Although pet food health repeatedly emphasizes that parents should use dog food and cat food as the staple diet for their beloved pets, many owners still feel that feeding only this dry food is not nutritious enough. Therefore, they may additionally feed their pets human food, or some very loving owners make homemade food for their pets. So which ingredients are very unsafe for your beloved pets? Hopefully the following introduction will help everyone!
　　1. Onions, Scallions, and foods cooked with them
　　Onions and scallions contain N-propyl disulfide. After dogs eat them, they not only irritate the gastrointestinal tract causing inflammatory reactions, but the spicy volatile oil and the volatile toxic components N-propyl disulfide or propylene disulfide in onions can cause hemoglobin to denature and coagulate, leading to the rapid destruction of red blood cells and the formation of Heinz bodies. The reticuloendothelial system engulfs large amounts of red blood cells containing Heinz bodies, causing acute hemolytic anemia. After red blood cells break down, hemoglobin is excreted in the urine, darkening and reddening the urine, commonly known as hematuria. Severe anemia can cause lethargy, palpitations, and other symptoms in the affected dog. If not treated promptly, it can even cause death.
　　Because this is a volatile component easily dissolved in oil, any food cooked with onions or scallions cannot be given to your pet. In clinical practice, it is common for owners to mistakenly think that avoiding eating onions is enough, but then give their dogs beef cooked with onions, resulting in poisoning.
　　2. Chocolate
　　The theobromine in chocolate is the main toxic component causing poisoning in dogs. Theobromine acts as a cardiac stimulant, vasodilator, and diuretic. Large amounts can cause poisoning in dogs. Reportedly, the toxic dose of theobromine is about 100 mg/kg, and the lethal dose is 200 mg/kg. The toxicity varies with the type of chocolate. Baked and high-quality dark chocolate contains 15-20 mg of theobromine per gram, while common milk chocolate contains only 1.5 mg per gram.
　　The author once encountered a poisoning case where a 3.5 kg poodle ate 12 Ferrero chocolates at once and showed symptoms of tachycardia, frequent urination, restlessness, and vomiting. In contrast, a 5-month-old Samoyed named cidny who ate a bar of Dove milk chocolate had no obvious symptoms, which is related to body size and the concentration of theobromine.
　　So please hide your chocolate safely~

　　3. Fava Beans
　　When you see this title, you might feel a bit strange. Your dog may have eaten fava beans before but seemed fine. This is because fava bean poisoning is a disease caused by a lack of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), and not every dog lacks this enzyme. In human medicine, this is a genetic disease, but although there is no definitive clinical research linking this to genetics in pets, clinical observation shows that not every dog consuming fava beans will experience poisoning. However, if poisoning symptoms appear, they are very severe. Symptoms include sudden acute intravascular hemolysis after eating fava beans or their skins, hematuria, severe anemia, and more.
　　Since fava beans are not a necessary nutrient, it is better to avoid this risk.

The family loves this Pekingese named Baby very much. The aroma of fava beans made the greedy Baby eat a lot. The next day after eating, Baby showed lethargy. Fortunately, timely treatment was received, and after 1 week of therapy, the anemia symptoms were finally relieved.

　　4. Avocado and Grapes
　　These two fruits are not only delicious but highly nutritious for humans. Why can't dogs eat them? Moreover, there are dog foods featuring avocado ingredients and grape seed components marketed as supplements.
　　Because the unsaturated fatty acids in avocado are indeed healthy. The anthocyanins in grape seeds are also excellent antioxidants.
　　Currently, the toxicology and pathology of these two fruits are not clear, but the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) claims that the skin, seeds, and flesh of avocado contain persin, which can poison pets (causing vomiting, diarrhea, etc.).
　　Unknown toxins in grape skins and pulp have caused many cases of kidney failure in dogs, attracting veterinary attention.
　　Like fava beans, these ingredients are not essential nutrients. Since dog poisoning cases have been reported, we should also avoid these foods.

This Chihuahua named Beibei was already in late-stage kidney failure when brought to the hospital and passed away a week later.

　　5. Milk
　　The diarrhea caused by drinking milk is due to undigested lactose, the same as in humans. Some lactose-intolerant dogs and cats develop diarrhea after consuming milk. Especially young puppies and kittens, whose intestines are not yet fully developed. Using milk as their main food causes diarrhea, and severe diarrhea leads to intestinal mucosal shedding, making it vulnerable to viral and bacterial infections, causing a series of intestinal diseases.
　　6. Poultry Meat with Bones
　　Poultry bones are often hollow and brittle and commonly thought safe for dogs. However, with artificial multi-generational breeding into pets, dogs’ chewing and digestive capacities have declined and are no longer like those wild survival states. When dogs eat larger thin bones, their molars break the bones, creating sharp ends. Dogs with poor digestion eating these bones often suffer gastric bleeding. Eating small poultry bones like duck cervical vertebrae can cause esophageal foreign body obstruction in small dogs.
　　Therefore, owners making homemade food must be careful to use boneless chicken or duck meat!

This little friend named Red Braised Meat rummaged through the trash when parents were away and ate a chicken thigh. Afterward, it showed bloody stools and vomiting symptoms.

After coming to the hospital, it kept making the posture shown in the picture, which is called the prayer position and is a sign of pain in dogs.

This cat named Nissan showed symptoms of stiffness, convulsions, salivation, and head tilt after eating some green plants grown at home. Very pitiful!

This cat named Nissan showed symptoms of stiffness, convulsions, salivation, and head tilt after eating some green plants grown at home. Very pitiful!

　　The six ingredients cited here are the most common and easily overlooked. There are also some we have not discovered yet. Therefore, everyone is reminded not to use rare ingredients for your pets to avoid unnecessary poisoning!