"My dog has eaten..."

[Daisy]

Cats, I know, have more sense, but some dogs will eat anything - absolutely anything. But I've just been reading about two situations - neither of which I'd ever considered.

One was a Border Collie. Walking on a pavement it got some chewing gum stuck to its paw. At first the owner didn't really think about it, but then it suddenly dawned on her that that lump of half-chewed gum could well contain xylitol, the artificial sweetener, and even a small amount is highly toxic for dogs. She rushed it home and cleaned the gum off with olive oil, and the dog was fine. But not something I would have thought about.

The second was even more horrifying. The owner of this dog has asked that the story be shared as a cautionary tale for other owners.

The dog arrived at the emergency vets with a metre of lead dangling from his bum. (Yes, I had to go back and read that sentence twice as well!) The rest including the metal fastener was still inside the dog! I won't go into the graphic details of how it was removed, but it involved several x-rays and surgery on two parts of his digestive system. He made an amazing recovery, thank goodness.

Next time I'm muttering 'where's the dog's lead' I've got one more place to check!

[Gemini]

Good lord, you wouldn't imagine them eating leads!!

[Plantaholic]

My DD's family had a Golden Lab which ate a pair of men's pants. It only came to light when he moved his bowels. Labs will eat anything. Not heard that sweeteners were toxit to dogs.

[Oma]

My Mothers dog ate her tights( twice ) and both times had to have surgery to remove them , she stopped wearing them , he never ate anything else odd just had a thing about tights

[Lizzie48]

When my dog was a puppy he ate my, among other objects, new, Nokia phone!

[Gemini]

Lizzie, that sticks in my mind after all these years

[Lizzie48]

Gem, I will never forget!!!!

[Plantaholic]

Very expensive meal Lizzie

[Lizzie48]

It was Plant, I had only had it a day or two, only, with the insurance they managed to get me a new one, I kept that one safe from him!!

[Mimi]

Daisy you say that most cats will eat anything, well our extremely fussy cat used to nibble the lower branches of our artificial Christmas tree. I had to spray it with chilli powered diluted in water. Bit extreme but it stopped her chewing it.
The tree we have now obviously isn’t as tasty as she ignores it, except to lie under it... on the skirt.... as mentioned in the chat thread .....

[Grauntie Mag]

I saw a list recently of herbs, spices and smells ( essential oils) that are supposedly highly toxic to cats and dogs. I had no idea, but having had dogs and cats all my life I have never seen any effects when I have used them. Now leads, tights, pants artificial trees and phones...😂😂😂😂

[Nanto2girls]

Not something eaten, but there was a post on facebook last week.
Someone came home from work and found their dog very poorly.
Turned out it was tee tree oil. Poisonous for dogs.
DS2's partners dog was always eating slate chippings that was covering the garden.
He had 3 lots of surgery. Garden has since been cleared of the chippings.

[Nannycuddles]

things that are toxic to dogs.

1. ONIONS, GARLIC AND CHIVES


The onion family, whether dry, raw or cooked, is particularly toxic to dogs and can cause gastrointestinal irritation and red blood cell damage. Signs of illness are not always immediate and can occur up to a few days later.

2. CHOCOLATE

However enticing chocolate is for humans and dogs alike, chocolate is another poisonous food for dogs. Chocolate contains a stimulant called theobromine (dark chocolate has the highest content of this) which is toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure.

3. MACADAMIA NUTS

Macadamia nuts contain a toxin that can affect your dog’s muscles and nervous system resulting in weakness, swollen limbs and panting.
4. CORN ON THE COB


Corn on the cob could potentially be fatal if eaten by your dog. Although the corn is digested by dogs, the cob can cause a blockage in your dog’s intestine.

5. AVOCADO

Avocados are another poisonous food for dogs. Avocado plants contain a substance called Persin which is in its leaves, fruit and seed and can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs.

[Nannycuddles]

6. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER (XYLITOL)


Our desire for sweet treats, chewing gum and drinks together with low-fat, diet and sugar-free products (including some peanut butters so always check the label before using this as a treat) are often laced with an artificial sweetener called Xylitol which causes an insulin release in our bodies. However, if your dog digests one of these sweetened foods they can go into hypoglycaemia which is linked to liver failure and blood clotting disorders.

7. ALCOHOL

Alcohol has a huge impact on dogs even in small doses. The drink not only causes intoxication as it does in humans, but it can lead to sickness, diarrhoea and even central nervous system damage.

8. COOKED BONES

Giving your dog a raw uncooked bone to chew on is great, but avoid cooked bones at all cost. These can easily splinter and in large quantities cause constipation or at worst, a perforation of the gut which can be fatal.

9. GRAPES AND RAISINS

Raisins are in many of the foods that we love to eat such as cakes, biscuits and cereals so it’s not just the fruit form we should be concerned with. The active ingredient which causes the toxin is unknown, however both grapes and raisins may cause severe liver damage and kidney failure. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY DOG HAS EATEN ANY OF THESE?


If consumed, even small amounts of these items can be fatal so always act immediately and take your dog to the vets.

[Gemini]

Worth knowing Nannycuddles.

For cats the main culprits are lily pollen (generally fatal) and any part of the daffodil. Luckily not many cats eat daffs , but it is so easy for the lily pollen to get onto their fur then they would lick it off to clean it. We cut off the stamens off all lilies.