Pet Toxins

I got an email about Pet Toxins.  You know already that you can't give chocolate to your dog because they just cannot tolerate it and it will kill them.  This one time our dog Flower (toy chihuahua) ate half of a doughnut with chocolate frosting that Chip left on the couch while he went to the kitchen.  We rushed her to the vet with the doughnut and showed them how much she ate.  They said that she might feel a little sick and maybe even vomit but she'll be OK,  It wasn't enough to hurt her.

But is there ever any amount that is OK?  No.  That's why I'm listing foods that you absolutely cannot feed your dog or cat.

• Grapes and Raisins - In dogs and cats, grapes can cause kidney failure.


• Bread Dough - The dog's body heat will cause the dough to expand quickly resulting in severe abdominal pain and bloating. In some cases, death can occur if enough dough is eaten.


• Chewing Gum - A dog might be attracted to the sweet-smelling gum that your kids are chewing or that's tucked away in your bag. But the artificial sweetener, xylitol, in many types of gum and breath mints, can be deadly to pets. The sweetener can cause a low-blood sugar crisis in your pet. In fact, just one pack of gum can kill a dog.


• Macadamia Nuts - Ingesting these nuts can cause tremors, weakness, unsteadiness, depression, a rapid heart rate, and a dangerous rise in body temperature that can lead to other complications.


• Nicotine - Nicotine is highly toxic so it doesn't take much to cause a health crisis for your pet, including seizures, coma and death.


• Chocolate - Caffeine-like stimulants in chocolate known as methylxanthines can produce vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death.


• Alcohol - Alcohol ingestion can lead to seizures, heart arrhythmia, vomiting, coma and death.


• Pain Relievers - One tablet of acetaminophen can kill a cat.


• Tea - Caffeine in your tea is toxic to both cats and dogs. Depending on how much is consumed and the size of your pet, ingesting it can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, seizures, coma and even death.


• Onions - Onions are toxic to dogs and cats whether they're raw or cooked. When ingested, onions can cause hemolytic anemia, a condition that destroys the red blood cells in the bloodstream. A dog with onion poisoning may become lethargic and have difficulty breathing. Generally, a large amount of onions would need to be consumed to pose a serious threat to your dog, but cats are highly sensitive to onion toxicity.

Wow, I didn't even know that about all these things.  I knew about chocolate but not the rest like the macadamia nuts.  Well, who can afford those anyway?

All I have to say is that the dog on Family Guy better stop smoking and drinking. (That was a joke hehe sorry Brian).

The source by the way is AOL Health.  The website address that this came from is Pet Toxins- AOL Health.  You gotta click the arrow on the picture for a pop up window that shows a top 11 list of what I listed.