poisons

Not all human foods are good for our dogs. This is the subject of my recent article for our local magazine, Gilroy Today. My editor has graciously allowed me to reprint the article here. Bone Appetit!

I’m not sure why — if it’s because Gilroy is famous for garlic or that the smell of it being processed is so much a part of our daily lives here in Gilroy — but I am often asked about ridding pets of pesky fleas by feeding them garlic. The truth be known,  I eat a clove of Christopher Ranch garlic daily for its heart and other healthful effects. However, even in small amounts, garlic and onions are not as healthful for our pets. Unfortunately, both onions and garlic do bad things to our pets’ red blood cells. And, fewer red blood cells means less oxygen for their bodies, which can be dangerous. Fortunately, there are easier ways to deal with fleas. I often recommend Advantage (topical drops) applied monthly. 

 Garlic is not the only healthy human food that is not good for our cats and dogs. Here’s a short list of some foods and food ingredients that have been known to cause medical problems: chocolate, bread dough, macadamia nuts, grapes and raisins, and xylitol sugarless gum sweetener. Avocados are also on many lists, but I have yet to see or hear about a dog with guacamole toxicity. I know other dogs besides my lab take any opportunity to enjoy some  guacamole! Curious about this, I looked into the background for this toxicity claim. It seems two dogs suffered medical problems after eating a straight avocado diet for a year or two, in Kenya, Africa. I guess the lesson is to use common sense and not feed your pets a single food ingredient for a year. 

I support giving dogs and cats healthy food and treats right out of our human diet. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this as well as testing my theories on my own pets and my patients, as many of you who are clients know. The last few years I have come to realize that all commercial foods are not universally healthy for all individual dogs and cats. I don’t have space to go into everything here, but consider how a piece of shrimp is tasty to one person, an itchy nuisance to another and downright deadly to someone who goes into anaphylactic shock. Some ingredients and preservatives in dog and cat food may cause itching, red ears, puking, diarrhea, and frenzied grass-eating nausea. [click to continue…]

{ 9 comments }