MODULE 5
Common Foods and Pets
“Pets can eat this, pets can't eat that.” We know, we know, it's confusing! One day we are informed something is good for a dog, the next day it’s the most toxic thing on the planet. In this module, we will go through toxic and non-toxic foods that you may have been asked about before. Our goal is to help you understand which foods can harm your pet, so that we can keep them safe!
Eggs: Eggs are an “egg-cellent” source of protein, but are they good for pets? YES! They are highly digestible and contain good fatty acids. Both the egg white and egg yolk provide nutritional value to the pet. On the negative side, it’s true that egg whites have a high concentration of avidin, which prevents dogs and cats from absorbing the vitamin biotin that is found in abundance in egg yolk. Cooking destroys avidin in the whites, allowing the biotin in the yolk to be readily absorbed. To eliminate this risk altogether, it is suggested to give a pet the whole cooked egg.
Milk: As we all know, milk is a good source of calcium. It’s also a good source of phosphorus, protein and vitamins A and D. Pets take to milk well if it’s partly skimmed, as non-skim milk has a high level of lactose (sugar found in milk), which causes pets to have diarrhoea if they cannot produce enough enzymes to digest the lactose. Dogs and cats ability to process milk decreases with age, so elderly animals might react poorly to milk if newly introduced.
Bones: It is well known that Dogs dogs love bones, everyone knows this! But what many don’t know is that it must be a specific type of bone. Veal bones are too soft, and the bone must be bigger then the dog’s mouth to avoid swallowing whole, which can lead to choking. A good example of a pet friendly bone is a beef bone from a knee or hip joint. It is also advisable to only give uncooked bones. Cooked bones are more likely to splinter and cause trauma to a dog’s stomach.
Cheese: Yes! A great source of protein, calcium, and fat as long as your pet is not lactose intolerant.
Chocolate: Everyone knows chocolate toxic to pets. The reason for this is due to a compound in chocolate known as theobromine. Theobromide stays in bloodstream of a dog 3X longer than it does in humans, triggering an increase in heart rate, stomach upset, and can result in muscle spasms and death. Anything that causes a pet’s heart rate to increase is an obvious risk to their health.