Our puppy has arrived. His name is Arthur (Sir Arthur, for more formal occasions). He is an 8 week old Border Terrier. Which means he’s super cute and full of tons of energy. So far so good. We’re figuring out that he is a fabulous walker and walking is the key to getting all of his “silly” energy out. We have been working hard to get prepared for his arrival. It took some planning, some hard labour and some creativity. One area that we knew we had to do some research on was how to keep our new puppy safe. Danger doesn’t only come from moving vehicles and other animals…nope some of the most dangerous things for your puppy are in our kitchen and in the garden. Perfectly safe and lovely “people food” can make our dog quite sick, so we needed to compile a list.
Top Dangerous Foods
chocolate – contains a stimulate called theobromine which causes problems with a dog’s central nervous system and their cardiovascular system
onions and garlic – damages dog’s hemoglobin which can lead to acute anemia
macadamia nuts – can cause macadamia nut toxicosis
avocado – contains persin which can be toxic for some dogs and the large pit can block a dog’s digestive system
caffeine – like chocolate, it is a stimulant that can impact dog’s central nervous system and cardiovascular system
grapes and raisins – can lead to kidney failure
milk and dairy products – dog’s have a hard time digesting the sugars in dairy products, can lead to diarrhea, gas and vomiting
Dangerous Plants (indoor/outdoor)
If ingested, these plants can cause symptoms ranging from digestive upset to kidney failure…it’s best to remove these plants from your living space when bringing in a new puppy.
chocolate mulch – used in your garden bed
Lilies
Foxglove
Hibiscus
Hyacinth
Lily of the valley
Morning glory
Tulips
Wisteria
Aloe Vera
Hydrangea
Poinsettia
Trumpet vine
Arthur has been here for 2 days and every time we are outside he is nose-first in the gardens. We used this list to remove plants from our yard. The important thing is to keep an eye on our young pup when we are outdoors. They won’t need to ingest very much of a dangerous plant to become quite ill. We have also posted the list of dangerous foods in the kitchen, as a reminder to my daughters. The reality is that we aren’t going to never cook or eat these foods ever again. We just need to be responsible when we eat them. We have a new family member who has some “dietary restrictions”!
Do you know of any more dangerous foods and plants? Please leave a comment below, we’d love to hear your suggestions!
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