Foods dangerous for dogs and cats

What it's for

Many foods that are common for us are dangerous for dogs and cats. This list helps you check quickly before giving (or dropping) something.

Important

If a toxic food is eaten, contact your vet or a poison-control center right away: don't wait for symptoms to appear.

The four to know by heart

Chocolate and cocoa. They contain theobromine, which dogs clear extremely slowly. The darker the chocolate the more it holds: unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate are the worst, milk chocolate takes much larger amounts, white barely counts. The dose that really matters is worked out by Chocolate toxicity in dogs.

Xylitol. It's the sweetener in sugar-free gum, in some toothpastes, in some sweets and in some peanut butters. In dogs it causes a sudden collapse in blood sugar and, at larger doses, serious liver damage. It's the most insidious on the list because very little is needed and because nobody thinks of chewing gum as a poison.

Grapes and raisins. In some dogs they cause acute kidney failure, and why it happens still isn't clear: there's no dose considered safe, and precisely for that reason any ingestion should always be reported to the vet.

Onion, garlic, leek and shallot. They damage red blood cells, with an effect that builds up over time and can appear days later. They count cooked as much as raw, and they count in powder form: stock cubes, fried bases and leftover sauce are the commonest way in.

Cats have two more entries

Cats are more sensitive than dogs to onion and garlic, and they have a problem dogs don't: tuna as a regular food. A little piece now and then does nothing, but a diet based on tuna made for people leads to deficiencies and to an excess of substances cats don't handle. Cats should also be kept away from milk: as adults nearly all of them can't digest lactose, and the result is simply an upset stomach.

What to do, and in what order

Phone straight away, without waiting for symptoms: with nearly all these substances time is the variable that matters most, and symptoms appear once absorption has already happened. The vet needs three pieces of information: what, how much and when; if there's packaging, keep it.

Don't induce vomiting on your own initiative. With some substances it makes things worse, and the home remedies going round online (salt, hydrogen peroxide) do damage of their own. It's a decision for whoever answers the phone, not for whoever searches the internet.

Nearby tools

For the chocolate dose that really is a risk there is Chocolate toxicity in dogs. For the right amounts of food there are Dog calorie needs, Cat calorie needs and Daily kibble amount, and for water Water for dogs and cats.