Human Foods That You Should Not Feed Your Pet

We all love our pets, they’re part of our family, right?  Of course, we want the best for our furry friends and sometimes not even they know what that is. What might be ok for some pets, might be might be deadly for others and what is good for humans can be a very bad thing for pets. This is because animals process foods differently than humans.  “Our bodies may break down foods or other chemicals that a dogs can’t tolerate,” said Carmela Stamper, D.V.M., a veterinarian at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Of course, your furry friend may beg and plead for a bite of your meal, but sometimes tough love is in order. Stamper says that dog allergies can manifest themselves in skin or ear issues. She says that there are a number of factors, some of those include the size of the animal, genetic makeup and the amount of the food the animal eats. “A big lab that eats a bar of dark chocolate may not have any problems,” she says, whereas a Chihuahua could get dangerously ill.

Some of these foods include raw meat, grapes, raisins, currants, fried foods, moldy food, onions, garlic, chives, and salty snacks. Raw meat can contain E.Coli, Salmonella or other bacteria. For humans, cooking can burn this bacteria away making it safe to eat. When barbecuing human tend to prepare the meat and leave it uncooked and sitting on kitchen counters. Make sure to keep this uncooked meat out of the reach of your counter surfing pets. “Food safety is important to you and your pet,” Stamper cautions. “Don’t handle raw meat and then give your dog a treat unless you’ve washed your hands first.”

Of course, we all love grapes, raisins, and currants, but these can cause kidney failure in dogs. These will not cause illness for all dogs but it is best not to take the risk. Stamper says that dogs can eat apples and bananas as long as you do not feed your dog the core or seeds. Although fried and fatty foods can be considered comfort foods for humans, they can cause discomfort for your dog. These foods can not only cause a stomach ache but it also can cause pancreatitis, which can be life-threatening for your pooch.

Give it to the dog!  Most of us have heard that about the food we may find inedible because Fido takes it willingly and gulps it down with no issues. With some things this is ok, but do not feed your dog moldy foods. If you put them in the trash can or compost bin, it is likely that your dog will attempt to retrieve them so make sure your dog is unable to get to them.

Onions, garlic, and chives, including onion and garlic powders can hurt your dog. Do not let your dog have any, especially in large amounts or for smaller dogs. Large amounts of salty snacks can also cause problems for your dog.  “Feeding the odd potato chip or pretzel probably won’t do any harm,” Stamper says. Never let your dog have large amounts of salty foods and if he does, make sure he has plenty of water.

Also, you should avoid Macadamia nuts and chocolate. Also, watch for Xylitol in the ingredients of anything, this can be found in sugarless gum, candies, oral products, and some peanut butter and other nut butter, FDA officials said.  “If you feed your dog pills coated in peanut butter, or put peanut butter in their hollow chew toys, make sure to check the list of ingredients first to make sure it doesn’t contain xylitol,” Stamper says.

As far as cats, Stamper said that since cats are pickier eaters they do not often become ill due to food consumption. You still should watch for onions, garlic and onion and garlic powders.

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