Doggie Dangers: Foods, Plants, etc.

tsukitsune

Doggie Dangers...

You are probably already aware that your Shiba -or any dog for that matter- cannot share in your love of chocolate nor can they indulge in your coffee habit. But did you know that avocados, grapes, raisins and macadamia nuts are also dangerous? There are many dangers that our best friends should be kept from ingesting; yet, many of us are unaware of what is and what isn’t safe for dogs to ingest or even taste. Millions of dogs are hospitalized yearly due to

accidental poisoning, but these possibly deadly encounters can be prevented. Always be aware of your dog’s surroundings and be sure to educate others about possible doggie

dangers. Never let your dog lick, eat or chew anything that you are unsure of. If you think that your dog has consumed a potentially poisonous treat, plant or object, please contact a

veterinarian or call a poison control center immediately. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

On the next few pages are a list of harmful foods, objects and plants:



Harmful Foods:

• chocolate (all forms)

• cof

fee (all forms)

• avocados

• onions & onion powder

• garlic

• grapes

• raisins

• macadamia nuts

• alcoholic beverages

• tea leaves

• raw yeast dough

• gum, candies or other foods sweetened with xylitol

• fatty foods

• salt

• moldy/spoiled foods

Harmful Objects:

• batteries

• paper clips

• rubber bands

• coins

• bread twist ties

• buttons

• glass, light bulbs

• cotton swabs

• hair pins

• jewelry

• nylons

• plastic wrap

• socks

• sharp objects that you may forget to put away, such as needles, scissors, nails/screws, razors, knives...

• string, yarn, dental floss

• towels

• wax

• electrical cords

• lit candles

• mothballs

• vitamins

• medications (both prescribed and over-the-counter)

• rat, mouse, insect poison

• cleaning solutions

• fabric softener and detergents

• liquid potpourri



Harmful Common Plants:

• aloe

• azalea

• sago palm

• lilies

• eucalyptus

• elephant ears

• gladiolas

• ferns

• honeysuckle

• iris

• hyacinth

• hydrangea

• daffodil

• morning glory

• striped dracaena

• tulip

• wisteria

• yucca

• rosary pea

• mother-in-law

• mountain laurel

• belladonna

• ivy

• gold dust dracaena

• fiddle-leaf philodendron

• dieffenbachia

*and many more plants

Some of the items listed above may seem like obvious, common sense notions that everyone would think of and that your dog could never get into... not so! You’d be surprised at how many dogs ingest a forgotten paperclip that fell onto the floor, or quickly try and lick up that glass of juice that slipped from your hand and broke on the floor. The second you leave your house, your dog may decide that it’s time to climb onto the table and lick that houseplant that you thought you had placed at a dog-proof height. And then there are always the well-meaning children and adults who “treat” your dog (when you’re not looking, of course!) to half of their chocolate brownie or a handful of raisins. It can be hard to constantly monitor your dog,

especially your smart and crafty Shiba. You must always be diligent and aware of your pet’s surroundings because they will put anything that will fit (and some things that don’t) into their mouths. It’s up to you to keep them safe. Being the guardian of a dog is a full-time,

all-consuming job, but the pay, in kisses and warm snuggles is definitely worth it!



*It’s also important to note that balconies, bath tubs, doors, windows, toilets,

appliances, food cooking on a stove, heaters, de-icing salts, and fireplaces are also all potential hazards to your pet.

The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center is available at 1-888-426-4435 and for more poison prevention information visit: www.aspca.org

Information for this article was taken from “101 Things You Didn’t Know Could Harm Your Pet”, presented by the ASPCA.

 

Can anyone think of anything to add?  

Leonberger

Very helpful list!

Can I propose it to be sticky?



(Just on a side note, I think that some people might agree that mother-in-law can be harmful not only to dogs (not my case, thankfully))

okiron

Lol Rui.

Great list thanks! 

dlroberts

Thanks Jen.

BradA1878

yea - great list... I am going to change the title of this post and make it sticky. I will change the title to be more decrepit so that it is clear once it is sticky.

Thanx Jen!!!!

ljowen123

Another thing to be careful of is when cleaning your counters, shower/tub, toilet, etc., you need to make sure you thoroughly clean the cleanser off the surface.  Jazz "the licker" Owen loves to lick any and everything and I'm a huge fan of cleaning with bleach or with products that contain bleach.  Needless to say, after I clean, I rinse it down with water to remove any bleach residue.  Even the floors that I mop, I got back and do a water rinse after using my cleaner.

tsukitsune

Good point, LJ!!

i had to use drain-o in my apartment's
tub once and my foster basset got into the bathroom to smell the drain
up close, I had to call poison control and hose the dog down and hope
for the best! 

okiron

I don't know if you want the "safe" things too but Febreeze has been known to be safe for animals, even those with sensitive respiratory tracts like rats.

ljowen123

I use Febreeze on fabrics and carpets because it is safe.  I've started using a product by Lysol that's recommended for kids because they can lick (or put a toy in their mouth) that is safe to use on counters, but for tubs, showers, floors, and toilets I still end up doing the rinse cycle. 

Heidi

I use homemade cleaners with natural ingredients, both for the health of my family and the environment.  I've actually heard Febreeze can kill small animals like birds.  I personally don't use it because it makes me sneeze and my face gets all puffy from it.  I hate the stuff.  

ljowen123

Do the homemade cleaners work as well as bleach?

Heidi

I can't really make the comparison since I never used bleach to do much cleaning in the first place.  The only thing I use bleach for is every few weeks, I add a tiny bit of bleach to the diaper laundry to disinfect it.  A bit of borax in each wash used to cut it when I was using city water, but well water is tough to do diaper laundry in.  

Ryu

Quick question about the garlic - I read on www.barfworld.com that garlic was actually good for dogs??

GARLIC

Garlic is nature's antibiotic and often called nature’s wonder drug. There is no doubt that garlic does confer some health advantages. Garlic has been found to have effective antimicrobial properties, inhibiting the growth of both bacteria and fungi. Garlic helps stabilize blood pressure and gives a good solid boost to the immune system, keeping at bay infections of various sorts particularly upper respiratory tract infections. Much of it's success is due to various compounds of sulphur. Garlic is a health building and disease preventing herb. It is rich in potassium, zinc, vitamins A and C, and selenium. It also contains calcium, manganese, copper, vitamin B1 and some iron.

 

ljowen123

I've read conflicting reports as well - many of the treat recipes that I've collected has garlic salt or powder in them - I am omitting the garlic from those recipes as a preventative.

tsukitsune

i think its the amount and type of consumption. i would never use a garlic clove but have used garlic powder sparingly in recipes and nothing bad happened.

ljowen123

that makes sense - a garlic clove is way more potent than the powder - just ask my family after I cook italian

crystalmill

Thanks for some extra research Pam or Tim.  It's hard huh?  You read one thing that says it's good and then it's bad at the next website.  I've seen garlic in all kinds of raw diets so I think it's probably ok in proportion.  Does anyone know why avacado is bad?  AvoDerm is a baked kibble that prides it's self for having avocado to help give your pooch a great coat.  I gave my dog a little bit of avocado the other day, is it really bad or is it like garlic just in moderation?

ljowen123

Unsure, one site says these are the results from ingestion for Avocado: vomiting, diarrhea, death, inflammation of mammary glands, cardiac failure, respiratory distress, generalized congestion, fluid accumulation around the heart

I checked snopes.com to see if there were any false things concerning avocados and dogs, but nothing there.

ljowen123

the following website lists that it's the leaves and stems:

http://www.twodogpress.com/healthy.html

Avocado leaves and unripe stems, rhubarb leaves, spinach leaves and tomato vines, stems and leaves can also be harmful.

crystalmill

Do you think the avacado "meat" is ok?  The first list of side affect is really scary, I think I'll just keep my guacamole for me!  How could AvoDerm make a natural food that has the potential to do that kind of harm?  The dog food industry is so shady

ljowen123

I have no idea - I'm not big on avocados, so this hasn't come up for me - I never eat guacamole, can't stand it.  I'm sure they probably use the meat - nothing I've read says anything about the meat, just the leaves and stems.  I've never actually seen leaves and stems on avocados.  The site that mentioned the leaves and stems had avocado listed under plants instead of food, so maybe it has more to do if you grow your own??

okiron

I think it's one of those, "If we say it's safe someone will give a dog large portions of it, killing the dog and come sue us for it" so if it'll hurt the dog in large portions, let's just say it's bad to be safe.

tsukitsune

you know, i also have made apple treats for the dogs, but have read that the stem, skin and especially the seeds can cause harmful side effects!!

ljowen123

I'm not surprised about the stem and seeds, but am about the skin/peel. 

sujewel

Great list, Jen!!!! Poinsettia is another harmful plant to animals.

LJ: Bleach isn't harmful in small doses. In fact, many countries outside the US add Bleach to their water to help purify it. 

Avocados...From Wikipedia

Toxicity to animals

There is documented evidence that animals such as cats, dogs,
cattle, goats, rabbits, birds, parrots, fish and particularly, horses^[15][16]
can be severely harmed or even killed when they consume the avocado
leaves, bark, skin, or pit. The avocado fruit is poisonous to birds in
some cases, so on a practical level feeding the fruit to birds should
be avoided. Avocado leaves contain a toxic fatty acid derivative known
as persin, which in sufficient quantity can cause equine colic and, with lack of veterinary treatment, death.^[17]
The symptoms include gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, diarrhea,
respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the tissues
of the heart and even death. Birds also seem to be particularly
sensitive to this toxic compound. Negative effects in humans seem to be
primarily in allergic individuals.

 

ivanmeza03

mmmm.... and what about avoderm, they use the avocado like the star ingredient.... and in Venezuela yucca is like a traditional food, so when my grandmother prepared boiled yucca we used to give a little to the dogs (GSD) and never happened something....