Which human foods are bad for dogs?

Question

Is cat food bad for smal breeds? Or cat treats? What is harmful for small breeds too?

Answer 1

I posted this answer awhile ago for another question, so I'll just copy/paste it again here for you...

As a general rule, giving dogs chocolate on purpose is NOT a good idea. The problem with chocolate is the theobromine and the caffeine content. Theobromine, if ingested, can cause hyperactivity, vomiting/diarrhea, increase urination, irregular/rapid heartbeat, seizures and tremors. Caffeine content can also cause hyperactivity, rapid heartbeat, tremors and seizures as well. When it comes to chocolate and dogs, here are some helpful guidelines for how much is too much:
Milk Chocolate - one ounce per pound of body weight (more is harmful)
Semi-Sweet Chocolate - one ounce per 3 pounds of body weight
Baker's Chocolate - one ounce per 9 pounds of body weight (this is the most dangerous of all)
The other issue I see is the milk you're adding. Dog's do not possess the enzyme that is necessary to digest dairy products. It's not a deadly thing, but you'll suffer some concequences, nonetheless. Fragrant diarrhea (or terrible gas build-up) may very well follow.
As many others have mentioned other harmful foods, here is my own laundry list of dangerous foods:
- alcohol (duh)
- anti-freeze (duh again)
- avocado (can be lethal - guacamole too)
- broccoli (can cause upset stomach in large quatities)
- grapes/raisins (just 6 grapes CAN kill a dog)
- raw eggs (Avidin in it can cause major deformations)
- fatty foods (can trigger pancreatitis in prone dogs)
- liver (can cause vitamin A toxicity)
- mistletoe (in larger amounts, generally)
- mothballs (duh)
- nuts (can cause bladder stones, and many other debilitating conditions)
- green potatoes (contain solanum alkoids that can be dangerous)
- Plants (like rhododendron, azalea, oleader, rhubarb, cycads, yew, and other houseplants)
- nutmeg (can cause seizures and death)
- onions (one small onion can contain enough thiosulphate to kill a dog)
- salmon (especially raw, can cause salmon poisoning disease that can kill a dog within days)
- salt (can trap gas in the intestines and kill a dog)
- sugarless candy/gum (xylitol can cause liver damage)
- tomatoes (contain atropine, a dangerous substance)
- yeast dough (will rise in the stomach and can cause a rupture in the stomach or intestines)
- fruit pits/seeds (apple seeds contain arsenic ... so do peach pits)"

Answer 2

Cat foods aren't really good for dogs in general. A little bit won't hurt him/her but don't make it a habit.

Chocolate is by far the worst. Bakers chocolate is the most deadly and white chocolate the least but anything sweet is good to stay away from. The caffeine is what hurts them so this means coffee's dangerous too, as is an excess of soda I would guess. Little dogs really need to be watched. I believe, for Baker's chocolate, it is half an ounce per pound of body weight that is deadly. For milk chocolate, it's an ounce per body weight. Don't let that determine whether you take your pooch to the vet though.

Milk has been shown to hurt dogs if they have a lot of it. I still give my dog some every day and never have seen any problems.

Grapes can hurt too but not too much. I still think it's fun to watch a dog try and eat them. I've never seen any damage.

Spices, sauces, etc. can upset his/her tummy more than other foods. Nothing more than a little vomit, though.

Any non-dog food(human, cat) needs to be in moderation. With most you'll just see a bit of vomiting(except medicines. Those need immediate medical attention). Table scraps are fine as long as they're not all the time.

Answer 3

Cat food isn't formulated for dogs, a small-breed dog food would be better. And as for the human food part of your question...
Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, carob is a safe alternative. Anything greasy or salty is bad for animals. The best food is organic foods, like raw carrots... lots of others too. A good book to buy is The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care by CJ Puotinen, it has complete diet instructions and all the foods of which to feed. Raw food is alot better for animals than dog food !!

Answer 4

Rather than type a big list, I'll give you a link to a great site about canine food safety that is nicely organized. I keep a copy on my fridge so the whole knows what not feed the dog.

Also cat food is not good for dogs. Although, it won't kill your dog, it contains too much protein and can cause major problems over time.

Answer 5

Here's a list of common human foods that are toxic. One exception, I believe, is garlic in small amounts. There are many excellent biscuit recipes for dogs that include garlic in a small amount. Same with supplements made for dogs like brewer's yeast with garlic. Larger amounts can make them sick though.
http://www.healthypets.com/toxicdog.html

The reason cat food is not good for dogs is that it is high in protein and fat which dogs don't need. It won't kill a dog but why feed a dog - cat food- when there are so many good dog foods on the market?

One time when dogs need more fat and protein is when they are pregnant, lactating or puppies. That is why puppy food formulas are on the market. They are higher in fat and protein.

Too much protein is toxic for some breeds, like Great Danes.

Answer 6

Its probably true since most humans eat so poorly! If people all ate well then people food would be fine for dogs. ( altouhg some things we eat are poisenous) So were not EXACTLY the same. But I actually found natual desserts for my dogs today at the dog heath food store near me and for "dessert" they got to split doggie carrot cake and a blueberry cobbler.... its smelled so good I wanted to eat it! I could have too there was nothing in it a human couldnt eat. Proably another "negative" aspect of dogs eating "people" food is the thought of them being fed from the table and starting to beg. No one wants to compete with animals (literally) for their food. I think people are starting to become more aware of whole food for dogs especially after the canned food scare when animals were getting sick and people were afraid to feed their animals. Also Oprah did a segment on what she fed her dogs. They had a chef cook them rice and lamb and more... fancy... lol mine are happy to eat chicken and carrots off paper plates... but they love their new doggies desserts!

Answer 7

well in my experience, anycat food expecially if its wet can make a dog throw up. i think really you should stick with dog stuff for dogs and cat stuff for cats although ive never heard of little doggy treats harming a cat if the cats willing to eat it though usually they wont cause they dont like the smell

Answer 8

My vet told me never feed my dog anything
but dog food. But i have had my chihuahua
for 9 years. And she eats table food and dry
cat food. She is very healthy and happy. I just
would not give them anything sweet.

Answer 9

Easy! Just don't give it ANY other food except it's own. Then you will have nothing to worry about. Simple isn't it?

Answer 10

Chocolate is very bad for dogs. It can be deadly. Give them the chocolate substitute called Carob.