Most dog owners understand the basics of pet care: taking your dog on a walk for exercise, grooming your dog to keep it clean, and keeping your dog safe from things that could harm it.
Those dangerous items could include tiny pieces of plastic or dog toys that come apart easily.
But you also have to keep an eye on the type of food you leave within reach of your dog, especially if your dog is a big dog that can reach counter surfaces. Many foods that humans regularly eat can be toxic to them.
Here are four of some of the toxic foods, and the signs you may see if your dog has eaten them.
Chocolate
This is perhaps the most well-known among the foods dogs should not eat. It is said to be the most toxic food for dogs. It’s the component in chocolate called theobromine that is most deadly, small amounts of chocolate may only lead to diarrhoea, but too much can end up killing your dog.
Grapes
Grapes are said to cause vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, staggering gait, and abdominal pain approximately 24 hours after consumption. They are so toxic to dogs that their consumption can result in kidney failure.
Coffee and tea
The caffeine in coffee and tea can cause serious health problems in dogs, especially when ingested in large quantities. A dog may vomit or suffer from tremors or seizures after drinking a lot of coffee.
Alcohol
Alcohol can also cause weakness, vomiting, dangerously low blood pressure, coma, and death in pets. Amazingly some pet owners freely offer their dogs a beer, or even stronger alcohol, but this is frowned upon by veterinarians.
Not only is it somewhat immoral to give your dog an alcoholic drink, doing so could prove harmful for them, not least as their smaller frames will struggle to deal with the level of alcohol that a human can withstand.
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