Prohibited foods for dogs and cats
'My dog eats the same as me. What's good for me is good for my dog'. How many times have we heard this phrase that, due to ignorance, can cause significant harm to our pets. Animals and humans have different systems and therefore not all food affect them in the same way as they do us.
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When we have an animal at home, we like to share our food with them and give them a “treat” as a reward, but some of these foods can be toxic to pets and cause them serious harm.
Therefore, it is best to prevent this by knowing which foods to avoid giving your pets. And if the animal has already eaten the food, due to an accident or through ignorance, it is best to take them to the vet quickly.
Foods which are harmful to dogs
En el caso de los perros, el alimento que debemos evitar a toda costa es el chocolate, ya que puede producir diarrea, vómitos, aceleración del ritmo cardiaco, convulsiones e incluso la muerte.
Además, hay otros muchos alimentos peligrosos para los perros como los ajos, la cebolla, los puerros, el aguacate, los tomates verdes, las semillas de frutos como la manzana, la pera, la cereza o las bayas, ya que contienen cianuro, también las almendras amargas, la patata cruda, las uvas y pasas, las nueces de macadamia y las espinacas y acelgas, pueden afectarles negativamente.
Además de los alimentos, hemos de prestar atención también a otros productos que se tienen en casa y que pueden ser ingeridos por los perros en un descuido, como los productos de limpieza, insecticidas y medicamentos.
Al aire libre, se debe tener cuidado con algunos animales como el gusano de la procesionaria, los sapos, las serpientes y las avispas y abejas, que son tóxicas para los perros si los ingieren.
For dogs, the food we should avoid at all costs is chocolate, as it can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, accelerated heart rate, convulsions and even death.
In addition, there are many other dangerous foods for dogs such as garlic, onion, leeks, avocado, green tomatoes, fruit seeds such as apple, pear, cherry or berries, as they contain cyanide. In addition, bitter almonds, raw potato, grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts and spinach and chard can affect them negatively.
As well as food, you should also pay attention to other products that are kept in the home that can be ingested by dogs without realising, such as cleaning products, insecticides and medicines. Outdoors, beware of animals such as processionary caterpillar, toads, snakes, wasps and bees, which are toxic to dogs if ingested.
Foods which are harmful to cats
For cats, some foods are the same as those that should not be fed to dogs, such as chocolate, which contains theobromine and can produce accelerated heart rate, excitement, diarrhoea, vomiting and even death. Caffeine can produce effects in cats similar to those of chocolate.
In addition, when feeding cats, you must exercise extreme caution with cooked chicken bones, which can splinter and cause significant damage to the animal. Onions, leeks, garlic, avocados, nuts, dairy produce and any type of alcohol are other foods that can be highly harmful to kittens.
Foods which are harmful to birds
For birds, as there are many types and varieties of food, it is difficult to make a list of toxic foods. But normally, birds that are usually kept at home feed on canary seed and it is best not to give them any other food. In fact, it is important that birds do not eat fruit seeds such as apples, pears or cherries, as they contain cyanide. They can eat the pulp, but you should give them this without the seeds.
Something that is very important and that we see daily on our streets is the belief that birds eat bread crumbs. In fact, this food is not good for birds, since, in addition to causing them internal harm, it makes them full and they don’t eat their real food, which is bird seed.
Foods which are harmful to rabbits
Rabbits feed on hay, fodder, fruit and vegetables. However, not all fruit and vegetables are good for them, so let's name a few harmful ones. You should not give rabbits with potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, leeks, mushrooms, turnips, peas and broad beans. With regard to fruit, you should avoid bananas, custard apples, avocados, loquats, figs, peaches and plums and, above all, you should remember that some fruits have highly-toxic seeds.
It is important to know that dairy products are very dangerous for rabbits and also some of the ornamental plants that may be kept at home.
Foods that are harmful to ferrets
Ferrets also have toxic foods to avoid, and these are not very different from those of other pets. In their case, avoid giving them chocolate, coffee, milk, sugar, onion and garlic, leeks, alcohol, cooked bones, grapes and raisins, and you should also bear in mind not to feed them cat or dog food, as these animals should eat their own specific food.
