The “Not So Safe” or No-No Pet Food List
As more and more seniors, children and special needs patients have pets and working animals as well as the rest of us, it is important to know which foods are unsafe to share with them. Real food is the preferable choice to commercial pet food, but there are some foods that animals can’t eat!
JustOneMorePet: The following foods are not safe for dogs, cats, potbellied pigs, or guinea pigs. Never give the following foods or beverages to your pets:
- *Alcohol of any kind (a no-no for all animals)
- *Anything with Caffeine (a no-no for all animals)
- Avocados – especially for birds and cats
- Baby food if it contains onion powder
- Bones from Ham, Chicken, Turkey or Cooked Bones that can splinter
- * (Raw) Bread or Yeast Dough
- Candied Yams
- Casseroles (unless you absolutely know that none of the no-no foods are in them)
- *Chocolate and Cocoa (this includes things like brownies and chocolate chip cookies) and dark chocolate is the worst
- Raw cookie dough can also kill dogs and small children.
- *Grapes or raisins
- Jell-O Molds
- (Raw) Liver
- *Macadamia Nuts (this includes things like cookies and pies) and go easy on nuts in general (nuts in general are not great for dogs, but walnuts, macadamia nuts, and pecans are particularly harmful and add the additional possibilities of health problems caused by fungus and mold. Peanuts and peanut butter are not on the no-no list but could also cause problems because of mold issues).
- Milk (and American Cheese) can be a problem for some dogs. They can be lactose intolerant like some people.
- Mushrooms, particularly wild mushrooms.
- Nutmeg
- *Onions, including onion powder (garlic should be fed in moderation)
- Pecans, including Pecan Pie (nuts in general are not great for dogs, but walnuts, macadamia nuts, and pecans are particularly harmful and add the additional possibilities of health problems caused by fungus and mold. Peanuts and peanut butter are not on the no-no list but could also cause problems because of mold issues).
- Potato Skins and Green Potatoes (potatoes in general are not digestible by dogs).
- Pork Products because of the nitrates
- Stuffing (it usually contains onions, which are very harmful to pets)
- Large amounts of Grains (often a main ingredient in cheap commercial pet foods)
- *Raisins and grapes
- Raw eggs (raw egg whites) – (According to the ASPCA, raw egg whites contain avidin, which damages a dog's metabolism and creates a biotin deficiency, so they recommend owners should discard the white if feeding a dog raw eggs. Others disagree.)
- Tomatoes (plant and fruit) - All parts of the plant except the tomato itself are poisonous to humans
- Vitamin A in large amounts causes toxicity
- Walnuts (nuts in general are not great for dogs, but walnuts, macadamia nuts, and pecans are particularly harmful and add the additional possibilities of health problems caused by fungus and mold. Peanuts and peanut butter are not on the no-no list but could also cause problems, for humans as well, because of mold issues).
- *Xylitol and anything with it in it.
Depending on the amount consumed and the size, breed, species and age of the animal many of the items above can cause death, but they definitely can and usually cause discomfort for the pet/animal, more and expensive vet bills for you, butt scooting and stress in your pets and for you. Distention of the abdomen, vomiting, muscle tremors, paralysis bloody stool, depression, stress, jaundice, disorientation, diarrhea, lethargy, lack of coordination, difficulty breathing, tremors, coma, abnormal fluid accumulation, drooling, restlessness, anemia and seizures are among the symptoms and conditions that can be caused by the aforementioned foods.
The range of diseases and conditions caused or intensified by the No-No Foods for pets include: coma, heart arrhythmia and cardiac arrest, paralysis, pancreatitis, inflammation throughout the body, seizures and tremors, gastric-dilitation volvulus (twisted stomach) and death.
*Causing the most severe health problems and the most incidents of death.
Tobacco products and many plants and herbs are also bad for pets. Poinsettias, tomato plants and the Sago Palm are among the common plants that are toxic to dogs/pets.
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Every species, breed or type of animal has its own requirements and no-no’s. As a pet parent or the parent of a learning pet parent, it is your job to find out what those requirements and no-no’s are and meet those needs. A pet is a living creature that adds joy to our lives. We are all God’s creatures and any animal is a gift that has been given to you to cherish and take care of properly!!
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