365 Days of Learning or Trying New Things: #67 - 10 Common Household Items That Can Hurt Our Dog Friends

Most people know that chocolate is poisonous to dogs. However today I learned some other things that are poisonous to dogs that caught me by surprise.

But first, here's a story about how my carelessness turned into a dramatic disaster that could have killed little dog. Fortunately she survived and was fine but it taught me an incredible lesson and I hope you learn from it as well.

One evening I stopped by the grocery store on the way home and while waiting in the checkout line I picked up a pack of gum. When I arrived home from work, the usual 5 minutes of chaos awaited me. The dogs needed out to go to the bathroom, the cat was screaming for food (yes he practically screams - little jerk!), and here I was with groceries hanging off both arms. So I took the groceries to the kitchen and put them on the counter then went to let the dogs out and feed the cat. I unpacked most of the groceries while the dogs were outside and the cat was eating and got all the cold foods put away, etc.

I let the dogs back in and got distracted doing something else. I can't even remember what happened. It could have been something as simple as I went to the restroom myself. A few minutes later, my little dog, Happy, comes through the house smelling weird. It took a second for me to realize she was MINTY...REALLY MINTY! I ran to the kitchen to find that the mint gum I'd bought earlier was in the floor mostly eaten. The cat had batted the gum off the counter and Happy had gladly scarfed it down.

Why does it matter that Happy ate gum? Because the gum had xylitol (a common artificial sweetener) in it. I'd just read right before that happened that xylitol was poisonous to dogs. I didn't know why it was poisonous (or actually if it even was) so I grabbed my phone and called our vet's office to get the on-call vet (of course she'd eat gum when the vets are all gone home for the day!). He told me that xylitol is indeed poisonous to dogs and told me to give Happy hydrogen peroxide (had to hold her down and squirt it in her mouth with a water bottle) until she threw up the gum and to call him back if she didn't throw up and he'd meet me at the vet clinic but also to call him back later if she did throw up to let him know she was ok.

So here I am holding this 25lb dog and squirting hydrogen peroxide down her little throat to make her throw up. It was horrible. By that time, I was in tears and she was gagging. Finally she threw up the gum. I kept giving her peroxide until there was no gum left in her. Fortunately she was fine but that taught me an incredible lesson. Even though the gum was up high where she couldn't reach it, it's so easy for it to get knocked off the counter (especially with a cat in the house!). So now we never leave gum (or anything else that is bad for dogs) out on the counter even for a few minutes.

10 Common Household Items That Are Poisonous To Dogs:

1) Chocolate - this delicious little treat is for humans only! Dogs cannot eliminate the theobromine and caffeine from chocolate as quickly as humans and it can be fatal. For more information, click here.

Chocolate Mustaches by TheChocolateMommy on Etsy, 12 for $15

2) Xylitol - this was the sweetener in the gum that my little dog ate. It causes a drastic drop in blood sugar in dogs and can be fatal.

3) Grapes and Raisins - can cause renal (kidney) failure in dogs

Grapes Watercolor Painting by VickieSueCheek on Etsy, $10

4) Nicotine - need I say more? It's not good for us or our dog friends. For more information, click here.

Vintage Cigarette Lighter from SkyLynx on Etsy, $15

5) Onions, Garlic and Leeks - Both raw and cooked versions can can affect the red blood cells and cause anemia in dogs.

Onion Print by AppetizingArt on Etsy, $15

6) Pennies and Batteries - The acidic environment in the stomach allows rapid release of the zinc in these items and the zinc can cause anemia as well as liver, kidney and/or heart failure.

1983 Penny Bracelet by christinavitale on Etsy, $26.95

7) Unbaked Bread Dough - the dough can expand in the stomach/intestine creating a blockage. In severe cases, surgery may be required to remove the blockage.

Bread Dough Photography by gildinglilies on Etsy, $20

8) Sage Palm Plants - This is a common house plant and the entire plant is poisonous to dogs. This plant contains cycasin, a chemical poisonous to many animals including humans. For more information, click here. Here's a blog post from a dog owner whose dog ate some of this plant.

9) Macadamia Nuts - The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting.