This Festive Season, Keep your Pets Away From These Foods!

It is endearing to consider your pets as your family, but feeding them everything we as humans eat, is unfair. Some of the food we consume can prove dangerous and sometimes even fatal to their lives. Their tummies are not accustomed to eating oily or fatty foods and can suffer from diarrhea or an upset stomach upon consumption.

As pet parents, it is crucial for us to know and understand what agrees your furry one and what doesn’t. Here’s a glimpse into what foods should be kept away from our pets:

Chocolate and Caffeine:

Chocolate is extremely harmful to dogs and cats. The amount and type of chocolate consumed will indicate the symptoms and the level of toxicity he or she will experience. Some of the symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, abdominal discomfort, lethargy, muscle tremors, fluctuating body temperatures, seizures and in extreme cases even death. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is for your furry one. This contains high concentration levels of caffeine and theobromine, both are known to cause toxicosis in canine and felines.

Raisins and Xylitol:

Raisins have been associated with kidney failure in some dogs and cats. Vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea can occur within 12 hours of ingesting it. If these symptoms are not treated in time, they may lead to dehydration, decreased appetite and decreased urine output. Once you observe these symptoms, rush your pet to the vet at the earliest. If left untreated, he or she can develop long-term kidney disease or in extreme cases die of kidney failure within three to four days.

Xylitol is an artificial sweetener found mostly in sugar-free products. Ingesting this can be life-threatening to your furry one in terms of low blood sugar and later on lead to liver damage. Symptoms may show within minutes or after a few hours of ingestion. If you suspect that your furry one has consumed even a small amount of xylitol, consult your vet at the earliest.

Onions and Garlic:

The consumption of onions, garlic, shallots and scallions can result in the damage of your furry one’s red blood cells further leading to anemia. It can also lead to gastroenteritis in canines. In canines, symptoms may appear only days after ingestion and may include lethargy, weakness and orange to dark-red tinged urine. In felines, the symptoms are lethargy, weakness, decreased appetite, pale gums and orange to dark-red tinged urine. On observing these, your furry one should be rushed to the vet at the earliest.

To ensure what you can and cannot feed your furry one, reach out to your vet for clearer understanding. A general rule of thumb should be to keep your pets away from human food.