Maybe sharing isn’t caring.
Slipping your pet some food from the dinner table at Christmas might seem harmless for Fido, but that well-intentioned treat could be hazardous to their health.
Ahead of the holidays, pet experts are warning owners of the risky foods for dogs, from common ingredients to seasonal dishes.
“Dogs who eat the same foods every day can react badly if you give them a treat,” Joe Inglis, the head of Veterinary Science and Nutrition at Biome9, an at-home testing kit for dogs, told Country Living.
“Some people give their dogs a turkey dinner on Christmas, but they’ve never had it before. Some dogs are not very good at digesting foods like this.”
According to The Daily Mail, pups should not consume desserts like puddings, cakes or chocolate, due to the sugar, fat and milk content of the sweet treats, as well as the caffeine and theobromine in chocolate, which is toxic to dogs.
Some confections that don’t contain cocoa could have xylitol, a sweetener that, according to Newsweek, could result in low blood sugar and liver failure.
And, as panettone surges in popularity this winter, the fluffy Italian loaf typically contains dried fruit, like raisins, which can be poisonous to pooches and potentially lead to kidney failure, the outlet reported.
Steer clear of nuts, too. While not all types of nuts are toxic, they are high in fat — which can cause obesity and pancreatitis — and salt, while also posing a choking hazard. Macadamia nuts, however, can cause weakness, vomiting and diarrhea if ingested by dogs.
“If your dog has consumed a large number of nuts and appears to be showing symptoms, then you are advised to seek veterinary attention as soon as possible,” advise experts at tails.com, according to the Daily Mail.
Onions and garlic — common ingredients found in most dishes — are also toxic to dogs because they are part of the allium family, which contains the compound thiosulfate and is poisonous to pooches. Ingestion of thiosulfate can cause damage to red blood cells and hemolytic anemia, according to the American Kennel Club.
Fido can also forget about the leftovers.
Meat, dairy and some bread can become a breeding ground for bacteria and mold, posing a health risk to dogs. Meanwhile, the skin from foods like turkey contains too much fat for pups, while the bones are a choking hazard and wreak havoc on dog’s internal organs if swallowed, according to the Daily Mail.
“You can create a Christmas dinner for your dog with similar foods that you might eat yourself,” Inglis said.
“Mash up the Christmas veg and turkey and add it to their dinner. Avoid things like sausages and gravy which tend to be very salty. Some dogs will enjoy cleaning up a plate after Christmas dinner, which won’t harm them, but generally, leftovers can be fatty and greasy and are not a good idea.”
