Health and Safety

Food that should not be given to your dog

These food items can be dangerous to dogs, in some cases even in small doses. Play it safe and avoid letting your dog eat the these things:

Cooked bones - are prone to splintering, becoming sharp & dangerous shards;
Grapes - Not all, but some dogs are prone to vomiting & kidney failure after eating grapes;
Raw bread dough - Yeast containing bread dough can ferment in the stomach;
Maccadamia nuts - Have been known to cause paralysis in susceptible dogs;
Onions - Thiosulfate contained in onion is toxic if eaten in large quantities;
Xylitol (an artificial sweetener) - Hypoglycaemia can result if your dog eats a large amount of chocolate or other sweets, containing Xylitol.
Fat trimmings (can cause pancreatitits in susceptible animals)
Chocolate, which contains theobromine - see below.

Play it safe. If you aren't sure if a food is safe to feed to your dog, don't give it to him until you have asked for advice from your vet.

Chocolate can be deadly for your dog

Many people do not realise that chocolate can be deadly to dogs. For full details read this article from The Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne.

Coco Mulch a danger to dogs

The following warning has been flying around the internet in email for quite some time:

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called "Theobromine".

It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution — check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens.

Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate — especially dark or baker's chocolate — which is toxic to dogs.

Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

Word is that this is true. Read more here.

Exercising your dog on a hot day can be dangerous.

Think twice before you exercise your dog vigorously on hot days. Remember that if you feel uncomfortable on a hot day, chances are so does your dog. Read more here.