Sweet Dog
Foods that are toxic to dogs
Health & preventionPart of · Health & prevention

Foods that are toxic to dogs

7 min read

If your dog has eaten chocolate, grapes, onion, xylitol or swallowed another toxic substance, don't try anything yourself: call your vet or an animal poison centre straight away, keep the packaging and note the time. Many poisons act long before the first sign shows.

Your dog has swallowed something toxic: what to do

The right move isn't to try to treat him yourself: it's to call quickly and gather the right information. His body doesn't clear these toxins the way ours does, and some poisons work silently. Diagnosis and treatment are your vet's call.

1

Call straight away

Your vet, the emergency clinic, or one of France's two animal poison centres: the CNITV and the CAPAE-Ouest. These are phone numbers, so you can call from wherever you are. Asking for advice costs nothing, and it's the professional who decides. Don't wait for symptoms.

2

Note what, how much, when

The exact food, the estimated amount and the time he ate it: these three details help the vet decide what happens next.

3

Keep the packaging

The type of chocolate, the xylitol content, the ingredients of a dish: concentration changes the level of danger. Bring the label or a photo of it.

4

Follow the advice you're given on the phone

The vet or the poison centre will guide you: stay at home and keep watch, or head to the clinic. That's a decision to make with a professional, never on your own.

The foods that really are toxic, and why

For the same amount, the danger depends on the type of food and on the dog's weight: never judge how serious it is on your own, call a professional.

NEVER give these (genuinely toxic)

Chocolate, cocoa, baking chocolateTheobromine, which dogs clear very slowly, builds up and damages the heart and the nervous system. The darker it is (cocoa, baking chocolate), the more concentrated; milk chocolate is far less so.
Grapes and raisinsThey can damage the kidneys at an unpredictable dose: small amounts have been enough to make dogs seriously ill. Fruit cake and raisin muesli count too.
Onion, garlic, leek, shallot, chivesOnion, garlic, leek, shallot and chives destroy red blood cells (anaemia), whether raw, cooked or powdered. The effect builds up and is often delayed by several days; garlic is the most concentrated of the five.
Xylitol (birch sugar)A sweetener found in chewing gum, sweets and "sugar-free" baked goods, and sometimes in certain peanut butters: it causes a sudden crash in blood sugar, and can then destroy the liver. Dangerous even in very small amounts.
Alcohol and raw bread doughAlcohol is a poison; raw dough rises in the warmth of the stomach, swells it and releases alcohol as it ferments: a double danger, mechanical and toxic.
Macadamia nutsIn dogs they cause weakness in the hindquarters, tremors, fever and lethargy.
Coffee, tea, caffeinated drinksThey contain caffeine, a cousin of the theobromine in chocolate: the same effects on the heart and the nervous system.
Too much saltSwallowed seawater, salt dough, very salty snacks: too much salt attacks the brain.

Mainly a mechanical or digestive danger (not a poison, but keep them away)

AvocadoIt isn't really a poison for dogs: the real risks are the stone (blockage) and the very fatty flesh (pancreatitis).
Cooked bones, including chicken bonesThey splinter into sharp shards: risk of perforation and blockage. That's a mechanical danger, not poisoning.

This list isn't exhaustive: if you have the slightest doubt about a food, treat it as a risk and call.

The signs depend on the substance and can take several hours, sometimes several days, to appear: don't wait to see them before you call.

Keep an eye out

  • Restlessness, panting
  • Drinking and weeing more than usual
  • Vomiting or diarrhoea

It's getting worse

  • Tremors, staggering walk (as if "drunk")
  • Heavy drooling, very pale or very red gums
  • He stays lying down and no longer responds

Life-threatening emergency

  • Seizures
  • Collapse, loss of consciousness
  • Difficulty breathing

Seizures, a "drunken" walk, collapse or difficulty breathing after swallowing something: this is a life-threatening emergency, don't wait a minute.

The safest approach is good storage plus training: put chocolate, medicines, chewing gum and household products up high or under lock and key, don't leave table scraps lying around, and work on "leave it" and "drop it" so he lets go instead of swallowing. Note the emergency numbers down in advance too.

  1. Canine toxicology: theobromine, xylitol, alliums, grapes, Merck Veterinary Manual
  2. Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), ASPCA
  3. Tartaric acid and grape toxicity in dogs, ASPCA APCC / JAVMA (2021)
  4. French veterinary poison centres: CNITV (Lyon), CAPAE-Ouest (Nantes / Oniris)

Going further

guideWhat can my dog eat? Yes, in moderation, and dangerousWhat your dog can eat safely, so you never hesitate again when it's time to share.Read the guideguidePoisonous plants and flowers for dogsIndoors, in the garden, out on walks: the plants to keep away, another major source of poisoning in dogs.Read the guideguidePoisons and dangerous products for your dogBeyond food: household products, medicines, the garden, the other toxic things to make safe at home.Read the guideguideSpotting a life-threatening emergency in your dogThe signs that should have you calling the vet without delay, whether it's poisoning or another emergency.Read the guideguideMy dog has swallowed an objectAnother one worth knowing: what to do if your dog has swallowed something he shouldn't have.Read the guideguideThe first aid kit for your dogBeing ready before it happens: the kit to keep at home so you can react quickly and well.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

Why is chocolate bad for dogs?

It contains theobromine, which dogs clear far more slowly than we do: it builds up and attacks the heart and the nervous system. The darker the chocolate (cocoa, baking chocolate), the more concentrated and dangerous it is; milk chocolate is far less so. If he eats some, keep the packaging and call.

What should I do if my dog has eaten chocolate?

Call your vet or an animal poison centre without waiting, even if your dog seems fine: the amount, the type of chocolate, his weight and the time he ate it all guide the decision, which is why keeping the packaging matters. Don't make him sick yourself: it's your vet who decides whether that's needed.

Why are grapes toxic to dogs?

Both fresh grapes and raisins can damage the kidneys, at an unpredictable dose: small amounts have been enough to make some dogs seriously ill. Fruit cakes, breads and mueslis with raisins count too. From the moment he swallows any, treat it as an emergency, before the first symptoms even show.

My dog has eaten milk chocolate, is that serious?

The type matters: milk chocolate is far less concentrated in theobromine than dark chocolate, cocoa or baking chocolate. But how serious it is also depends on the amount swallowed and on your dog's weight, and that isn't yours to judge alone. Keep the packaging and call the vet or a poison centre so you're guided.

What is xylitol, and where does it hide?

It's a sweetener (also called "birch sugar") found in chewing gum, sweets and "sugar-free" baked goods, in some toothpastes and sometimes in peanut butter. It is highly toxic even in small amounts: a sudden crash in blood sugar, then a risk to the liver. This is an emergency: bring the packaging and call straight away.

How long after swallowing something should I start to worry?

It varies with the substance, and it's often deceptive: signs from grapes, onion or garlic can appear several days later; with antifreeze, a dog may first stagger as if drunk, then seem to be doing better while his kidneys are quietly being damaged. So the rule is simple: don't wait and see, call as soon as you suspect he has swallowed something.

Updated on Sources

Read nextNext in this pathPoisonous plants and flowers for dogsRead

Loading your progress…