Poisonous Foods Your Pet Should Avoid
If you have a pet at home, it is important to know what to keep out of their reach. Some foods and drinks are poisonous to your furry friend. Here is what to avoid and why.
Fruits and Veggies
There are only a small amount of fruits and veggies that are safe for animals, so it’s best to be better safe than sorry. Unfortunately, these foods can contain extremely toxic elements that can leave your furry friends seriously ill. Fruits you need to avoid are apple seeds, apricot pits, cherry pits, grapes, peach pits, avocado pits, and raisins. Vegetables to avoid include garlic, mushrooms, onions, onion powder, potato leaves and stems, rhubarb leaves, and tomatoes. A majority of the time, the food itself isn’t extremely dangerous but the stems and leaves. Fruit pits can contain things like cyanide, which can quickly become deadly to animals. Rather than risking it, it’s best to just avoid most fruits and vegetables, except for ones your vet deems safe.
Sweets
As much as we love sweets, we need to refrain from sharing with our pets. Chocolate may have beneficial characteristics for humans, but not for animals. Chocolate contains the toxic sweetener Xylitol, which is extremely dangerous for your pet. In addition, gum and other candies can cause blockages or contain toxic sweeteners as well. In addition to sweets, beverages like coffee need to be avoided as well.
Alcohol
This is a big no for all pet owners. There is nothing funny about your pet drinking from a beer can, or accidentally drinking too much. Alcohol is not made for pet consumption. If your pet consumes any type of alcohol, it can become dangerous almost immediately. Animals can suffer from alcohol poisoning, just like people can. Unfortunately, the time it takes to essentially “kick in” is faster for animals. Symptoms may vary, but can include vomiting, weakness, collapsing, lethargy, decreased respiratory rate, and more. So it’s safer to stay on the cautious side and limit your pet’s chance of exposure to alcohol.
