Survival & Preparedness Posters

People food which is dangerous or even fatal for your dog
Alcoholic beverages and alcohol toxicity | Apples, apricots, cherries, peaches and plums | Avocados | Baking powder and baking soda | Caution, cooked bones can kill your dog! | Chocolate (all forms) | Coffee (grounds and beans) | Cooked, rich and fatty foods | Corn cobs | Dairy Products | Egg Whites | Grapes and raisins | Macadamia nuts and butter | Moldy or spoiled foods | Nightshade plants | Nutmeg | Onions (raw, dehydrated, cooked and powders) | Raw Fish | Rhubarb leaves | Table salt (sodium chloride) | Wild mushrooms | Yeast dough | Xylitol

This article gives you an overview of the common human foods, which have toxins that are poisonous to dogs and what to do if your dog ingests any of them.

Americans spend over $10 billion dollars a year on food for their dogs. Yet despite many people buying the best food money can buy, some pets would rather eat what we eat.

However, certain foods can be dangerous to your pet, causing varying degrees of illnesses. Some food is toxic due to ingredients and some by improper cooking, storage or poor hygiene.


For example "many well intending pet owners think Grapes and raisins are not a problem and later find their dog has developed kidney failure".

There are more than 100,000 cases of pet poisoning in the United States each year.Animal Poison Control Center ASPCA 24/7 hotline: (888) 426 4435 or check with your vet.

There are a number of common "human" foods that your pooch shouldn't eat and the important thing is to know exactly which ones they are, and to avoid giving them to your best friend. Return to top menu

Alcoholic beverages and alcohol toxicity
"Ethanol" is the component in alcoholic beverages that causes alcohol toxicity in dogs. Generally speaking, our pets are much smaller than us and as such can be highly affected by small amounts of alcohol to the point of fatal intoxication. Don't ever offer alcoholic beverages to your pets.


Here are some of the symptoms and side effects of alcohol:

• In-coordination and ataxia
• Excitement
• Depression
• Excessive urination
• Breathing rate is slowed
• Cardiac arrest and death

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Apples, apricots, cherries, peaches and plums
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Avocado
Avocado leaves, skin, stones, and bark contain a toxic substance known as "persin", which is a fatty acid derivative that is toxic to dogs. Persin is also present in the fleshy part of avacados but to a lesser degree.

The amount of persin required to be ingested to cause allergic reactions is not known. Therefore, play it safe don't give any part of an avacado to your dog, and when disposing of avacardo peelings and stones in your trash make sure they are wrapped and sealed well away from your nosey pooch.

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Baking powder and baking soda
Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents. A leavening agent is a common ingredient in baked goods that produces a gas causing batter and dough to rise. Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate.

Baking powder consists of baking soda and an acid, usually cream of tartar, calcium acid phosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate or a mixture of the three. Ingestion of large amounts of baking soda or baking powder can lead to: Return to top menu

Click here to find out which bones ones are safe for your dog.

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Chocolate (all forms)
Chocolate contains "caffeine" (a nervous system stimulant), "theobromine" (a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic) and high fat content (causing vomiting and diarrhea). All three components can be very toxic to your dog.


The levels of caffeine and theobromine vary between different types of chocolate, for instance, white chocolate has the lowest and baking chocolate or cacao beans have the highest concentration.

Depending on the type of chocolate and the amount eaten, various symptoms can occur including:

• Restlessness and hyperactivity
• Muscle twitching
• Increased drinking and urinating
• Excessive panting
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Seizures
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Heart arrhythmia (where the heart beats out of sync as in patients needing pacemakers)
• Cardiac arrest and death

Action plan

If your dog has ingested chocolate it is imperative that he or she vomits it up straight away. Drop whatever you are doing and take your dog to your vet straight away. He or she will induce vomiting immediately and hopefully your pet will be spared any of the horrible side effects listed above.

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Cooked, rich and fatty foods
Cooked, rich and fatty foods such as gravies and bacon draw dogs like magnets. Unsuspecting owners often give them as treats or leftovers.

These foods are almost always responsible for triggering off pancreatitis, and whilst pancreatitis can affect any dog certain breads are particularly prone:

• Miniature or toy poodles
• Cocker spaniels
• Miniature schnauzers

Signs of pancreatitis generally include: Return to top menu

Corn cobs
Many dogs love to chew on corn cobs, because they enjoy the taste of the salt and butter we put on them.

Corn cobs can cause intestinal obstruction, a very serious (and potentially fatal) medical condition. And additionally, some dogs are sensitive to corn and can suffer intestinal effects from that as well as the physical obstruction.

Signs seen with intestinal obstruction or partial obstruction may include:

• Vomiting or dry retching
• Diarrhea (or straining)
• Not eating
• Painful abdomen
• Lethargy

It is wise to keep all cobs away from your dog, safely secured in the trash, and well out of reach of your pet.

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Dairy Products
Human dairy products are not highly toxic but are dangerous for dogs for three reasons:

• The risk of pancreatitis, due to their high fat content
  Milk-O-Pet.
  
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  Grapes and raisins
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  Macadamia nuts and butter
  
  Macadamia nuts, also called Queensland or Australia nuts, can be extremely toxic to dogs. The mechanism behind why these nuts are toxic is a mystery.
  
  However, it has been noted that dogs which have eaten as few as six nuts can show severe toxic symptoms to include:
  
  • Pale gums
  • Abdominal pain
  • Vomiting
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    Moldy or spoiled foods
    Dogs love to get into the trash can and if the trash contains moldy or spoiled food, your dog could end up with a serious liver problem depending upon what kind of mold he or she has eaten.
    
    Molds come in more than one type, and each type has its own variety of mycotoxins including:
    • Aflatoxin is produced by a fungus called aspergillus. Aspergillus is found in foods such as moldy dog food, bread, and cheese. Dogs are highly sensitive and very susceptible to aflatoxin toxins.
    • Penitremand is found mainly in penicillium molds which commonly grow on moldy food items such as nuts, cheese, and bread. It is also commonly found in garbage and compost piles. Penitrem poisoning in dogs occurs very frequently!
    • Vomitoxin is produced by fusarium mold which grows on grains such as wheat, barley, oats and corn which are common ingredients of commercial dog foods.
    
    
    The result of dog poisoning by moldy or spoiled foods is impaired liver function. If you suspect your pet has been rummaging through the trash can symptoms to keep and eye out for include:
    • Refusing food
    • Abdominal tenderness
    • Vomiting
    • Diarrhea
    • Muscle tremors
    • In-coordination
    • Elevated temperature
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      Nightshade plants
      There are over 2,500 plants, fruits and vegetables which fall into the nightshade category, that contain a substances toxic to dogs called "solanine and alkaloids".
      
      It is impossible to list them all here, but the two main ones you need to be careful of when walking your dogs are the black and white varieties of horse nettle.
      
      
      On the home front the most dangerous are:
      • Potatoes (particularly the peelings of green looking potatoes)
      • Tomatoes (particularly the green leaves and stems of tomato plants
      • Peppers
      
      
      The main symptoms with solanine and alkaloids poisoning are:
      • Drooling
      • Severe gastrointestinal upsets (vomiting, diarrhea and bloat)
      • Loss of appetite
      • Drowsiness
      • Central nervous system depression
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        Nutmeg
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        Onions (raw, dehydrated, cooked and powders)
        Dogs lack the enzyme necessary to properly digest onions and this could result in severe gastrointestinal distress. Symptoms can begin immediately after eating the onion or a few days later, including:
        • Gas
        • Vomiting
        • Diarrhea
        
        
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        Raw Fish
        Raw fish is off limits, particularly if you are located in the North West Pacific area.
        
        If eaten raw, salmon and other fish often carry a fluke and that fluke carries a bacteria that is known to cause seizures and even death in canines. The key to feeding fish to dogs is to cook it well, this kills the fluke and elminates the danger.
        
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        Rhubarb leaves
        If you grow rhubarb in your garden, keep a close eye on your dog and make sure he or she doesn’t munch on the leaves. leaves. The oxalates in rhubarb leaves can damage your dog's:
        • Nervous system
        • Digestive system
        • Urinary system
        
        
        Clinical signs of this type of poisoning include:
        
        • Drooling
        • Inappetance
        • Vomiting
        • Diarrhea
        • Lethargy
        • Weakness
        • Tremors
        • Blood in urine
        • Changes in thirst and urination
        Rhubarb Pet Poison Helpline
        
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        Table salt (sodium chloride)
        Large amounts of table salt found in bacon, ham, salted chips and snacks can give your dog "sodium ion" poisoning. Signs that your pet may have eaten too many salty foods include:
        • Excessive thirst and urination
        • Vomiting
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          Wild mushrooms
          Wild mushroom poisoning occurs as a result of ingesting toxic mushrooms. This is a common hazard for dog breeds that need a lot of exercise, and are fortunate enough to live in areas that have ready access to wooded areas, particularly in Summer and Autumn.
          
          Toxic mushrooms are classified into four categories (A, B, C, D), based on the clinical signs and their time of onset, and into seven groups (1-7) on the basis of the toxin they contain.
          
          However, because it is sometimes difficult to identify what type of mushroom your dog has eaten, you should always take the suspected mushroom with you when you take your dog to the vet.
          
          Symptoms vary greatly depending on the type of mushroom ingested:
          • Category A mushrooms, for example, are the most toxic and cause the destruction of cells, especially liver and kidney cells
          • Category B and C mushrooms, meanwhile, affect the nervous system
          • Category D mushrooms cause gastrointestinal irritation
          
          
          The following symptoms are some of the more common symptoms associated with mushroom poisoning in general:
          • Abdominal pain
          • Vomiting
          • Diarrhea
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            Yeast dough
            
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            When dogs eat yeast dough it "rises" in their stomachs (often many times its original size), just as it does when people make bread. As the dough rises and ferments, alcohol is produced and Alcohol toxicity occurs. Symptoms include: Return to top menu
            
            Xylitol
            Xylitol is a sugar-alcohol sweetener found in sugar-free human food such as chewing gum, candy and sweets as well as other products, such as biscuits, cookies and cakes.
            
            Dogs that eat significant amounts can develop symptoms in as little as 30 minutes and go on for hours. If you suspect your dog has eaten any of the above food, symptoms to keep and eye out for are:
            • A sudden drop in glucose (blood sugar)
            • Weakness
            • Lethargy
            • Loss of coordination leading to your dog collapsing
            • Seizures
            
            
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            Prevention is always better than a cure
            
            Dogs are pretty much like small children, and parents never know what mischief they are going to get into next. Therefore the responsibility is on pet parents to make themselves familiar with the foods above, and to keep them out of reach of their pets.
            
            If your furry friend is a scrap scavenger make sure you have a dog-proof compost cover.
            
            Keep the following phone numbers and items handy
            
            • Animal Poison Control Center ASPCA 24/7 hotline: (888) 426 4435
            • Your vet's emergency phone number.
            • A first aid kit for pets, and if you take your dog out hiking and walking frequently keep one in your car as well.
            • A First aid manual
            • Activated charcoal capsules (charcoal delays absorption of any toxin by binding to the toxic compound in the stomach, and acts as a delaying mechanism until you can get your pet to your vet.)
            Treating toxic food poisoning
            
            The most important thing is not to delay taking your pet to the vet. When treating food poisoning time is always of the essence in saving dogs lives. Whatever toxin your pet has eaten, if possible take a sample of it with you. Your dog needs to be induced to vomit and your vet and only your vet is the person to do this - do not attempt to do this yourself!

 

In hopes to improve our younger audience...

 

That list is probably in reference to animals that have been totally bread away from the animals natural foods .
Most of my animas have lived to or past their natural lifetime expectancy .
They also have all the unrestrained out side access they want .
My current dog is a Maltese I got at age 2 ,dropped off on my front porch, he is7-8 now .
the original owner had too many animals .
So far he has out lived all his siblings and parents, a sole survivor . He has his own dry dog food including my left overs including avocado skin and stones ( he licks the stones and skin clean , he doesn't chew them, He crunches chicken and bones, bacon grease in the dry food, and so much more .
He is not fat or lazy or sickly, he is fun and runs like a rabbit fast and a happy dog and thrives on my attention .

 

For those that need reader glasses. plan ahead.

 

Luckily my eyes are a little better than that chart. But is a good idea to keep extra sets around. There is never a good time to lose or break a set of glasses.

 

I was living in Spokane (Fairchild AFB) just before Mt St Helen popped off.

As it turned out, we were shipping out for a tour in Alaska. DW and kiddos were safely in UT and I was in Miss (Bolxi) for some training - I had arrived in MS a day before the eruption.

Due to some wrinkle in AF regulation at the time, we all had to depart for AK from the Spokane airport.

We had some friends that gave us a tour of the base before we departed. The ash had been cleaned up, for the most part, but I found it odd that the plants at our old house were now 3 times taller. Potash is a grea fertilizer....