Toxic Foods to Keep Away From Your Cat and Dog

Pets are without a doubt our four-legged best friends. There are over 380 million pets in the U.S. compared to 300 million humans, representing 63% of all households. They can be expensive, though. The annual cost of owning a dog is ,135 and the annual cost of owning a cat is 2. A way to save on pet care is to go to the animal hospital you trust if anything happens.

One way to prevent a visit to an emergency vet is to monitor what food you feed your dog or cat. Here is a list of toxic food never to feed your little furry friend!

Alcohol
Just like in humans, alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and can cause drops in blood sugar, blood temperature, and body temperature. They can become intoxicated and suffer from seizures and respiratory failure, so if you spill some wine or beer, do not let your pet lick it up! Desserts that use cooking alcohol or yeast need to be monitored as well.

Chocolate
The darker the chocolate, the more it is poisonous for your pet. Depending on the kind ingested, your pet may experience vomiting, diarrhea, heart arrhythmia, or tremors.

Fatty, fried food
Foods that have a high fat content should not be given to your pet as a treat. It can cause pancreatitis and other ingestion problems.

Bones with Fat
Fatty bones also harbor a threat in dogs. The fat can cause pancreatitis, even if it is cooked. You should also monitor the size of the bone you are giving to your dog, as they can cause splintering and lacerations in their digestive system.

Fruit
Different fruits can cause different issues in your pets. Any piece of fruit with a pit, such as a peach or a plum can cause inflammation of the intestine or intestinal blockage.

Additionally, grapes and raisins cause kidney failure. When this happens, they are unable to urinate which will cause a potentially deadly buildup of toxins in their system. As little as four grapes can have this effect on small dogs.

Onions and garlic
Ingestion of anything with onion or garlic can cause red blood cell damage to both cats and dogs. This can cause bursting, and even a small amount can be fatal.

Make sure you keep your pets away from these toxic foods so you will not have any unexpected trips to the emergency vet!

But, in case of an accident, make sure to contact Veterinary Emergency Services, Inc, the best emergency vet Virginia has to offer!