Homeland K-9 Dog Training Academy

It is the holidays and with that comes food, decorations, celebrations and fun. Much of this activity is a curiosity to your dog. There are new smells and sounds, new people, and lots of things to sniff and taste. However, so much of what we use for these celebrations are actually toxins to your dog and can make him very ill, and in extreme cases can be lethal. Here are some of the top toxins in our households during the holidays:

Chocolate: We have all heard that chocolate is toxic to dogs, but do you have to rush your dog to the emergency vet on Christmas Day if he has eaten an M&M…probably not. Chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. Generally one M&M won’t hurt your pet but you don’t want them eating an entire bowl of chocolates you have decorating the coffee table.

Grapes, Raisins and Currants: Grapes, Raisins, and Currants are in a lot of recipes or are used on cheese trays as decorations. All of these fruits can cause shaking, vomiting, and possibly renal failure in a dog. The reason for this is unknown, however there are hundreds of documented cases of extreme illness due to injestion of one of these items.

Fatty Table Scraps: Table scraps in general are bad. I tell my clients that their dogs should not be given people food at all. Fatty food is no better for your dog than it is for you. It can cause pancreatitis, gas and diarrhea, none of which are pleasant for you or your pet. This includes dairy products that are high in fat.

Onions and 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 so you may not see symptoms immediately.

Macadamia Nuts: Macadamia nuts are highly toxic to dogs. These nuts can cause a dog to develop muscle spasms, fever, inability to walk and kidney problems.

Unbaked Bread Dough: Bread dough needs a warm, moist envioronment to expand and rise. What do you think your dog’s stomach is? If your dog ingests raw bread dough it will rise in their stomach. Through this process it is actually fermenting and can cause alcohol toxicity in your dog.

Alcohol: Alcohol can be poison to humans as well in large quantities. Remember that your dog is a lot smaller than you so a small amount of alcohol can cause slow respiratory rate, increased urination, staggering, excitement, depression, disorientation, behavioral changes, hypothermia, seizures and cardiac arrest.

Nutmeg: Nutmeg is a popular spice at Christmas time, especially in egg nog and cookies. However high levels of nutmeg can result in your dog’s death.

Additional toxins include coffee grounds or coffee beans, sugar free candy or gum, human medicaitons, household cleaners, and baking powder or baking soda. If your dog ingests any of these you can call the Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680 or call your