Some of these — chocolate, onions, caffeine — are common sense, but there are many more items on the list that you simply should not tease a dog with. I’m definitely guilty of giving in to my dog’s sad “feed me, mom!” eyes, despite his already full food bowl. Now I know exactly what not to feed him from my plate.
Many of these foods affect dogs in the same way that they affect humans, but because dogs are considerably smaller than humans, it takes much less of a substance to create a corresponding negative effect in dogs. A prime example is alcohol. Drinking too much can have fatal effects on a human, but most people don’t realize that a very small amount of beer, wine, or liquor can do the same to dogs, especially smaller breeds.
Other foods, such as avocado, only become poisonous to dogs in large amounts. This is not to say that you should start feeding guacamole to your pet — it’s just not nearly as dangerous as macadamia nuts or caffeine.
