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Deadly Foods - are they lurking in your home |
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Written by Webmaster
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Thursday, 12 July 2007 |
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As those big brown eyes staring up at you as your best mate sites beside the table.They sit so quietly waiting, how can you resist.....and just a small piece wont hurt will it
Its a good question..... training issues, behavioural and dominance issues aside....will it hurt?
For the majority of foods the answer is probably not, but there are a number of human foods which will kill your favourite pet quick smart. There is also a range of common household plants and cleaning agents which are not great either. What follows is a list and brief synopsis of some....
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Moldy Foods -
Any spoiled food can potentially habour these fungal toxins - the generally cause seizures and death. Additional if they dont have fungal toxins spoiled meat particularly grows Salmonella really well...Rule of thumb - if you wouldn't eat it don't expect your pet to do so."chocolate.jpg"
Chocolate - most of us already know that cholocate and dogs just doesn't mix. Chocolate is made from cocoa beans and cocoa butter. It contains caffeine and theobromin. Dogs are really sensitive to these drugs resulting in an increase in heart rate, hyperactivily, tremors and death. Additionally chocolate can cause a gastro upset leading to vomiting, diarrhea, thirst and lethargy. Baking chocolate is worse than milk chocolate. Early treatment is important. Pets need intravenous fluids in some cases, as well as anti-seizure drugs and calmatives.
Onion, Garlic, Shallots These foods belong to a class of plants called Allium sp. Other members are chives, spring onions.? All members contain a component called n-propyl disulfide.? This substance seems to cause oxidative damage to red blood cells, which leads to a life threatening destruction of red cells and severe anaemia.? Dried forms of the plants cause similar problems.? "onion.jpg"Treatments include decontaminition, blood transfusions and intravenous fluids.
Macadamia Nuts These nuts can cause problems when ingested by dogs.? when ingested with shell intact they can cause an obstruction and when chewed they can cause vomiting, weakness, nausea, tremors and hypothermia. ?
Grapes, Raisins, Sultanas This is a bit of a mystery, it is unknown as to the quantity required to cause a toxicity in a dog.? However amounts as small as 30gms ( a childs lunch sized amount) have been shown to cause acute failure of the kidneys.? The nature of the toxin is under studies by the veterinary community. ? If your pet eats any amount of these products call your vet!
Tobacco Nicotine in tobacco products is a potent stimulant to pets.? Cigarette butts contain up to 25% of the total nicotine in a cigarette.? An animal eating as few as 3 or 4 cigarettes or 6-8 butts may develop toxic signs such as :-? twitching, tremors, fast respiration, salivation and vomiting can occur, followed by coma and death.? It should not be attempted to induce vomiting in an affected patient, as it may cause seizures and death.? Consult your vet for treatment.
Other dangerous foods
Alcohol
Avocado
Coffee
Fatty Foods - including bone marrow
Yeast Dough (uncooked)
Other Dangerous products
Rat Baits
Antifreeze for Cars
Slug and Snail Baits
Blue Green Algae in ponds?
Other Dangerous Household
???? medications
Pain killers - aspirin, panadol, nurofen etc
Cold medicines
Anti-cancer drugs
Antidepressants
Vitamins
Diet Pills
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 July 2007 )
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