"None for me, thanks."
When we take pets into our homes we treat them like miniature humans.
So it’s no wonder that we love to share our food with them, too.
Unfortunately, there are many things we routinely eat that can be quite harmful to dogs and cats.
This month I'm sharing ten food items that really shouldn't be shared with our pets.
• Avocados – they contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
• Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeinated items – all contain caffeine and related substances, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea and be toxic to the heart and nervous system.
• Grapes, raisins and currants – each contain a toxin which can damage the kidneys.
• Human vitamin supplements containing iron – these can damage the lining of the digestive tract and be toxic to organs such as the liver and kidneys.
• Macadamia nuts – they contain a toxin which may damage the digestive, nervous, and muscular systems (walnuts are sometimes also listed as toxic to animals.)
• Milk and other dairy products – many adult dogs and cats are lactose intolerant and develop diarrhea when fed milk.
• Onions and garlic in all forms, including powder – all contain sulfides and disulfides which damage red blood cells, particularly in cats.
• Raw eggs and meat – these may contain dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli, which cause severe vomiting and diarrhea.
• Xylitol – this a sweetener substituted for sugar. It is found in many low calorie foods and gum and causes a severe drop in blood sugar, which can lead to coma and death.
• Yeast dough – it can expand and produce gas in the digestive system causing pain and even rupture of the digestive organs.
Often the amount of harm caused by these substances depends on the amount that has been consumed.
If your pet does accidentally eat any of these items, please contact your veterinarian immediately for advice and follow-up.
Dr. Berry owns and operates the Skillman Animal Clinic which offers medical and surgical services for dogs and cats.
The clinic is located in the Lake Highlands Plaza shopping center at 9661 Audelia Road, Suite 340.
Readers can submit questions to Dr. Berry by commenting on her articles or emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Dr. Berry, especially given tight budgets, what are your thoughts on making homemade food for our critters...cost, proper ingredients, time investment, ease of preparation? Is this a feasible alternative to expensive, perhaps not the most nutritious store bought food?
As far as cooked homemade diets go, I think there is a place for them, particularly in short-term situations such as illnesses. For example, I frequently recommend homemade bland diets if a pet is recovering from diarrhea.
I sense that your question centers more on long-term feeding of cooked home-made diets, and on these I feel that they may be workable for a small number of people, but not for most. Considerable research and testing has gone into the creation of commercial diets, and I am not convinced that they are lacking if you stick with the "name brands".
I have, however seen bad results from well-meaning pet owners trying home-cooked diets. First, a well balanced recipe needs to be found. Then, quality ingredients need to be bought and used. Any skimping or substituting at this point can lead to poor, unbalanced nutrition. Then time needs to be available to cook the recipe often enough that the pet has access to fresh, fully nutritious ingredients.
Unfortunately, many people start off well, only to find that the cost of buying good ingredients is higher than they anticipate, and the time commitment is more than their estimate. Quality slips and poor results start to show up.
Having said all of that, my answer is maybe - for some people it is feasible, but most people find it too difficult to maintain a quality product in the time that they have. These people would be far better off with commercial diets.