Foods toxic to dogs: the list you need to know (Tunisian cooking included)

Your dog watches you eat with pleading eyes, and it's very tempting to share. But several foods found in most of our kitchens are dangerous, even deadly for them. Here is the list you need to know, with special attention to what you'll find on a Tunisian table.

This article is for information only. If your dog has eaten something dangerous, contact your vet without delay.

The most dangerous foods

Onion, garlic, leek, shallot

Raw, cooked or powdered, they damage a dog's red blood cells and can cause anaemia, sometimes several days later. Be careful with leftover couscous, sauces, chorba and tajines, which almost always contain them.

Chocolate

It contains theobromine, which is toxic to dogs. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. Restlessness, vomiting, heart problems: it's an emergency.

Grapes and raisins

Even in small amounts, they can cause kidney failure in some dogs. Watch out for cakes and sweet-and-savoury dishes that contain them.

Xylitol

This sweetener, found in some sugar-free chewing gums, sweets, toothpastes and "sugar-free" products, causes a sudden drop in blood sugar and can damage the liver. Keep bags and pockets out of reach.

Cooked bones

Cooked mutton bones (after Eid al-Adha), chicken bones and fish bones splinter into shards that can injure the mouth, get stuck in the throat or perforate the intestine. During Eid, keep an eye on the bins, dishes left on the table and méchoui leftovers.

Avocado

Its flesh is very fatty and it contains persin, found mainly in the skin and the stone. The biggest danger remains that large stone, which can cause a blockage if swallowed.

Alcohol and caffeine

Even in small amounts: coffee, strong tea, energy drinks, alcohol.

Foods to avoid

• Spicy dishes: harissa, merguez, hot sauces, which irritate the stomach and intestines.
• Very fatty or salty foods: leftover meat in sauce, fried food, cured meats, chicken skin. They can cause pancreatitis.
• Dates and their stones: the stones can cause a blockage, and dates are very sugary.
• Pastries: makroudh, baklawa, biscuits, which are very sweet and fatty, and sometimes made with raisins or chocolate.
• Stones and pips: apricot, peach, whole olives.
• Milk: many adult dogs digest it poorly.
• Raw dough made with sourdough or yeast, which swells in the stomach.

What to do if your dog has eaten something dangerous

1. Call your vet immediately or an emergency vet clinic. Note down what, how much and when.
2. Don't make them vomit yourself without veterinary advice: with some products, it's dangerous.
3. Keep the packaging or a sample for the vet.
4. Don't wait for symptoms: with grapes or xylitol, they can appear late, once the damage is already done.

Keep your vet's number and that of an emergency clinic saved in your phone.

Prevention is mostly about being organised

• Explain to children and guests that nobody gives the dog anything without asking.
• Close the bins, especially during festivities.
• Don't leave plates within their reach on a coffee table.
• Choose dog treats, or a few pieces of safe food (carrot, cucumber, apple without the pips, plain cooked rice or chicken, with no bones).

Your dog's profile, in an emergency too

Note your dog's allergies or treatments in the description on their Homy QR tag profile, and add several contact numbers. If your dog is found after raiding the neighbourhood bins, whoever finds them will be able to reach you quickly.

---

Key takeaway: no table scraps, especially those with onion, garlic or spices, never cooked bones, and no chocolate, grapes or xylitol. If in doubt, call your vet immediately. Does your dog get itchy after certain meals? Read food allergies in dogs.