by Jaime McKittrin

A recent report on the news got me thinking about substances that are toxic to our pets; you know – the foods dogs should not eat; dangerous foods for dogs.

The subject of the report was the substance xylitol, the active agent in TicTacs™, as well as many other sugar-free candies. Apparently, a woman’s black lab had a propensity to sneak tasty morsels out of his master’s purse, including TicTacs™ and Tums™.

Now, I don’t know about your four-legged friends, but I know for a fact that if I stuck a handful of Tums™ in my 90-pound Briard’s food dish, she would turn up her aristocratic little French muzzle at me and walk away – no doubt muttering under her less than fragrant doggy breath.

Or, er, the doggy equivalent of muttering.

The idea of a dog wolfing down (no pun intended) a container of breath mints might seem humorous until you consider this particular dog almost died as a result.

Apparently xylitol, which is a natural substance and quite acceptable sugar substitute for humans, can adversely affect a dog’s insulin levels, as well as his liver.

Although I am not in the habit of slipping Allie breath mints of any kind, tempting as it has been at times, I have to admit I wasn’t aware they were among the foods dogs should not eat. So I decided to pass the information on to you.

If you suspect your pet has ingested xylitol, contact the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) at 1-888-426-4435. This information is recent enough, even your vet may be unaware of the danger.

After hearing this news item, I decided to research other edibles that are toxic to our canine companions. There are several dangerous foods for dogs on the list.

I’m sure most dog owners are well aware of the dangers of chocolate to a dog, as well as onions. But maybe a few on the list of foods dogs should not eat will be new to you.

Here they are:

• Alcoholic Beverages (goes without saying, right?)
• Avocado ( great for your heart, but don’t give them to your dog)
• Coffee/chocolate (caffeine, caffeine, caffeine)
• Macadamia nuts (my favorite)
• Raisins and Grapes (can cause kidney failure within 24 hours)
• Garlic & Onions (cats are probably even more sensitive to onions than dogs)
• Salt
• Yeast dough
• Moldy and spoiled food (again — goes without saying)
• Raw salmon (feeding your dog raw food? remember – NO SALMON!)

This is a pretty basic list. Please feel free to add to it if you are aware of other foods that can be fatal to a dog. Just visit our blog and the article on foods dogs should not eat. The welfare of our pets is what our blog is all about.

An excellent resource on this subject is:  DANGEROUS DOG FOOD, which was used in preparing this article.

Here is a video of Martha Stewart speaking to Dr. Goldstein, a well known vet, about this subject:

For more information, visit the blog:  Natural Home Made Dog Food.