12 Foods We Eat That Can Harm Our Dogs

Aside from being man’s best friends, dogs of all breeds are known to be devoted to one other thing – eating anything they find. While this seems menial to some, it can lead you to giving your dog something that you eat out of the best intentions, which in turn might cause some serious problems for him.

This is because some foods that are perfectly normal for humans are actually toxic to canines and can lead them to illness or death. With that in mind, here are 12 human foods you didn’t know could harm your dog.

1. Bacon

Your dog will probably be the saddest once you forbid him from eating delicious bacon, but believe us when we say “You’ll thank us later.”

Bacon is dangerous for dogs mostly because dogs are very susceptible to pancreatitis.

This illness is caused by foods rich in fat, and once it shows up, it causes a pancreas inflammation which prevents it from working properly.

Bacon-induced pancreatitis rarely has a fatal outcome, but it opens the door for various other issues which can seriously harm your pet. Just forget about treating your furry pal to some breakfast fried bacon under the table – he’ll stay healthy and you’ll have more bacon for yourself!

2. Grapes

Although you probably didn’t expect grapes on this list, they can cause devastating issues when eaten by a canine, especially when that canine has grapes or raisins sensitivity.

Whether you let your dog eat homegrown, store-bought, seedless, or seeded grapes, it has been proven that this fruit causes kidney failure in dogs.

Just think about it – if dogs were supposed to eat fruit, they wouldn’t be carnivores.

Canine renal failure cause by grapes is usually followed by anuria, or the lack of urine production. These health conditions aren’t lethal by themselves, but can lead to more complicated issues. The symptoms linked to these problems include vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal pain, and weakness.

3. Chocolate

While it might be one of the best treats for you, chocolate is something you really shouldn’t let your dog eat, since canines aren’t capable of properly digesting it.

In fact, chocolate contains stuff that can lead your pet to a fatal outcome.

This stuff is caffeine and theobromine, both of which can’t get metabolized as fast in dogs as in humans.

This usually causes dogs to vomit, have seizures, tremors, and high blood pressure, and can be fatal.

The harmful effect chocolate has on dogs has become well known since it’s available to almost anyone. Avoid giving this to your furry friend and instead opt out for rewarding him with one of many healthy alternatives to chocolate.

4. Caffeine

You know how you instantly get that concentration, awareness, and focus boost from a drink that contains caffeine?

This makes coffee, tea, and energy drinks a part of our everyday life, but their effects on dogs put these drinks on the opposite side of the “good/bad” spectrum.

The stimulant called methylated xanthine is what stimulates us into a state of focus, but when it comes to our furry pets, the effects can be devastating.

Since the nervous system in dogs is not as advanced as in humans, methylated xanthine might just be a bit too much for your dog’s brain.

Caffeine can cause vomiting, heart palpitations, and restlessness in dogs, and can ultimately lead to lethal consequences. Bottom line, don’t ever give your dog coffee and he’ll live a long and healthy life.

5. Onion

The onion might make you cry when you cut it, but it can do worse things to your dog than cause tears to flow out of his eyes.

The harmful effects onions have on dogs are not as well known as chocolate’s effect, since dogs don’t usually go out of their way for some onions.

However, dogs can suffer from a lack of red blood cells when they consume onion.

This can make your pet weak and lethargic, which is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, and pale gums. To avoid this, simply don’t let your dog eat any onions, whether they’re raw, cooked, or fried. You don’t want to worry about him becoming sick or having a bad breath.

6. Avocado

Even though avocados are usually a rare addition to a human diet, this fruit is equipped with one chemical in particular that can cause unfortunate consequences for your canine pet.

Avocados are very healthy for us, since they are packed with healthy fats, protein, vitamins and minerals.

But they also have persin, a chemical that can cause an obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract in dogs, horses, birds, and many other animals.

If your dog is unlucky enough to swallow an avocado seed, he’ll most likely display symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. These aren’t lethal by themselves, but can lead to more serious problems.

7. Cow Milk

Similar to us, dogs can also be lactose intolerant, which renders them unfit to consume cow milk.

They could also be allergic to it, which can have worse consequences than lactose intolerance-induced problems.

Some dogs will show no change after having some ice cream or milk, while others can suffer a great deal because of it.

The symptoms caused by an allergic reaction to milk include vomiting, excessive gas, diarrhea, sudden weight loss, and dehydration.

Although milk won’t directly lead to the death of your pet, it can cause unpleasant issues which, if neglected, can be followed by more serious problems like unconsciousness, kidney failure, and eventually death.

8. Macadamia Nuts

While macadamia nuts might serve to us as tiny “health bombs” full of beneficial nutrients, they can cause rather unpleasant problems to your canine pet.

Macadamia nuts have the highest concentration of monounsaturated fat out of all seeds on the planet, and they are packed with protein, fiber, carbs, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and many more nutrients beneficial to humans.

However, similar to grapes, these little nuts cause problems for dogs for unknown reasons. These problems include weakness and tremors, which are symptoms of food poisoning. Even though macadamia nuts won’t exactly kill your dog, you should still avoid giving them to your pet.

9. Garlic

Garlic is a part of the onion family, and as we’ve said before, onions are bad for your dog.

But garlic has an even higher concentration of certain compounds that are toxic for dogs, and therefore should be avoided by all means.

Similar to the onion, garlic can cause an erythrocyte deficiency.

The only difference is that garlic takes a couple of days to start working, but eventually issues caused by garlic will be much more severe.

Dogs usually become tired and lazy before the true effects of garlic start showing themselves, and their urine becomes orange or dark red. If you’ve seen your canine eat garlic, make sure to react fast.

10. Raw Eggs

While dogs and their predecessors used to eat their food raw, some raw foods like eggs are reserved for other species.

Humans have devised many ways of preparing meals with eggs, snakes and lizards have been eating them for millennia, but dogs should stay as far away from eggs as possible.

This comes from the fact that dogs aren’t equipped with the right tools to properly digest raw eggs.

We’re not talking about eggshells – yolks and egg whites can cause Salmonella infection, vitamin B regulation problems, and biotion deficiency in dogs. This can mess up their digestive tract, while the symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and sudden weight loss.

11. Apple Core

As we mentioned when we talked about grapes, dogs shouldn’t eat fruit in general. But beyond that, they shouldn’t be eating garbage and leftovers, especially when those same leftovers are coming from fruit.

For ages, people have the strange tendency to give their four-legged companions stuff that they can’t eat.

Apple cores fall into this category, and we can’t express enough how bad this can be for a dog.

An apple core contains cyanogenic glycosides, also known as the toxin cyanide. This compound can also be found in peaches, plums, apricots, and pears, and can cause your dog to experience dizziness, seizures, collapsing, hyperventilation, and even coma.

12. Bread

By now, most people are aware of the negative effect bread and dough has on humans. But as bread can be fattening to us, so it can be fatal to dogs.

Even when a dog consumes very small quantities of bread, the results can be devastating.

The enzymes found in yeast begin fermenting in a dog’s stomach, transforming the sugar from the dough into ethanol and carbon dioxide.

The fermentation process causes the yeast to multiply, which in turn can cause your pet pain and even significant stomach tissue damage. If your dog eats bread, you won’t have to worry about him getting fat, because he will most likely die before getting the chance to throw on a few pounds.