DOGS can be fed an array of human food alongside pet-specific food, but not all fruits and vegetables are good for your pooch.
Dr Andrew Jones regularly shares his expertise on his YouTube channel Veterinary Secrets, and in one video, he explained the five fruits and vegetables your dogs should never eat, and why you need to be careful if you give them an apple or apple core.
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Grapes
“The top of our list is grapes,” the vet revealed. “Grapes contain a toxic ingredient in the skin, flesh and seeds that can be seriously toxic to our dogs.
“There are multiple cases of dogs developing kidney failure after just eating a small number of grapes.
“Most dogs consume grapes and they’re completely fine, but not all.
“Within an hour of consuming grapes – or raisins – you’d expect to see a dog vomit and that’s a big red flag that your dog may be at risk of developing kidney disease.
“Just never feed your dog grapes or raisins!” Dr Jones remarked.
Onions
The vet explained: “If your dog were to eat enough onions, there’s enough sulfates to damage the red blood cells, causing hemolytic anemia.”
As a result, your dog may suffer from “vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain”.
He added: “That being all said, the toxicity is pretty unlikely, but in general, there are no health benefits from feeding your dog onions with the potential for toxicity if you eat too many. Avoid them.”
Avocados
“One of my favourite fruits,” Dr Jones remarked. “Turns out the part of the avocado you need to be most concerned about is not the fleshy part of the avocado humans eat – it’s actually okay for your dog.
“The skin of an avocado, however, contains a toxic ingredient called persin, and it can give your dog serious stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.”
Tomatoes
The vet said: “The flesh of the tomato itself is completely fine. The issue is the green part, eg the stem or the vine.
“The stem contains a toxic ingredient called solanine – it can also be found in green tomatoes if they haven’t fully ripened.
“Solanines can cause serious upset for your dog, they’re also psychoactive, so your dog could hallucinate. More importantly, they will become disorientated and really sick.
“I’ve even seen dogs come in staggering from having eaten green tomatoes.
“100 per cent avoid the green stems or green tomatoes, avoid giving that to your dog,” Dr Jones advised.
Apples
“Apple skin is rich in flavonoids and pretty darn healthy,” the expert said. “But it’s what‘s inside the apple that’s the problem.
“The see inside the centre of the apple contains cyanide.
“If your dog consumed one seed, is he going to get chronically sick? No. But if he were to crunch down on a whole bunch of seeds, it’s going to be converted into cyanide and that’s going to cause serious toxicity.
“Signs of serious cyanide toxicity include salivation, difficulty breathing, seizures and even paralysis.”
Dr Jones added: “Cherries, plums, peaches, those fruits are okay, just ensure the dog doesn’t eat the seed.”
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