Top Ten Most Dangerous Human Foods to Dogs and Cats

Welcome everyone. This hub is designed for just about anyone wanting to know what are the most toxic foods to your beloved or future pet. Are you guilty of giving your pet any of these? I'm sure most people have done it once or twice without realising.

If you have any tips or tricks or experiences and know what to do, please comment below and share your information.

When you ask people what human foods are poisonous to pets they will say chocolate. It's probably the most commonly known.

Chocolate can cause paralysis of the organs and even damage the kidneys, lungs, intestines and other body parts of your cat/dog. The dog is unable to digest the chocolate, nor is it able to digest the lactose sugars included which can cause the runs, if enough of this is ingested it can kill your pet within hours.

This also includes chocolate ice cream, chocolate flavourings, boxed chocolates, etc.

These are more unknown killers, people assume kitty cats like milk and doggies like cheese sandwiches. It is true that they will eat them, but it is also true it can kill them.

Cats and dogs cannot digest the sugars in lactose which can give them chronic diarrhoea. Cheese is very hard for them to digest in particular and can cause other stomach problems, bloating, difficulty controlling their bowels, problems with the pancreas, and if enough is ingested it can poison and kill them.

Imagine being very lactose intolerant and eating a ton of cheek/drinking milk. Human bodies are good as they can process things much better and clear them, animals are not so sophisticated and cannot tell us when something is wrong.

Coffee is a strong stimulant to humans which can cause serious health problems to dogs and cats. Coffee to them is like a crate of energy drink to us. The caffeine can overdose them causing a rapid heart rate, tremors, diarrhoea, stomach problems, issues with the lungs, even heart attacks. If the coffee contains milk they are also unable to digest the lactose only furthering the problem.

Coffee can make you pet very, very sick as their bodies cannot handle it. It only takes a small amount for your pet to become excessively hyperactive and unstable.

Alcohol is absorbed very, very quickly into the system of your pet which can cause severe health problems or even kill them. It affects the CNS (Central nervous system) and the respiratory system and can cause your dog to become unwell, lethargic or display symptoms of poisoning. Their bodies simply cannot handle alcoholic drinks.

Large quantities in particular can be fatal so if your dog/cat consumes any alcohol you should phone the vet immediately for help.

Terrible for humans, terrible for dogs and cats. This includes sushi, "rare" meats, raw or undercooked eggs, even raw unwashed vegetables.

Both cats and dogs are susceptible to both Salmonella and E-coli. These can be extremely serious and pose a high risk of dehydration, serious weight loss, lethargy and other problems as well as being contagious to humans. Salmonella is found in raw, rare or undercooked meats, raw or undercooked eggs and even raw vegetables such as tomato.

Your dog is not a wolf, your cat is not a lioness. They can't eat raw meat, it will make them sick. Many meats such as ham are also dangerous for cats and dogs and should never be given in the first place. If you think food is raw, spoiled, undercooked or bad. Don't give it to the dog, get rid of it and make sure they don't get any.

Ham is a particular problem for dogs. Ham is a red meat that is especially high in fat and can lead to chronic pancreatitis in dogs which can be fatal, difficult to treat and even develop slowly. Pancreatitis is a life-threatening illness.

As well as dehydration from the high salt content, these meats can also caught weight gain and very upset stomachs.

Cats can also suffer ill effects from hams such as dehydration, funny tummys, bloating, weight gain and even catch tapeworm if the pig it came from was contaminated. It can also cause pancreatitis in some cases.

Dog treats? really?

Yes, really. Dogs treats in some of the major brands you can name off the top of your head (that I can't list here) contain so many poisonous chemicals you would scream and start a campaign to have them taken off the shelves if you knew what was in them. Yes, some of these chemicals are also in cat treats.

Titanium powders - yes, crushed titanium into a powder. You know, the stuff they make jewellery and even use in mechanical engineering or surgical tools. That stuff, in pet food.

Copper oxide - you guessed it. RUST. Actual RUST in pet treats. Copper rust to be exact, metal that has corroded.

Dairy/lactose - as stated above dogs and cats are intolerant to lactose. In treats you may not even know it's there but it can cause bad tummies, etc.

Ash - yes, actual ash. This is common in pet foods and makes up as a filler. It can be burned bits of animals, other products, etc used in manufacturing foods (some even for people) it is very unhealthy.

Artificial flavours and sweeteners. These are bad for humans but for dogs and cats they are so much worse. These can cause swelling in the lungs, the stomach, ongoing runs, constipation, blood in the stool, respiratory issues, allergic reactions, lethargy.

Just 4 or 5 of these little raisins/grapes is enough to cause crippling toxic effects to dogs and cats. They can cause painful kidney stones, kidney problems, problems with other organs and even kill them. Only a small number is needed to take effect and make your pet serious ill, ill enough to be rushed to a vet and get a hefty bill in return. These can be fatal.

It is stated they may be less toxic to cats, however, they still pose a threat and should not be given under any circumstances.

Tuna is similar to ham only it takes more to make your pet sick. It affects both dogs and cats but as it is more commonly given to cats, the issue is larger with them.

Tuna is a salty fish that is high in protein and can contain enough fat over a period of time to cause health problems. The salt leads to dehydration, the fat can cause weight gain, upset stomachs and pancreatitis.

Often people recommend putting a little tuna in with dry food for both cats and dogs. Often it is reported that the animals have wind within hours-2 days after consumption, an upset stomach, diarrhoea or foul smelling wind.

This may seem obvious after I say no dairy, but some people don't count it as dairy.

Ice cream contains a lot of milk, a lot of extra sugar, a lot of fat and even gelatine, artificial flavourings, sweeteners and even... chocolate! There is nothing non-toxic about ice cream for dogs or cats. Both can suffer terrible diarrhoea, bloating, vomiting, respiratory problems, problems with the organs, intestinal issues, lethargy and it can even kill them.