Pets And Dangerous Foods

Photo Credit: psychologytoday.com

The Holidays Can Put Your Pet In Danger

The holidays are here and so is all the food preparation going on in the kitchen. Your pet can see, hear, and smell what's going on. They are naturally curious and will be happy to quietly sneak around with their noses to the ground and sniff around to further see what they can.

Most domesticated animals are opportunists, meaning "hey if something just so happens to fall on the floor", or an overflowing garbage basket proves too hard to resist, and finally "that darned cat", he's on the counter again, to them there is no 5 second rule; if it's there~ it's gone!

But please beware that the foods you are preparing for your family, may also get Fido and Fluffy sick or even prove to be deadly!

I have a lot of the first-hand knowledge and experience with a curious dog, His name was Frankie.

Frankie was our male Yorkie and he knew he was a star. We got him about one year and one day from our Shetland Sheepdog, better known as a Sheltie named fluffy had passed away. She was a feisty dog too but not more feisty or curious than Frankie was.

Frankie had an affinity for the sneak attack, he'd wait under the table and as soon as one of our little children was waving around, say a taco, BOOM!!  With all the agility of a mountain lion that little taco was gone!  Mind you Frankie topped out at a mere total eight pounds total and he was very low to the ground as we say! But he loved to get himself in trouble.

Wasn't he cute? Here are a few different pictures of our beloved dog in different life stages
Photo Credit:MaryCaliendoPhoto2019

Anyway, as cute as he was, it wasn't funny that after the taco incident, he did get sick to his stomach. But further, still, he goes down in infamy for all of the chocolate he's consumed. During Easter one year my church was having a fund-raiser to buy solid chocolate bunnies, and of course, I supported it 100%. I bought one for each child and 2 extra to give to my nephew and niece, six in total. I tossed the bag into my study and shut the door telling no one. When I got up in the morning the study door was ajar. Someone had left the door open! 

I took a peek inside and saw the bag of chocolates was ripped apart and chocolate pieces and stains on the carpet were everywhere. Oh my goodness, upon searching, my dog Frankie was underneath the coffee table panting horrifically. I immediately called the vet and they said to bring him in!  He stayed the night, first aid was administered to induce vomiting and to consider ourselves lucky because he could've passed away. He ate nearly all six chocolate bunnies!

We were all so upset and mortified because we nearly lost him~needless to say I'll never ever leave candy laying around like that again!

Frankie lived a wonderful life with us. 10/1/01-09/2/18
He was 3 weeks until his 18th birthday! This picture was taken just 3
days before his passing. He died from natural causes.
Photo Credit: MaryCaliendoPhoto2018

I never want a disaster like the ones we've been through to happen to you so I have gone ahead and compiled a list of foods for both dogs and cats that are most likely holiday related to your upcoming meals and could make them very ill, or even prove deadly.

Dogs:

Onions: they contain ingredients known as thiosulphate. Very Toxic.

Citrus: oranges, lemons, limes, or grapefruit when ingested will cause stomach upset and can alter their behavior.

Tomato: raw tomato, ketchup, or tomato sauce contains solanine. This toxicity is/can be DEADLY.

Rhubarb: causes kidney failure, tremors, and hyperventilation.

Apple Cores & Seeds: dogs can consume small amounts of apples, just not the core or seeds they contain naturally occurring cyanide, this is very DEADLY.

Grapes & Raisins: these can cause kidney failure.

Avocado: contains persin. It is poisonous, causing serious stomach issues.

Macadamia nuts: Dogs can eat most nuts, however, these, in particular, are extremely toxic.

Xylitol: is a sweetener found in chewing gum and candies, and in toothpaste, after consuming this a dog's body will release insulin causing extreme liver damage or DEATH.

Chocolate:  As you read up above, it can lead to all kinds of sickness including DEATH.

Cats:

Onions & Garlic: (shallots & scallions) are very toxic and lead to anemia.
(onion soup mix & garlic powder as well)

Raw Eggs, Meat, or Bones: Salmonella or E. Coli also, bones can cause choking and they can get stuck in the digestive tract and also can wear away at the teeth of a cat.

Chocolate: contains methylxanthines which can be DEADLY.

Caffeinated drinks: also contain methylxanthines that can be DEADLY.

Alcohol and Foods with Alcohol: can be DEADLY.
(*raw yeast dough contains alcohol)

Milk & Dairy: milk is NOT good for cats because lactose causes stomach upset.

Grapes & Raisins: cause rapid decline in kidney failure.

Dog Food: is very toxic to cats because it contains taurine, and cats will develop heart failure.

Photo Credit: vetstreet.com

I am sure that there are even more things that can be dangerous to our pets as we cook for the holidays, just please take the time to clean as you go when you are prepping in the kitchen for the holidays and every day; remember if you have a pet you most likely have an opportunist lying in wait!