Foods That Should Never Be Fed To a Dog

There are many dog owners that don't look at the labels of the pet treats they buy or consider asking if it is good for the dog to eat. It is possible that a lot of the foods we feed our pets transfer human's aliments to them. Think about all the additives our food has and a number of other things that could cause serious damage to our best friends.

In the following we have put together a list of things you should never feed your dog. When shopping for your dog food it's always best to go after the most natural. And of course always make sure to provide your dog with plenty of fresh clean water. Feeding a pet is serious business and should be thought out really well. Remember that if your pet gets ahold of the wrong thing, it could kill him.

Raw foods: Where people got the idea into their heads of feeding dogs raw meat as they would in the wild, is something that can actually kill a dog because of the diseases it can bring about. It is even important to be careful in how you handle uncooked ingredients. All ingredients should be washed adequately with soap and hot water and especially so in the case of meat, chicken or any other meat.

Salmonella: Salmonella is a very serious disease that can be found chicken eggs, chicken, as well as in other poultry products. Salmonella is very dangerous for humans however in the case of dogs it is not usually considered that dangerous. Remember to be careful and clean with poultry products for the safety of your family.

Nightshade family plants and vegetables: Keep all types of plants or plant materials that contain alkaloids like hyoscine, atropine or any other neurotoxins as they could cause paralysis, nerve damage, a disease similar to arthritis, and even death. These dangerous neurotoxins can be found in nightshade family plants such as peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes and eggplant. There are also some seasonings that contain the mentioned chemicals as well such as cayenne pepper, paprika, and capsaicin.

Belladonna is also very dangerous for dogs (a nightshade). Do not allow your dog to get into garden leaves such as rhubarb, tomato leaves, and potato leaves because they are also toxic to dogs.

The garden: There are many garden and lawn fertilizers that can be very dangerous for dogs as well. Some dogs find the smell of bone meal, fish emulsions, and bone meal to be very attractive. So whenever working with these types of chemicals it is always best to not allow the pet to go near the worked on area for a period of 24 hours at least.

Flowers: If you are the type of person that enjoys having your flower garden, make sure to keep your dog out of it as these flowers could cause your dog to become sick. Bittersweet, buttercups, delphiniums, foxgloves, lupine, daffodils, wisteria, hibiscus, rhododendrons, azaleas, oleander, morning glories and lilies of the valley are all flowers that should never be around a dogs reach. The flowers of daffodils are not considered dangerous but the bulb is very dangerous.