Toxic Foods and Plants for Dogs

Toxic Foods and Plants for Dogs

There are various foods that are toxic to dogs. Unfortunately, there are many we are not often aware of that are just as dangerous. Below is a list of common foods that are harmful to dogs. Toxic Foods: Chocolate/Caffeine: Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours. Symptoms include Staggering, labored breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, tremors, fever, heart rate increase, arrhythmia, seizures, coma, death. Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Thus, a chocolate mud cake could be a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog unwell. Semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the dog, the less it needs to eat. Onions/Garlic: Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger. Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. Symptoms include Hemolytic Anemia, labored breathing, liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, discolored urine. The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness. While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness. Mushrooms: Mushroom toxicity does occur in dogs and it can be fatal if certain species of mushrooms are eaten. Amanita phalloides is the most commonly reported severely toxic species of mushroom in the US but other Amanita species are toxic. Symptoms include Abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting diarrhea, convulsions, coma, death Grapes/Raisins: As few as a handful of raisins or grapes can make a dog ill; however, of the 10 cases reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), each dog ingested between 9 ounces and 2 pounds of grapes or raisins. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and lethargy. Macadamia Nuts: Macadamia nuts are another concern, along with most other kinds of nuts. Their high phosphorus content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated. NOTE: Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden. Baby Food: Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts. Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources: Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system. Cat Food: Cat food is generally too high in protein and fats. Fat Trimmings: Can cause pancreatitis. Milk and other dairy products: Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets. Raw Eggs: Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella. Raw Fish: Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly. Toxic Plants: As we let our dogs roam freely in and out of the house, we need to be aware of what we are exposing our pets to. There are various plants that are poisonous to dogs both inside and outside of our homes. Below is a chart of some of the more common plants our dogs may come in contact with. Holiday Plants: Pet owners need to take extra care with holiday plants. When the holidays roll around, we often get caught up in the festivities and don't realize that we may be bringing something very dangerous into your home for your pets. be aware of what holiday decorations may be toxic and avoid turning a happy occasion into a tragic one. Poinsettias: These plants are probably the most popular holiday plant and are easily recognizable by their large red, white, pink, or mottled leaves. These plants also contain a thick, milky irritant sap. In general, it would take ingestion of a large amount of this plant to see possible clinical signs in your pet. Signs could include vomiting, anorexia and depression. The symptoms are generally self-limiting and treatment is rarely needed. Your Vet may recommend limiting food and water intake for 1 or 2 hours if your pet is suspected of becoming sick after ingestion of poinsettias. Easter Lilies: Some members of the Lilly family of plants can result in serious illness in cats. Specifically, Easter Lilies, tiger lilies, Japanese show lilies, rubrum lilies, many lily hybrids and day lilies have been known to cause kidney failure.

DOG OWNERS PLEASE READ!!!!

> > If you have a dog... PLEASE read this and send it on. If you
don't have a dog, please pass along to friends who do.
> >
> >Written by: Laurinda Morris, DVM
> >Danville Veterinary Clinic
> >Danville , Ohio
> >
> >This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever
seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab
mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and
4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking
about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service
until 7AM.
> >
> >I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal
failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her
bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER
service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard
something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National
Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give I V fluids at 1
1/2 times maintainance and wat ch the kidney values for the next 48-
72 hours.
> >
> >The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32
(normal less than 27) and creatinine! over 5 ( 1.9 is the high end of
normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We
placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal
values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no
urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog
was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary
catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.
> >
> >He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values
have continued to incr ease daily. He produced urine when given lasix
as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and
they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output
decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his
phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been
staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220.. He continued to vomit and
the owners elected to euthanize.
> >
> >This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea
raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a
dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7
raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs
grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure
should give rise to immediate concern.
> >
> >Even if you don't have a dog, you might have friends who do. This
is worth passing on to them.
> >
> >***Confirmation from Snopes about the above... http://www.snopes.
com/critters/ crusader/ raisins.asp

Recalled Food

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Bruiser
Cadillac
Companion
Demoulas Market Basket
Eukanuba
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Great Choice
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams
Key Food
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Meijers Main Choice
Mixables
Nutriplan
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nutro
Ol'Roy Canada
Ol'Roy US
Paws
Pet Essentials
Pet Pride - Good n Meaty
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority
Publix
Roche Bros
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Shep Dog
Springsfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Bros
Total Pet, My True Friend
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

DOG FOOD BAKERY.....NEAT STUFF!

http://www.homemadedogtreatsrecipe.com/

RATE YOUR DOG FOOD!

Heres some information on dog food. My rule of thumb is if you find
it in a walmart or your vet office its not good (Science Diet is vet
recommended but fails the dog food scoring)


How to grade your dog's food (Some brands are done at the very
bottom):



Start with a grade of 100:

1. For every listing of "by-product, " subtract 10 points
2. For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry," meat,
meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3. If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4. For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract
5 points
5. If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first
five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice," "brewer's rice," "rice
flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6. If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2
meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7. If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8. If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9. If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10. If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract
2 points
11. If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is
allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12. If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13. If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't
allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14. If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic
to beef), subtract 1 point
15. If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1. If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2. If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist,
add 5 points
3. If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4. If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5. If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6. If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points
7. If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points
8. If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9. If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2
points
10. If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11. If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12. For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein
source, but "chicken" and "--" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13. If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14. If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A

86-93 = B

78-85 = C

70-77 = D

69 = F



************ ***

Here are some foods that have already been scored (listed
alphabetically, note the ratings after each name):



Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+

Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F

Canidae / Score 112 A+

Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+

Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F

Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B

Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Foundations / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Dog / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+

Purina Beneful / Score 17 F

Purina Dog / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+

Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A

Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F

Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F

Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A
Ask the breeder what she was feeding and for her recomendation

ALERT!! PLEASE READ.

ALERT

AVOID NUTRO PET FOODS

by Robert Jay Russell, Ph.D., Coton de Tulear Club of America
President
CotonNews@aol. com
www.CotonClub. com

September 2nd, 2007. The pet food poisoning crisis is far from over.
We
learned last month that Wal Mart again has brought poisoned treats
back on their
shelves by cleverly placing new lot labels over the ones printed on
the recalled
packages. This is the second time in the past six months Wal Mart has
done
this and various stores throughout America, so we counsel to avoid
all Wal Mart
pet foods, treats and toys. The company cannot be trusted.

Wal Mart and Menu Foods are by no means the only untrustworthy
sources of pet
supplies. Consider the report below. We suggest that ALL Nutro brand
foods be
avoided...

FDA Blocks Nutro Pet Food Shipment from Entering U.S.
Products "appeared to contain poisonous substances and unsafe
additives"

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs. Com

August 28, 2007 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July
blocked more
than 100 Nutro Products -- various styles and flavors of its dog and
cat food
-- from entering the United States.

ConsumerAffairs. com learned the FDA took that action at the Port of
Los
Angeles -- and listed Nutro's pet food on its Import Refusal Report --
because the
products appeared to contain poisonous substances and unsafe
additives.

The FDA has authority to block and detain any regulated products from
entering the United States if they "appear to be out of compliance
with The Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act."

Some of Nutro's pet food on the Import Refusal List include its Adult
Turkey
with Chicken Liver, Choice Adult Cat w Turkey & Duck, Choice Complete
Care
Kitten Rich in Chicken with Liver, and Adult Large Breed Chicken &
Rice.

News of the FDA's action alarmed Mike G. of Florida. He owns multiple
cats
and feeds them Nutro products.

"What isn't clear is which `additive' it is that is `unsafe,' and
which `
substance' it is that is poisonous," he told us. "The three Nutro
canned cat
products I have in front of me all state `Made in USA.' But they
don't say
which state or which US territory."

He added: "I don't so much care where (the products came from). It's
the
'which' (unsafe additives and substances) that concerns me."

Mike contacted Nutro about his concerns, but says the company ignored
his
inquires.

He wasn't surprised.

"From previous experience, most responses from Nutro have been non-
responsive,
" he said.

Mike shared with us the message he sent to Nutro, which echoes
concerns we've
heard from other pet owners:

"I want to know, specifically, before I feed any of these foods I
have in the
house to my cats, exactly where Nutro cat foods are made, exactly
where those
foods on the FDA Import Refusal Reports were made, and specifically
which `
additive' it is which is `unsafe,' and which `substance' it is which
is deemed
`poisonous' or 'deleterious.' "

"If I do not receive a satisfactory response I will be taking these
cans back
to where they were purchased, and will never again be purchasing
other Nutro
products.

"In the aftermath of several thousand pet deaths," he added, "Nutro
and
other companies need to demonstrate their commitment to pet safety by
answering
pet owners' questions satisfactorily."

Non-responsive
ConsumerAffairs. com also contacted Nutro about the FDA's action. It
took the
company more than a week to respond to our repeated calls.

Nutro, however, didn't answer our specific questions.

The company's Consumer Services Manager, Tamara Cerven, instead e-
mailed us
Nutro's official, canned response.

"It has been brought to our attention that confusion has been caused
by the
Food and Drug Administration' s ("FDA") Import Refusal Report," the
company's
statement said. "We wish to assure our customers that this report is
in no way
a cause for concern about the quality and safety of Nutro pet foods
currently
on store shelves."

Nutro said the products listed the FDA's Import Refusal Report are
ones
affected by Menu Food's massive recall in March of melamine-tainted
dog and cat
food.

"This report lists recalled product(s) that have been returned to
Nutro from
overseas," according to the company's statement. "This product is not
intended for sale."

Nutro said it immediately discontinued all sales of its melamine-
tainted
products and removed them from retail stores, warehouses, and
distribution centers
after Menu recalled 60 million containers of contaminated pet food.

"Nutro also ordered recalled product to be shipped back to the U.S.
from
overseas for proper handling," the company said in its written
statement. "Some
of this product is the subject of the FDA report."

Nutro said customers with questions about the FDA's action can call
its
customer service line at 1-800-833-5330 or visit its Web site at
www.nutroproducts. com.

Mike doubts pet owners will get any answers, though.

"They failed to respond to my mail, responding only to you," he told
us
today.

"My confidence was rattled with both Nutro and Iams in March when I
learned
that they both used Menu Foods. I'm one who drove further to the `
pet-superstores' to purchase what I had believed to have been better,
safer' foods . . .
only to learn they were made by the same company using some of the
same unsafe
contaminated ingredients which they also put into
the `cheaper,' `less-quality'
/ `less-safe' foods in the supermarkets.

"So their failure to respond to me now, personally, is the last straw
for me.
If and when products begin to flow from their own plant and I get a
thorough
read-through of the label, I might then reconsider purchasing their
product.
But not before."
------------ --------- --------
(c)2007 Dr. R. J. Russell & the CTCA