5 Dog Foods to Avoid for a Healthier Dog

Last Updated on June 4, 2024

While you might think your dog is able to enjoy a lot of different foods, there are lots of dog foods to avoid if you want to keep your dog healthy.

All dog owners know how important it is to keep a dog happy and healthy as they don’t just consider it to be a pet but a member of the family.

The lovely owner shares their home with the adorable dogs and treats them just like any other family member. It is pretty normal for them to share their food with their dogs on a regular basis and give the dog a bite from your meal.

But not all food that we humans can digest suits the dogs. Dogs have a different immune system and different food tolerance.

There are so many foods that we eat on a regular basis and can easily digest whereas the same foods are poisonous and toxic to the dog.

Many foods that our body needs and absorbs easily can cause a harmful effect on your dog. Hence before you share food with your dog you need to learn about the foods and items that should be avoided for a healthier dog.

Below we have listed five of such foods that are heavily toxic for the dogs and must be evaded at all times. Your dogs should not go anywhere near this food and not even sniff these.

1. Chocolate

Chocolates are delightful to us humans and we love it in many forms. Whether it is a dark chocolate cake or hot chocolate in a cup, we love to enjoy it and our body and digestive system have no trouble in processing it.

But for dogs, chocolate is a recipe for illness and even death. The methylxanthine present in chocolates is very toxic for dogs and puppies.

If your dog even mistakenly takes a bite of dark chocolate it can disturb their metabolism cause arrhythmia, diarrhea, nausea, and seizures. If the case is severe, it can even cause your poor animal to die.

Hence, never leave a chocolate bar idle on the coffee table or anywhere your dog can reach.

2. Macadamia Nuts

This is highly dangerous to your dog’s health and every veterinarian suggests to keep your dog away from macadamia nuts.

It is considered to be one of the most toxic and poisonous foods for the dogs and the effects can be deadly if they consume it.

The macadamia nuts belong to the Proteaceae group and can hence cause effects like severe vomiting, fever, lethargy, and dizziness.

This item is so poisonous for the dogs that it can completely damage their entire nervous system which is why you must lock away and keep the nuts in a safe cabinet out of the reach from your dog.

3. Grapes

Dogs are severely intolerant to some fruits and one of the very dangerous ones is grapes. Whether it is in a fruit salad or a glass of juice, grapes are highly dangerous for dogs health.

If you have a party and you have decorated a bowl of fruit salad with grapes in it make sure it is kept away from the dog as if your dog manages to consume it they may have acute kidney failure and severe digestion problem.

Not just grapes, even the dried raisin are very toxic for the dogs. SO no matter what you do, do not allow your dog anywhere near this fruit group.  

4. Oils, Butter, Fried and Fatty foods

As harmful as these are for us, it is even more dangerous for the dogs immune and digestive systems.

Dogs have different digestion process than any other animal and humans which is why they cannot process any kind of oily food and fried items.

Whether it is butter or oil in the food, try not to feed it to your dog as it can upset their stomach and cause severe vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.

Even though this is items that are not good for human health as well, it doesn’t affect us as badly as it does to a dog.

Hence try to keep your dog miles away from fried foods and train them to avoid these at all cost.

5. Onions

When we cook food this is one very common item then we tend to use. This is why most of the food we prepare at home have onions in them.

But whether its cooked, fried, sauteed or raw, onion is one of those foods that you must keep your dog away from.

Onions contain a chemical called thiosulphate and dogs cannot process it through their digestive system. It is a highly toxic material to the dogs and can cause a deadly effect on the poor pup.

If consumes in high level, it can cause anemia, raise blood pressure and cause your dog to collapse due to weakness.

Conclusion

If you love and adore your dog then it is your duty to keep it safe from all the foods that can cause harm to your dog’s health.

A healthier dog is a happier dog and hence you must avoid these items from their diet at all time.