Seizure Causing Foods Every Dog Owner Should Know About
<p>Some believe that commercial dog food is at the heart of many different illness in canines, and I think it may have contributed to my dog’s seizures and may have even caused them. The reason I came to that conclusion is that Cory’s seizures gradually were reduced once we stopped feeding him kibble and canned dog food, until they stopped completely over 5 years ago, without ever putting him on anti-epileptic drugs. But, did you know that there are other foods that can harm your dog’s health, even causing seizures in dogs? Some of these caught me by surprise!
* Chocolate. Almost everyone knows that chocolate can cause seizures and even death in a dog. One day Cory got into Jayson’s stash of Halloween chocolate. By the time Jayson had discovered him, Cory had his head deep inside the bowl of chocolate candy bars, tail just wagging back and forth, as he had already eaten quite a bit of it before his discovery. My son contacted the poison control center and was told to get Cory to drink some Hydrogen Peroxide. This caused Cory to throw up. Lucky for us, I had a bottle of the stuff in the first aid cupboard! Of course, Jayson led Cory outside for this part, as it was sure to be messy. Cory is fortunate that my son caught him eating the chocolate in order to get it out of him in time. If you suspect your dog has consumed chocolate and you are not sure when it happened, call your veterinarian immediately. Otherwise, if you see your dog eating it, you can use the Hydrogen Peroxide solution. Dark chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate.
* Any product containing Onion Powder or an Onion itself. These contain sulfoxides and disulfides which can cause damage to the red blood cells, resulting in the dog becoming anemic.
* Raw Fish. Especially here in the Pacific Northwest, salmon and other fish often carry a fluke which in turn carries a bacteria which can cause seizures and death if consumed raw. If you make sure the fish is fully cooked, this bacteria is eliminated, but you still need to take care to remove every single bone from the fish prior to giving it to your dog. I am no scientist and don’t have the specific formula, but I have heard it said that if you freeze the fish at a certain temperature, the extreme cold will kill off the fluke and destroy the bacteria, thus eliminating the problem, you’ll have to do the research for length of time and the required temperature before you try this.
* Nutmeg. Not that it ever occurred to me to sprinkle nutmeg on Cory’s chow, but apparently it can cause tremors, seizures and death. Just don’t share any of your cookies containing nutmeg with your pooch and you should be OK with this one.
* Foods Containing Mushrooms There are mushrooms out there, especially the ones found in the wild, that contain toxins that have been shown to cause problems for canines. I already was aware of this danger, so I was able to keep Cory from eating any as we took our walks. The “Leave It” command is among the first commands your dog should learn.
* Cat Food is not dog food. Poor Cory, he loves to lick the plate clean after our kitty’s done eating, and now that I found out about this one, he won’t be able to anymore. Basically, cat food contains too much fat and protein for a dog’s digestive needs. OK, maybe he can still lick the kitty’s plate, but don’t substitute cat food as meal for your pup.
* Seeds of Apples Apple seeds and other pits from fruit contain the poison cyanide, which can cause seizures.
* Grapes and Raisins are more that are off limits. About the time that I discovered this information, I was reading a training book for dogs that actually advocated using raisins as training treats, even though they can cause kidney failure in dogs. Needless to say, the author was defensive when I contacted her with this knowledge and my concerns, stating that she had always used raisins as training treats for her dogs. You will want to do your own research and understand that these foods are questionable prior to deciding to feed raisins or grapes to your dog.
* Egg Whites alone are also dangerous. It is OK to feed your dog a whole egg, but there is a danger in splitting the egg whites off and feeding them without the yoke, because they contain a protein known as avidin, which can actually deplete your dog of one of the essential B vitamins. The good news is that the yolk contains the antidote to this protein, and so serving the egg in its entirety is nothing to concern yourself over.
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