What foods are toxic to dogs? Complete list

Dogs will eat almost anything — which makes it your job to know what can seriously harm or kill them. Some of these foods are well-known dangers; others surprise even experienced dog owners.

LIFE-THREATENING — seek emergency vet care immediately

- Grapes and raisins — even tiny amounts can cause sudden kidney failure in dogs. No safe dose has been established. The mechanism is not fully understood, making it especially dangerous.
- Xylitol (birch sugar) — found in sugar-free gum, mints, peanut butter, baked goods, toothpaste, and some medications. Causes a sudden, severe drop in blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and can cause liver failure within 24–72 hours. Check ingredient labels obsessively.
- Macadamia nuts — cause weakness, vomiting, tremors, and hyperthermia, usually within 12 hours. Not typically fatal but require vet assessment.
- Onions, garlic, leeks, and chives — all members of the Allium family destroy red blood cells, causing haemolytic anaemia. Garlic is the most toxic per gram. Effects build up over several days — a small amount daily is more dangerous than a single larger dose.
- Alcohol — even small amounts cause vomiting, disorientation, and life-threatening drops in blood sugar and body temperature.
- Chocolate — contains theobromine, which dogs metabolise slowly. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate are far more toxic than milk chocolate; white chocolate has minimal theobromine but high fat. A 10 kg dog can have serious symptoms from 50 g of dark chocolate.
- Caffeine — coffee, tea, energy drinks, some medications. Similar mechanism to theobromine.
- Raw yeast dough — expands in the stomach, causing bloating and obstruction; also produces alcohol as it ferments.
- Mouldy food — moulds produce tremorgenic mycotoxins that cause muscle tremors and seizures.

MODERATELY TOXIC — avoid and monitor

- Avocado — the flesh, skin, pit, and leaves all contain persin. Most dangerous to birds and rabbits; in dogs, large amounts cause vomiting and diarrhoea; the pit is a choking hazard.
- Cooked bones — splinter into shards that perforate the gut. Raw bones carry different but still real risks.
- Fruit pits and apple seeds — contain cyanide-releasing compounds.
- Nutmeg — in large amounts causes hallucinations, seizures, and death.
- Salt in excess — can cause sodium ion poisoning (vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures, death).
- Corn on the cob — not toxic but the cob is a common cause of intestinal obstruction.

What to do if your dog eats something toxic

Do not wait for symptoms. Call your vet, an emergency clinic, or an animal poison control hotline immediately. If instructed, vomiting may be induced — but only under veterinary guidance and only within 1–2 hours of ingestion. Never induce vomiting if your dog is already having seizures, is unconscious, or has swallowed a corrosive substance.

Flovvi's health log is useful for recording what was eaten and when — this information dramatically speeds up treatment decisions.