Dangerous Foods for Pets
As I've switched my own diet to a plant-based diet, I've been thinking a lot about nutrition. My own Opal, Dixie and Nini are fortunate enough to have home-cooked meals prepared by Yours Truly. My recipes are wholesome and balanced, and loaded with dark, leafy greens, carotene-rich foods and other good stuff. Now, although there is a great deal of healthy 'people food' that is equally healthy for pets, there are certain foods that are toxic and often deadly.
Below are some of the foods that animal-lovers should know are toxic to animals.
There are many more, so rather than sneak your pet a healthy food or treats for people assuming that they must also be healthy for animals, think twice. You may want to visit the American Animal Hospital Association website for a more exhaustive list of dangerous foods:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Apple seeds
- Apricot pits
- Avocados?toxic to birds, mice, rabbits, horses, cattle and dairy goats
- Cherry pits
- Candy (particularly chocolate, which is toxic to dogs, cats and ferrets, and any candy containing the sweetener Xylitol)
- Coffee (grounds, beans, chocolate covered espresso beans)
- Grapes
- Hops (used in home beer brewing)
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy foods
- Mushroom plants
- Mustard seeds
- Onions and onion powder
- Peach pits
- Potato leaves and stems (green parts)
- Raisins
- Rhubarb leaves
- Salt
- Tea (caffeine)
- Tomato leaves and stems (green parts)
- Walnuts
- Yeast dough