If you recently bought a new pup home, understand that it’s nothing less than a toddler who is on a mission called “Explore the world.” he’s cute but naïve; he can be trained but to a little extent.
The best thing to do is to love them, train them, and rearrange your kitchen altogether!
It’s not just the puppies but the hyperactive adult dogs too that love to taste, touch, smell, and eat everything up that comes in their way. Getting angry at wrong moments can cause behavior issues later on, so it’s better to create a safe space for the pup to explore the world even in your absence.
How to Rearrange the Kitchen?
Dogs cannot metabolize all the human foods. They are intolerant to specific foods. You will require some research on safe and unsafe foods for dogs to start with.
Here, we will be mentioning the most common foods that are available in our kitchens that need to be moved a little bit higher into the cabinets. The purpose is to keep them out of reach of the dogs & pups!
Or else be ready for a lot of emergency visits to the vets.
Caution: Over-eating the fatty yet healthy foods can cause obesity in dogs. Otherwise, you can place the fruits and vegetables all around the place.
Safe Human Foods for Dogs:
Some foods are safe and healthy for dogs, but you have to take precautions. The foods that you can share with your dogs are:
- Cooked eggs, meat, bacon, and fish
- Honey-safe to a limited extent (It’s high in calories so it can result in weight gain)
- Cooked Rice
- Cinnamon-to a limited extent
- Oatmeal
- Dry fruits (Almonds and Cashews)-Unsalted & roasted dry fruits are safe only in limited amounts.
- Peanut Butter-without Xylitol
- Cottage Cheese (to dog breeds that are not lactose intolerant)-To a limited extent
- Fattening Fast foods– Keep the calorie count in check
- Plain bread & whole grain bread
Moreover, if you have got a hypoallergenic dog breed, you should give your pooch a specially formulated dog food for allergies.
Did you know? According to Pet Obesity Survey Rate of 2016, about 53.9% dogs are suffering from obesity. The report details that obesity causes various health issues including skin disorders, orthopedic diseases, cancer, respiratory disorders, kidney dysfunctions, and metabolic and endocrine disorders.1
Unsafe Foods for Dogs:
Here are the human foods that are unsafe for dogs include:
1. Dark Chocolate & Caffeine:
Dark Chocolates are highly toxic because they contain methylxanthines theobromine, which is poisonous to dogs. Caffeine in coffee is toxic to dogs. Coffee may start your day well but not your dog’s day!
Baking chocolate is toxic as well. Put all the chocolates in your freezers!
Symptoms of Toxicity: Dogs can experience vomiting, diarrhea, and indigestion. A lot of chocolate or coffee can cause irregular heart rhythms, muscle tremors, and even death.
2. Macadamia nuts:
Do you love cookies with Macadamia nuts in them? If yes, then, never leave them behind scattered on the countertop or dining table. They create a lot of health problems.
Symptoms of Toxicity: Dog can suffer from abdominal pain, listlessness, hyperthermia, and depression. Excessive intake of nuts can cause gallbladder stones and bone weakness.
3. Avocado:
Avocados have persin that’s toxic to dog’s health. Even if your dog is tolerant to persin in avocado, he may end up obstructing his digestive lining by ingesting the fruit pit.
Remove avocados from fruit baskets!
Symptoms of Toxicity: Dogs can experience stomach issues at first, and then breathing problems due to fluid accumulation in the chest.
Tip: Whichever fruits you choose to put on the table, always remove their pits.
4. Grapes & Raisins:
No more grapes or raisins on the table! They have pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide contaminations as well as high concentrations of vitamin D, which both are harmful to dogs.
Symptoms of toxicity: Dogs may experience stomach problems. If you do not identify the problem at an earlier stage, kidney failure is what your dog may get!
5. Alcohol:
Alcohol is toxic even in less quantity. It can cause a wide range of health troubles in dogs. Place alcohols at high places during gatherings at home.
Symptoms of toxicity: Initial symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, low BP and sugar levels, and some breathing issues. Later on, dogs can have a possibility of suffering from liver and brain damage.
6. Garlic & Onion:
Onion family, as well as garlic, can pose a threat to hemoglobin in red blood cells. Place them at the corner of counters at high places.
Symptoms of toxicity: Hemolytic anemia and Heinz bodies in red blood cells are life-threatening gifts of garlic and onions to dogs. Weakness, vomiting, and listlessness are initial symptoms; the real diseases occur after 4 to 5 days.
7. Salty Foods:
Dogs are resistant to sodium in salt. Salt can only be used in little quantity for dog food flavoring. You have to give up on your love for salted popcorns and dry fruits. It’s hard to say ‘no’ to cute puppies.
Symptoms of Toxicity: It can cause diarrhea, vomiting, excessive urination, and extreme thirst.
8. Baking Essentials:
If you love baking all the time, you have to keep the baking essentials like baking powder and baking sodas away from the dog’s reach. They have yeast (a leavening agent) that expands in the stomach if ingested.
Symptoms of Toxicity: It causes muscle spasms, and can lead to heart failure.
9. Xylitol:
Gums, candies, marshmallows, jellies, etc are all stuffed with artificial sweeteners like Xylitol. They are highly unsafe for dogs.
Symptoms of Toxicity: Along with diarrhea and vomiting, a dog may experience low sugar level and liver failure.
10. Dairy Products:
Dogs cannot digest lactose and milk sugar present in milk products. Moreover, they are fattening foods that should only be given in limited amounts to dogs that are lactose-tolerant. Place milk, butter, ice-creams, and cheese at higher places in the fridge!
Symptoms of Toxicity: Dogs can develop pancreatitis in extreme situations.
Rearranging fruits on the table:
There are a lot of fruits and vegetables that are safe for dogs to eat. They have been mentioned separately so you can easily decorate your fruit baskets with a complete precaution on the tables!
Tip: Remove seeds and pits of all the fruits because they can obstruct the digestive tract!
- Apples (remove seeds as they have cyanide)
- Pumpkins
- Bananas (ripe)
- Cantaloupe
- Mangoes (remove seeds)
- Blueberries and Blackberries (frozen berries are healthy source of fiber)
- Pineapple
- Orange-in moderate amount
- Tomato (full ripe-to a limited extent)
- Watermelon –no rind or seeds
Safe Vegetables: Broccoli, Carrot, Cucumber, Green Beans, Peas, Sweet Potato, and Spinach are safe vegetables for dogs to enjoy.
Tip: OTC medicines and other human drugs should also be kept out of the reach of your dogs at home.
Always add a single safe food to dog food to experiment. Find out which foods your dog loves to eat. Monitor the dog’s eating habits to understand whether he is intolerant of some particular foods.
