What human foods are toxic to dogs?

[WhereYouLeftIt]

On another thread, the toxicity of grapes and raisins to dogs is being discussed. This was complete news to me! I've had a dog for just over a week, never had one before, although DH has (but it was news to him too). I knew chocolate was a problem but wasn't aware of any other foodstuffs.

She's really good around food, doesn't try to take it, and is being fed dogfood as per the RSPCA and the vet's advice. But I had put some (only 5 or 6) wrinkled grapes out in the garden for the birds and she did swipe them (yes, I'll be getting a bird table to put a stop to that).

So what other foods should I make doubly certain she can't access? Or could someone point me to a good source of info on this? Thanks in advance!

[CoffeeIsMyFriend]

if you google poisonous food for dogs you will get a whole list.

Onions, chocolate, daffodil bulbs (in fact any part of a daffodil/tulip etc can be fatal!) grapes, raisins... lots of things.

I didnt know about daffodil bulbs and I have been around dogs all my life! Nearly lost my pup to daffs this Spring.

[Ephiny]

Onion can be dangerous for them too - I think that along with chocolate and grapes/raisins are the main ones you have to be careful about. Avocados too, I seem to remember! I'm sure someone will be along with more expert opinion soon...

[Scuttlebutter]

The website I always go to, and would recommend every dog owner to have bookmarked is this one which gives clear, authoritative guidance and a mass of useful information, including instructions on how to poison proof your home when you get a dog or pup and appropriate seasonal advice (so, poinsettias and Christmas trees in December, slug pellets and BBQ briquettes at this time of the year).

The main food ones in the UK are chocolate, grapes and raisins. Onions should be avoided in general, but a dog eating something like leftover gravy that had a tiny bit of onion in it would be OK (ours seem to be). You should also be very careful of how you store and handle items such as tablets, painkillers etc. The other item to be VERY careful with is antifreeze - this is poisonous to both dogs and cats, and apparently it tastes sweet so is often palatable to pets.

[melliebobs]

i found out about the grape thing a while ago used to love giving my dog one to play with. They would confuse the hell out of him. THe main one are onions and fruits with stones so peaches etc. Then chocolates and food highly concentrated in sugar are the obvious ones

[alice15]

Also xylitol (artificial sweetener often found in gum, low calorie sweets, etc).

Another good poisons site is the AASPA one at www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ - this is American, but has an excellent list of just about every plant you can think of that might possibly be toxic. Even as a vet I found this really useful when my puppies ate some grape hyacinths in the spring, and I was able to check that grape hyacinths are just stimulant rather than poisonous (indeed, the puppies were completely hyperactive for a few hours, but otherwise fine).

Here's the link to the "how much chocolate is toxic" interactive chart, as mentioned by MotherJack on the other thread. Really useful for knowing when to panic.
ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/10/pets/chocolate-chart-interactive

Raisins are more of a worry than grapes for the simple reason that they are a more concentrated form of the same thing, so a dog can eat more of them.

I know this is the doghouse, but lilies are very, very, very toxic to cats. So is paracetamol.

And, of course, lots of dogs still get poisoned with slug bait. If you suspect poisoning please call the vet sooner rather than later. Getting rid of the poison by making the dog vomit is almost always better than trying to treat symptoms once they appear, but it has to be done soon enough to make a difference.

[GrimmaTheNome]

My understanding of the grape/raisin thing is that its not the fruit itself but some sort of fungus which it may carry. So you could find people who'll say their dog has eaten loads of grapes with no ill-effect, but they're unwittingly playing russian roulette. (The RSPB actually marks bird food containing raisins with a 'no dogs' logo, considerately)

Onions can cause anaemia - in cats too. Apparently some loving owners misguidedly feed kitty on baby food...

Then there's houseplants. Our dog once ate every leaf off a peace lily when we were out. According to the internet it should have caused him to die of oxalate poisoning with renal failure but luckily for us there were no ill effects - maybe the concentration of oxalates can vary hugely. Gave us a huge scare, and needless to say we don't have houseplants on the floor any more unless we've checked their toxicity.

[Elibean]

I knew about daffodils/bulbs in general (not great for kids either, though my uncle once ate one by mistake thinking it was an onion!). I also knew chocolate was not a good idea - but I never knew anything else, and I was a dog ownder for 13 years

My dog used to steal and eat anything (part lab) and loved grapes! In fact, the only human food he didn't like (but would still steal then spit out) was tomatoes and satsumas. He also consumed bits of illicit chocolate on occasion and was none the worse for wear....maybe he was just a toughie...