the toys.

[Piper]

Piper will eat anything also so when I'm cutting apples or green peppers I will usually give a little. Oh and he love carrots and banana as well.

[Furrfoot]

Rose is a basket eating fool too...I have her toys in a metal planter now, lol.

[Zumie05]

Grapes, raisins, avocados, seeds/pits, onions, dark chocolate, and boiled/cooked bones are things I stay away from feeding dogs. I have also heard its not good to feed broccoli if it ends up being more than 10% of their total diet.

Here's a good link with explanations!

http://www.peteducation.com/article....+1659&aid=1030

[Blondiemonster]

Macadamia nuts r very bad too!

[Karlin]

It's good to know the general lists from a reliable website.

GRape and raisin toxicity is not very well understood. I had to rush Leo in to the vet to get him to vomit up a load of raisins a while back when he got up on a table and ate about the first two inches off the top of a barmbrack, an Irish bread full of raisins.

I have read that about 2+ ounces of raisins at once is what vets consider to be a general danger point. BUT... and it is a big but... there are cases of dogs, including larger breeds, dying from as few as 7-10. One case has been widely circulated on the web, and is about a lab that died of liver failure after eating 7 raisins, and this is a true story (verified by the Snopes site but I also looked up the vet who is an actual practicing vet). I have read some other vet discussions and there is a feeling that sensitivity varies by dog, and also MAY be cumulative so that the problem can build. I too know lots of dogs that would eat raisins with no ill effect, but as this is known to be a fatal problem for some dogs, they are probably best avoided.

And yes, Leo eventually brought up all the raisins -- it turned out to be quite a lot that he ate so I was glad I got him to the vet. BTW if time is not of immediate urgency, it is far safer to take a dog in to have them bring up food than to use things like peroxide. But it is a good idea to have an emergency kit at home just in case you need to get a dog to vomit asap. Some things recommended on the web, like salt water, could kill in large amounts, especially a puppy, so it is maybe a good idea to talk to vets about a safety kit to have at home for this.

On chocolate -- the problem as I see it is that feeding any chocolate can give a dog an interest in eating any chocolate (though goodness knows most cavaliers will eat anything anyway... ). I would treat any dark chocolate or cocoa or baking chocolate as if it is poison in the house -- handle it very carefully. As little as a couple of ounces -- the amount it is easy to drop on the floor --could kill a cavalier. A friend had five dogs get into a Christmas giant bar of dark Cadbury's chocolate and every one had to go to the emergency room with one barely pulling through -- his heartbeat was up around 200 bpm and he's lucky he didn't have cardiac arrest. It is a very lethal substance for dogs and in very small amounts (eg a packet of dark chocolate digestives would probably be a very serious threat for a cavalier).

i think chocolate is one of those classic areas of owner transference on to a dog of something they like and thus they think dogs like it too. Dogs will eat just about anything. Chocolate is a horrible thing to give -- even generally less serious milk chocolate -- full of sugar, which dogs do not need. And even the small amount of the dangerous substance present in milk chocolate can still stress a dog's system as they cannot metabolise it.

If people want a treat that dogs will really go nuts for, try dried liver or dried tripe. Stinky but if I even go near where the tripe is kept all the dogs and my partner's alsatian come line up...

[Piper]

I didn't know about macadamia nuts or avacodo! Thanks for the info!

[mellie]

My dogs (Bella- Cavalier and Koda- Chow/Border Collie mix) pulled a freshly baked pan of White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies off the counter in the kitchen. They "shared" 12 cookies! Luckily, I found them right after the incident, and remembered that macadamia nuts were toxic. I called the vet to see if I needed to bring them right in or do something first since it had just happened. They had me give them peroxide to induce vomiting, and to watch them closely to see if most of the cookies came up. Well, it worked like a charm and they "tossed all of their cookies" !!! I am so glad I was home and found it immediately after if happened. I took them to the vet the next day, and they checked out fine. She said it was the macadamia nut that is scary, and the white chocolate is less of an offender. We dodged a big bullet that day. So, now I always make sure I tell everyone I know about the nut thing!