September 30, 2007
What's dangerous for dogs?
National Geographic has posted an interactive graphic illustrating the often little-known dangers dogs face when given treats by well-intentioned owners intent on spoiling Fido.
It's not just which foods that I find surprising, but the small quantities needed to make dogs seriously ill.
This is further illustrated with another chart, this one demonstrating how dangerous chocolate can be. You click and drag a vertical slider until your dog's weight appears; the graphic then shows how much chocolate it takes to kill your pal.
Again, it's the relatively small quantities involved that are so shocking: 3 ounces of cocoa or a little more than 5 ounces of baking chocolate could kill a 55-pound dog -- Bogie's weight.
Other surprising information provided by National Geographic:
- Caffeine in any form can trigger seizures;
- garlic can lead to anemia and kidney failure;
- grapes and raisins can cause acute renal and kidney failure;
- a handful of macadamia nuts can paralyze the hind legs;
- and raw onion and bread dough are dangerous, too.
If you own a dog -- or have friends or family who do -- take a couple of minutes and read the article; it could prevent an easily-avoidable tragedy.
Posted by Mike Lief at September 30, 2007 11:36 AM
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Comments
Whew, at least peanut butter is safe.....
Posted by: J at September 30, 2007 05:24 PM
As a kid, I nearly killed our family dog by feeding it chocolate Easter eggs. The dog went into a seizure and foamed at the mouth. Thanks for the article. I had no idea that grapes were dangerous as well.
Posted by: Bill H at September 30, 2007 11:13 PM
Well Michael,
This might be your most useful post ever :) Perhaps you should be a vet? Joking aside, I routinely give my dog, Delilah, table scraps and have wrecked havoc with her digestive system. I've had to take her back to a "natural" diet of fresh meats and veggies in order to slowly wean her back to dog food. The dog food (brand) matters too for those with sensitive systems.
Has anyone had experience with cats? I have three, one of which loves and responds well to raw fish (sushi left overs) and it makes the others...well...sick as a dog...
Posted by: dawn at October 3, 2007 07:21 PM