Vets have issued an urgent warning to dog owners, detailing a list of substances which are poisonous and toxic to our four-legged friends. And alarmingly, many of them are household staples.
The Upper Canada Animal Hospital raised concerns online in a viral video, gaining 75.5 million views in under a month. In which, it features a number of team members being asked: "What is the one thing that is toxic to dogs?"
And while we all know that chocolate is poisonous to our canine counterparts, other shocking answers which sprung up included less-obvious items like avocados, garlic, onions and ibuprofen. The caption of the clip warned: "Be sure to do research before giving your dog new foods, and contact your veterinarian if they get into something they shouldn't have."
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The Mirror reports that another surprising expert answer came in the form of grapes. These have a detrimental effect on kidneys in canines, and can even lead to complete organ failure in the worst-case scenario. Sultanas and raisins can also have the same effect.
Chocolate was a heavy hitter, albeit already well-known as a no no by many pet owners worldwide. The main ingredient cocoa contains life-threatening compound to dogs theobromine, which causes your pets heart rate to increase when ingested.
Another vet meanwhile, highlighted how 'gum or anything with xylitol' is toxic to furry friends, with the potential to cause blood clotting and even liver failure. The video quickly racked up an abundance of comments, with numerous pet owners in a state of shock and awe at some of the revelations.
One, wrote: "Grapes?? I give my dog grapes all the time," while another, added: "I was unaware of the garlic and onions."
Other pet lovers meanwhile took the opportunity to vitally list some items missed from the video. Although it goes without saying, one person highlighted how 'any moulding food can be lethal to dogs', while another warned that: "Peanut butter can have xylitol."
Another user listed a workaround to the latter however, suggesting that people can feed dogs 'one ingredient peanut butter' to prevent adverse effects from the spread. The Upper Canada Animal Hospital later posted a second video to their social media, providing further answers as to what dogs should never ingest.
This included antifreeze, yeast, marijuana, rat bait and poison, Vitamin D, macadamia nuts and mould.
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