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Foods & Household Items Dangerous to Dogs

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By Maddie Ruud


My dog Vivi
My dog Vivi

Whether you are looking to adopt your first pet, or you are a veteran dog owner, it's important to be aware of the environment you are providing for your furry friends. You may have heard that some foods, like chocolate, are poisonous to dogs, but that's only part of the whole story. Many everyday objects and substances are harmful (and can even prove fatal!) to dogs.

This hub lists in alphabetical order human foods, common plants, and household items toxic or dangerous to your canine companions. It's a good idea to print it out and give your house and yard a good going over to make sure these things are all out of the dog's reach, to ensure the safety of your pet.

We all want to provide a loving home for our pets. Let's make sure it's a safe one too.

Foods

In general, foods that are spoiled or moldy, and those that are especially salty, fatty, or sugary should not be given to your dogs. In addition, avoid leaving tobacco products, caffeine, or alcohol where dogs can reach them.


  • Alcohol
  • Avocados
  • Candy
  • Chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Grapes
  • Gum
  • Macadamia Nuts
  • Raisins
  • Salt
  • Tea
  • Yeast

Plants

Lilies, ferns, and ivy are among the many plants hazardous to your dog. Specific varieties, as well as other dangerous plants are listed below.


  • Heavenly Bamboo
  • Hemlock
  • Honeysuckle
  • Hurricane Plant
  • Hyacinth
  • Hydrangea
  • Iris
  • Jerusalem Cherry
  • Jimson Weed
  • Kalanchoe
  • Lantana
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Lupine
  • Marble Queen
  • Morning Glory
  • Mother-In-Law
  • Mountain Laurel
  • Narcissus
  • Needlepoint Ivy
  • Nephthysis
  • Nightshade
  • Oleander
  • Panda
  • Peace Lily
  • Philodendron
  • Precatory Bean
  • Privet
  • Red Emerald
  • Rhododendron
  • Ribbon Plant
  • Sago Palm
  • Satin Pathos
  • Schefflera
  • Striped Dracaena
  • Sweetheart Ivy
  • Tulip
  • Wisteria
  • Yew
  • Yucca

  • Aloe
  • Amaryllis
  • Andromeda Japonica
  • Asian Lily
  • Asparagus Fern
  • Australian Nut
  • Autumn Crocus
  • Azalea
  • Belladonna
  • Bird of Paradise
  • Bittersweet
  • Black Locust
  • Branching Ivy
  • Buckeye
  • Buddhist Pine
  • Caladium
  • Calla Lily
  • Castor Bean
  • Ceriman
  • Clematis
  • Cordatum
  • Corn Plant
  • Cycads
  • Cyclamen
  • Daffodil
  • Daylily
  • Devil's Ivy
  • Dieffenbachia
  • Dumbcane
  • Easter Lily
  • Elephant Ears
  • Emerald Fern
  • English Ivy
  • Eucalyptus
  • Florida Beauty
  • Foxglove
  • Glacier Ivy
  • Gladiolas
  • Gold Dust Dracaena
  • Golden Pathos

Household Items

All medications, cleaning products, and garden fertilizers and pesticides need to be sealed and say stored safely out of your dog's environment. Some of the worst offenders are listed below.


Pest Control

  • Ant poison
  • Fly bait
  • Insect repellent
  • Mothballs
  • Slug & snail bait
  • Rat poison

Other

  • Lead
  • Lighter fluid
  • Liquid potpourri

Medications

  • Acetominophen
  • Anti-cancer drugs
  • Antidepressents
  • Aspirin
  • Cold & Flu medicines
  • Diet Pills
  • Ibuprofen
  • Vitamins

Cleaning Products

  • Bleach
  • Detergents
  • Disinfectants
  • Drain cleaners
  • Fabric softener
  • Lime & Scale removers
  • Oven cleaners
  • Soap
  • Solvents

Comments

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MarloByDesign profile image

MarloByDesign  says:
2 years ago

Nice hub! I used to give my dog grapes a couple of years ago, until I found out they were on the poisonous list last year (I never knew) - now I stick to Natural Balance dog food, boiled chicken, and doggie biscuits.

I hope I did now hurt him at all, I love him so much!!

I believe that baby aspirin (for pain) is okay. That is what my vet told me.

gaussmarkov  says:
2 years ago

Great hub! I've been waiting for this one! :D

MM Del Rosario profile image

MM Del Rosario  says:
2 years ago

I should send the link of this hub to my sister, she always give her leftover coffee or tea to her dogs.

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
2 years ago

Brilliant itemised hub, Yes my dog used to help himself to the grapes off the vines. So cut them off. I knew about onions and chocolate. and some plants

Bonnie Ramsey profile image

Bonnie Ramsey  says:
2 years ago

Awsome job, Maddie! There are things on this list I would have never dreamed of! I just don't know how my dogs have survived all these years! LOL. Thanks for all the great info!

Bonnie

Susan Ng profile image

Susan Ng  says:
2 years ago

Salt and yeast? Bread contains both, is it toxic to dogs? I feed the dogs leftover bread. :O

Maddie Ruud profile image

Maddie Ruud  says:
2 years ago

Raw yeast is more of a problem than cooked, and there isn't a significant amount of salt in bread, but it still isn't the easiest for them to metabolize. Better to feed dog food to dogs, and save the people food for people.

In The Doghouse profile image

In The Doghouse  says:
2 years ago

Maddie

Great Hub, with a lot of good info. I second your suggestion to only feed dogs "dog food", it is much healthier for them in the long run. My dog has never had "people food" hence he doesn't beg or bug us when we eat.

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
2 years ago

Great list Maddie! I have the foods that are toxic to dogs in my new puppy hub, but I didn't think about adding all of this. I'm definitely going to link this hub to that one.

C.S.Alexis profile image

C.S.Alexis  says:
2 years ago

Many years ago the mother of my God Daughters, sprayed her basement for spiders. The new puppy got very sick and soon died. The Vet. reported later that the puppy's stomach was full of poisoned bugs, crickets and grasshoppers. It was a terrible thing to watch the puppy suffer, and it died quicker than anything could be done to stop the poison.

trakker14 profile image

trakker14  says:
2 years ago

Thats a great list, my shelties have been drinking about a 1/4 cup of coffee every day for about 12 years. but the one item i see you didnt list is antifreeze. there is a harmless antifreeze that wont harm pets.

yeastcure profile image

yeastcure  says:
2 years ago

Great list! I have printed it out for reference! Thanks

Matthew Cepican profile image

Matthew Cepican  says:
2 years ago

Incredible! Great hub!

kalynna profile image

kalynna  says:
2 years ago

Thanks for the list. I knew about chocolate but not coffee and tea. I do give my dog leftover bread sometimes. And when I eat popcorn, I make sure a few pieces fall for her.

jess bradshaw  says:
2 years ago

Just the list we have been looking for! Thank you so much!

jess bradshaw  says:
2 years ago

PSYou left out the most important things of all:

Dog toys of many varieties. All rawhide being one of the worst. Especially all rawhide toys NOT made in USA. They are treated with extremely dangeous chemicals, including formaldehyde and others. Rope toys which can unravel and tie up the intestines and kill your dog. Squeakers in rubber and plastic toys. Any kind of string or thin rope also of course. Socks. One sock killed a Golden Retriever. He stopped eating for three days and by the time his owners took him to the ER and they opened him up, necropsy/gangrene had set in in his blocked intestines and he could not be saved. There are so many unsafe objects that are not even chew toys, it's unbelievable. I worked for a vet and have seen it all!

Rarejewel  says:
2 years ago

Very informative. We just got my lil sis a puppy (Chocolate Lab) for Christmas so it's good to know these things since they are very energetic dogs.

shailini profile image

shailini  says:
2 years ago

WOww..I didn't know this. Very essential tips for pet owners!

Tresea  says:
16 months ago

Thanks Maddie, I appreciate all the helpful information.

Janet  says:
14 months ago

My puppy (7 month old Pomapoo) was taken to the vet because she kept hacking like there was something stuck in her throat. Come to find out, her throat was inflamed and raw. She was put on antibiotics just in case it turned into an infection. What could have caused this? I have been spraying down the laundry room with Lysol when I clean up her pee-pee mess. She usually isn't in the laundry room at the time but sometimes she might come in. Could this have caused her throat irritation?

Julia   says:
11 months ago

We gave our 2 month old standered poodle a rubber teether and she tore it in half, so only use vet approved teethers or teethers that are nylabones. If you give dogs banannas it is fine once in a while but always remember NO CHOCOLATE!!!

neisha  says:
11 months ago

my friend gave her dog a piece of a sandwich with cheese on it do you think that could hurt him I THOUGT IT COULD

Amelia  says:
10 months ago

my dog has snuck most of the bad foods on this list at one time or another, it is tooo funny watching my dog eat a grape though, she cant keep it in her mouth, and she will be chasing it across the floor,, i stoped giving them to her when i found out they were poisonous.

Craziibonez  says:
10 months ago

what other kinds of liquid is it safe for dogs to drink besides water?

is milk ok?.. juice left in the lil fruit cups?

etc...

GLORIA SCHARADIN  says:
9 months ago

is lysol spray toxic to dogs

Dogluvr1919  says:
8 months ago

my dog Sonny has a thing for chewying cardborad. Either its from a hardback book, a note book (wich, most of them has a hole in the middle of the back), or just a box, he will attack at full force! He hasn't gotten sick or anything, but I was wondering if cardboard is okay for dogs..

RidgieLover  says:
8 months ago

My dog chews on cardboard all the time as well...she LOVES paper towel rolls when they are empty! The glue on the cardboard isn't that great for them (as it wouldn't be for us), but there is nothing wrong with them tearing up the cardboard as long as they aren't eating it. My Ridgeback is a HUGE counter-surfer so I have to take special care to keep all vitamins and other items out of reach...thankfully when she snags the paper towels I don't have to worry! :)

Vivi  says:
3 months ago

OMG IM HYSTERICALLY LAUGHING RIGHT NOW LOL

MY NAME IS VIVI AND I SAW THAT YUR DOG NAME IS VIVI IM LIKE WOW! LOLZ =[

Nancy  says:
3 months ago

I HAVE A QUESTION PLEASE! LAST WEEK MY DOG HAS BEEN EATING GRAPES AND WE HAVE TOOKED HER TO THE VET ASAP! SHE STAYED THERE FOR 2 DAYS AND SHE WAS FINE BUT THE ONLY THING IS SHE HAS BEEN THROWING UP AND HAS BEEN HAVING DIAHREA

NOW YESTERDAY I WAS LOOKIN IN THE REFIRGETRATOR AND A SMALL PIECE OF ONION FELL OUT AND SHE ATE IT! AND SHE KEEPS PEEING ALL OVER AND IT LOOKS DARK..SHUD I BE CONCERNED?? IT WAS A SMALL PIECE AND WE REALLY CANT AFFORD TAKING HER TO THE VET AGAIN WE BARELY FINISHED PAYING HER BILL FOR LAST WEEK. PLEASE HELP I LOVE MY DOG SOOO MUCH IDK WHAT I COULD WITHOUT HER...SHES A FEMALE PIT BULL WEIGHS AROUND 75 POUNDS AND SHES 7 MONTHS OLD PLEASE =[[

puppylover1997 profile image

puppylover1997  says:
3 weeks ago

well that's good help now i know what's foods i can't feed my dog he is a chihuahua about 6 years old and about 11 pounds he is big chihuahua not because of his weight so that's not a problem lol

Jayla22 profile image

Jayla22  says:
3 weeks ago

i have a fat golden retriever. he is a purebreed. he is a baby but is overweight. wait she s a girl. we lost 2 pounds.

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