Dog Diet - Everyday Food That Can Hurt (Or Help) Your Dog

Many pet owners must be wondering why, for reasons unknown, their pet dogs occasionally get an upset stomach or they constantly sputter and vomit on a number of instances. One major factor for this to occur is the dog's diet. We might think that our dogs are healthy because of what we religiously feed them. Actually the reverse may be true. We might instead really be causing them serious harm. Indeed, humans and dogs have different metabolisms. Not everything that humans eat may likewise be consumed by dogs.

Based on the above discussion, it is very important that pet owners are aware of what kinds of food they should avoid giving their pet dogs. Here are a few examples of common foods that must not be fed to the dogs:

Alcohol - This may cause the dog's intoxication, comatose or death.

Avocado - This contains persin, which may cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Bones - From whatever meat source the bone may be, it may cause choking, obstruction and laceration of the dog's digestive tract.

Caffeine - This may cause restlessness, palpitations, irregular breathing, tremors, vomiting and diarrhea. It can be toxic to the respiratory and nervous systems as well.

Chocolate - This may cause vomiting, abnormal heartbeat, tremors and seizures.

Citrus - This may cause vomiting.

Corn on the cob - This may cause intestinal blockage.

Fat - This may cause pancreatitis.

Fish - When consumed in excessive amounts, whether raw or cooked, this may lead to loss of appetite, seizures and even death.

Garlic and Onions - They contain sulfoxides and disulfides that damage red blood cells and can cause anemia.

Grapes and raisins - These may damage the kidneys and may cause lethargy and depression.

Milk and other dairy products - Some pets may be lactose intolerant, which can lead to diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems.

Mushrooms - This may cause shock and result in death.

Nuts - These may cause muscle weakness, tremors and irregular heartbeat and can affect the muscles and the digestive and nervous systems.

Raw eggs - These may cause skin and hair problems.

Raw meat - These may contain salmonella and e.coli bacteria and other parasites, which may cause diarrhea.

Salmon and trout - They may carry parasites that are not killed even when the food is cooked.

Salt - If consumed in large amounts, this may cause electrolyte imbalances.

Vitamins and supplements for humans - These may damage the digestive system lining and affect other organs like the liver and kidneys.

Xylitol and other sweets - This may cause hypoglycemia and liver failure if taken in high doses.

Yeast dough - This may produce gas in the stomach and intestinal linings, causing terrible pain, bloating and even possible rupture of the same.

The above mentioned list of foods is not exclusive. There are so many other foods that people might never have thought of to be potentially hazardous to their pets. The safest way for pet owners to go about feeding their pets is to consult their trusted veterinarians on what proper diet their pets should have.