This got me thinking about all the things we eat on a daily basis that can cause problems for our furry friends. There are hundreds of things that are toxic to both dogs and cats, so if you are worried about anything they’ve eaten then ring us as soon as they’ve eaten them – this gives us the best chance of Recently we have had a few poisoning cases at Double Bay – mostly rat bait but also a few other toxins. preventing any nasty side effects on what they’ve eaten.
Yummy for us…toxic for them!
There are lots of things that we love to eat that are poisonous to our pets… these include:
Chocolate
We all love a good piece of chocolate and no more so than when the days start to get colder – comfort food anyone?!
However, there are two components of chocolate that are poisonous to dogs – theobromine and caffeine. Dogs that have eaten chocolate show signs of vomiting and diarrhoea, they can drink and urinate more than usual, sometimes they can become wobbly on their legs and this can lead to seizures and death. Different types of chocolate contains different amounts of theobromine, dark chocolate contains the most – with just 30grams of dark chocolate being the fatal dose for a 5kg dog. Signs usually develop within 1-2 hours of ingestion and can last up to 3 days.
If your dog eats any chocolate at all, you should contact us at Double Bay Veterinary Clinic (93634045) as an EMERGENCY.
Remember no matter how little chocolate your dog has consumed always inform your vets as very small amounts can be toxic!
Grapes and Raisins
We all enjoy grapes and a slice of raisin toast with our coffee in the morning – but did you know both these things are toxic to our pets?
Ingestion of grapes and raisins causes lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, acute kidney failure and may even lead to death. The actual mechanism by which grapes and raisins are toxic is actually not known and at the moment the actions are not thought to be dose dependent. This means that unlike chocolate, we cannot say how many grapes/raisins an individual animal needs to eat to have the toxic effects. Some dogs will be able to eat lots and be fine, some dogs will have one or two grapes or raisins and develop kidney failure.
We are currently unsure if they are poisonous to cats, although there have been two reported cases of kidney failure occurring in cats after ingestion of raisins/grapes.
If your dog or cat eats any raisins/grapes you should contact Double Bay Veterinary Clinic on 93634045 as an EMERGENCY, no matter how few they’ve eaten.
Macadamia nuts
A good Aussie treat….but did you know macadamias are poisonous to our pets?
Macadamia nuts are poisonous to both dogs and cats. As little as 0.7g of nuts per 1kg of body weight can cause clinical signs and these include weakness, vomiting, trembling, weakness, joint pain, tummy pain and a high temperature. Signs usually become apparent within 12 hours of ingestion.
Xylitol – (an artificial sweetener used in chewing gum, toothpaste, some baked goods and some sweets.)
Xylitol helps us having fresh breath in our gum….but can cause some strife to our furry friends.
Xylitol is present in a large range of foodstuffs. Ingestion of xylitol can cause a dangerously low blood sugar – as it causes a large release of natural insulin from the body. This can result in seizures and if untreated death.
As well as seizures there can be vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness and blood clotting issues. Just a small amount can cause clinical signs, so if you are concerned that your puppy may have eaten some xylitol containing products then give us a ring as soon as possible.
Onions and Garlic
We use onions and garlic in hundreds of recipes, so be careful around your pets.
The onion and garlic family contain things called ‘disulphides and thiosulphides.’ When these are broken down in the body, free radicals are produced which can result in damage to the red blood cells and cause anaemia in dogs and cats.
How poisonous they are depends on whether the onion is cooked, dried, fresh or powdered as well as the time of year and species of plant!
Usually treatment is recommended when the ingestion is >0.5% of the animals body weight. Animals can present with vomiting and diarrhoea as well as anaemia, which can potentially be life threatening!
Small amounts of garlic and onions in left overs probably won’t cause harm to dogs but avoid feeding any onion products to cats – as even small amounts are toxic! Contact Double Bay Veterinary Surgery if you have any concerns.
Remember – there are hundreds (if not thousands) of toxic products our pets like to eat. So if you have any questions or are worried about anything your naughty animal has munched on then do give us a call on 93634045.
Dr Julie Brooks BSc, BVSc, MRCVS.
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