What food is poisonous to dogs?

Many foods are toxic to canines, and most owners know to avoid feeding them to their dogs. But when accidents inevitably happen, common sense is key, says David Tomlinson

As a general rule, dogs are pretty robust and can eat most things in moderation without any issues. However, the list of foods that are toxic or poisonous to dogs is a long one.

• Chocolate (particularly top-quality dark chocolate)
• Grapes
• Raisins
• Currants
• Onions
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Chives
• Avocado
• Artificial sweeteners
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Dairy products. (Dogs are apparently lactose intolerant, lacking the enzymes needed to digest the sugars in milk.)

My spaniels have always been an omnivorous lot and, though none of them has been as greedy as some labradors I’ve known, they’ve generally been keen to sample anything that I’m eating. I’ve always liked chocolate too much to give it to my dogs but I have shared grapes with them. A previous house of mine had a prolific grape vine, and my dogs would cheerfully snaffle a few grapes when I was picking them.

Poisonous to dogs?

My last springer was a keen licker of yoghurt pots (always genuine Greek yoghurt) and as she died long past her 16th birthday I surmise this can’t have done her much harm. Avocado is something I’ve never offered my dogs but I remember a friend in Kenya telling me how the local dogs would get fat when the avocadoes ripened and started falling from the trees. Clearly no one had told the dogs how perilous such a habit was. As for onions, Peter Moxon (author of the classic Gundogs: Training and Field Trials) used to feed his dogs ‘raw meat, including paunches (uncleaned), cut up in large lumps, plus chopped parsley or grated onions’. The onions weren’t cooked, as everything he fed was raw. Moxon noted that he had never had a dog made ill through eating raw meat, and one can only conclude the onions didn’t do any harm either. (Read: is a raw diet best for dogs?)

I’ve noted before how a member of my shooting syndicate used to feed his German shorthaired pointers a Mars bar each at lunchtime to keep their energy levels up. It worked, too, as the dogs’ verve didn’t diminish during the afternoon. The fact that neither dog seemed to suffer in any way suggests that the amount of actual chocolate in a Mars bar isn’t very high. In my book the general rule should be to avoid feeding your dog any of the known toxic foods, and to be aware of the risk they all offer. However, it’s also important to take a realistic view and realise that a fit and healthy dog – and especially a big one – is unlikely to be upset by licking out, for example, a casserole dish in which there were onions. I wouldn’t offer a glass of wine to go with it but if you look on the internet you will find plenty of stories of dogs drinking Guinness and surviving to drink again.

The received wisdom on what you can and can’t feed dogs can be highly confusing. I was brought up to believe that poultry bones should be avoided at all costs, until I was persuaded by a vet that the best food I could give my spaniels was a raw chicken wing. I’ve now fed them daily for more than 20 years with not a single problem, and even weaned my last litter of puppies on raw wings, which they relished. However, I’m careful to never feed cooked chicken bones, which can become brittle and dangerous. (Read gundog injuries: be prepared)

Gnawing on bones

Most dogs love gnawing on bones but I suspect that few get the chance to do so today. The rule here is, once again, never feed cooked bones, and to avoid the bones that are weight-bearing, such as shin bones, as they tend to be too hard and can damage the dog’s teeth: ribs are a better option.

So many things can go wrong with horses that I’m continually surprised that any survive. Dogs, on the other hand, are natural survivors able to live and even thrive on the most unsuitable of diets. The most important rule to follow when feeding a dog is to use your common sense but if in doubt, and worried about foodstuffs poisonous to dogs,  seek the advice of a vet.