What foods can poison my pet?
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From Es cau d'en Pinxo and Naturcan, your trusted veterinarian in Cadaqués and Roses, we want to make sure that you know all the foods that can cause poisoning in your pet so that you can prevent these poisonings and act correctly if you find yourself in this situation.
Some common foods in our diet can be harmful to our pets. Taking advantage of the approaching time of family meals, we give you a small summary so that we all have a quieter holiday.
Chocolate and coffee
Chocolate and coffee are two foods that we practically always have present at the table in case of celebrations or family gatherings. In addition, chocolate is loved by the little ones who will not hesitate to give in if their 4-legged best friend asks them for a piece of it.
The culprit of this poisoning is theobromine. We must know that the blacker the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains, so it is less serious if our pet eats a piece of a milk chocolate biscuit than if he takes a piece of a bar of 85% cocoa chocolate. The typical symptoms of chocolate poisoning are usually vomiting, diarrhea, a lot of thirst and a lot of pee. In severe cases, neurological symptoms such as tremors, hyperactivity and seizures may appear, in which case the prognosis is much less worrying. If you suspect that your dog has eaten chocolate, contact your veterinarian. In cases where the animal receives treatment before 4 hours have passed since ingestion, the prognosis is much more favorable.
Macadamia nuts Macadamia
nuts are also a toxic product for our dogs, symptoms can appear up to 12 hours after ingestion. Fortunately, no fatal cases have been reported and usually recovery is within 24-48 hours from the moment clinical signs appeared. In general, vomiting, tremors, discoloration, weakness and paralysis may appear. The mechanism by which poisoning occurs is still unknown.
Garlic and onion
Garlic, onion and their variants (calçots, leeks...) can also be toxic to our pets. They can cause the destruction of red blood cells, causing hemolytic anemia, more or less severe depending on the amount ingested. In some cases, the animal may urgently need to receive a blood transfusion. Special care must be taken in the season of calçotadas. You can read more about this poisoning
Grapes and raisins
Another apparently healthy food that can cause poisoning in our pets is grapes. We must be especially careful for New Year's Eve, as there are often grapes on the table unattended. The mechanisms through which it occurs are unknown, but it causes severe acute kidney failure. The survival rate is 53%, but it should be borne in mind that some survivors probably suffer from chronic kidney failure that may require treatment and diet for life.
Spoiled food
There is another rather particular poisoning caused by a metabolite caused by fungi. These fungi can appear in poorly prepared or poorly preserved commercial diets. Thanks to current quality controls, very little happens. When such a case occurs. Usually we find several affected animals in the same area, and it coincides with a change in diet or the opening of a new package. On some occasions, the dog already rejected the food before showing symptoms. It is a poisoning that can also occur in individual cases when the dog has taken remains of the garbage or has taken some food in bad condition during the walk (typically flowery bread).
In case of possible poisoning...
If you find yourself in the situation that your pet may be intoxicated, do not hesitate and call your usual veterinarian. He will assess the situation depending on the toxic in question, the amount he may have ingested, the weight of your pet as well as previous pathologies and will tell you how to act in this regard. It is advisable to call the veterinarian even if there are no symptoms, since if the ingestion has been recent and can be dangerous, it could cause vomiting or perform a stomach wash.