By: Lori Horton
Salad is a healthy lunch
option and when preparing a salad there are many foods to consider. Most of
these items are completely safe to share with your pets. Lettuce, peppers, and
carrots are all great for both you and your pet. Feeding these items before
they get drenched in salad dressing or cheese is perfectly safe. However, be
wary when it comes to any vegetable from the Allium family; as it is poisonous
to our pets.
Vegetables in the Allium
family include onions, garlic, chives, and leeks. If ingested, they can cause
oxidative red blood cell damage witch makes them more likely to rupture. It may
also cause gastroenteritis; which include symptoms like nausea, excessive drooling,
abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Remember that with these vegetables in
particular you may not see these symptoms in your pet right away. Garlic and
onion poisoning can have a delayed onset, and symptoms may not be noticeable
for a few days.
Usually when we think of
items that are healthy for us, we think, “they must be healthy for my dog/cat
too, right?” Wrong. Much like the vegetables in the Allium family mentioned
above, certain fruits are also toxic to our pets. The pits of cherry’s, apricots,
and apples all contain cyanide. This toxin can cause significant damage to our
pets causing difficulty breathing, dilated pupils, shock, and even death. Cyanide
effects the body negatively by inhibiting the enzyme called cytochrome oxidase.
This enzyme is responsible for the transport of oxygen in the cells. When this
enzyme is unable to do its job, the cells of the body cannot get the oxygen
they need to function properly. When cutting up these yummy fruits for
yourself, make sure to dispose of the pits and stems properly and out of the
reach or your pets.
Become familiar with toxins
to your pets so that you can help prevent a terrible incident. Follow this link
for a full list of poisonous foods: http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poisons/
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