Almighty Dad | A stay at home dad blog

My grandma had dogs, Poco and later Mon Ami (Grandma spoke French and Spanish), who died from sheer fatness well before their time.   She seemed to think a 10 lb toy poodle needed the same sized dinner as a 240 lb husband.  And that’s how they got fat.  They lived blissfully unaware lives until the day they prematurely croaked.  Dogs are a lot like some people in that they eat what they like and don’t pay a hell of a lot of attention to their figures.  They eat because evolution tells them to eat, not because they actually need the food.  Do not confuse their sad expressions at the table for genuine hunger; it is a pathetic attempt to get food out of your anthropomorphically inclined sense of fairness.  My grandma had a couple of very unhealthy dogs that got fat.  It was fortunate for them that they didn’t die of something more painful.  Karen Halligan, D.V.M, director of veterinary services at the SPCA in Los Angeles and contributor to Family Circle Magazine, says that half the visits she sees involving vomiting or diarrhea are from animal consumption of human food fed from the table or as scraps.  There are certain foods that we can eat but that dogs cannot.   

Avocados:  Can cause pancreatitis and vomiting.      

Chives, garlic, onions:  Can damage a dog or cat’s red blood cells and lead to anemia, weakness and kidney damage.      

Chocolate: 2 ounces of baking chocolate or 16 ounces of milk chocolate in a 16 lb dog is enough to cause a rapid heartbeat and seizure.      

Macadamia nuts: Even just a handful of these tasty nuts can cause diarrhea and rear leg paralysis.      

Peach and apricot pits; Apple seeds: The seeds of these fruits contain cyanide-like compounds that can cause salivation, trouble breathing, seizure or coma.      

Raisins and grapes: The symptoms of ingesting grapes come a full day after having eaten them, stomach distress and kidney failure.      

Uncooked dough: Yeast is the problem here.  The yeast will continue to rise inside the dog’s (pet’s) stomach and lead to obvious problems, organ rupture perhaps.  But, as yeast breaks down it produces alcohol, and we all know what that can do.  Too much is fatal.      

Xylitol: Used as a natural sugar substitute.  It is found in various berries (1 cup of raspberries has about 1 gram), corn husks, oats, and mushrooms.  It’s also used in candy (because of its equivalence to sucrose in sweetness), some commercially baked goods and chewing gum. Greater than 100 milligram of xylitol consumed per kilogram of bodyweight in dogs has been shown to cause hypoglycemia and liver damage.  Interestingly, a study was done on children, too who experienced diarrhea after 65 grams.   

What food is Acceptable to Feed the Dog?      

Meats and Eggs and Dog Food:  Remember, your dog is a carnivore and we are omnivores.  We only eat some of the same foods.  A dog’s diet is more limited.      

There it is, a brick on the path to erudite pet ownership.  Feed the dog meat and the dog will be happy.  Feed him things like garlic and chocolate and he might not be so happy – easy, right?

Related posts:

1. Red Bull, A Frozen Dog Dish and My Roof is Into Valentine’s Day
2. Thanksgiving Healthy Eating Tips: Never!
3. Red Hot Dogs and Other Unnatural Foods
4. Extreme Dog Houses
5. Is This How Black People Feel?