This holiday season, in addition to being thankful for my amazing life, I am thankful to my friend and vet, Dr. Kim Danoff of Paws to Heal Veterinary Clinic in Vienna, Virginia. In her newsletter this month she shares some great reminders and I couldn’t have said it better myself! So thanks, Dr. Danoff, for reminding us – and teaching us – about foods that may be toxic to our best friends!

Chocolate

Most of us know that chocolate is bad for our pets. 95% of chocolate ingestion calls to animal poison control are for dogs. Dark chocolate and less sweet chocolate tend to be more toxic because they have higher cocoa contents.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a popular, natural, sugar free sweetener that is often in gum and desserts. Xylitol when ingested by pets very quickly lowers the blood sugar and can cause liver failure with in 24 hours.

Raisins, Grapes and even Currants

Whether they are yogurt covered, in granola, or by themselves raisins, grapes, and currants can be bad news. Raisins, grapes, currants can cause very rapid onset of kidney failure that is often fatal.

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Depending on the formulation, these aerosol sprays contain hydrocarbons, which are volatile substances. Some of the early signs of ingestion in your pet include an upset stomach. A high amount can lead to respiratory tract problems and a condition known as aspiration pneumonia.

Birds are very sensitive to cooking sprays because they have a unique respiratory tract that makes them very susceptible to irritation, so be really careful not only with cooking sprays but anything coming from an aerosol container when around birds.

Yeast Dough

If yeast dough is ingested it can expand, rise in the stomach, and can present a dangerous risk to your pet’s intestinal system, such as an intestinal rupture. Also, alcohol fermentation may take place in your pet’s stomach and if there’s enough ingested it can lead to alcohol poisoning. Any pet is at risk. Keep an eye out for signs of gastrointestinal irritation – vomiting, diarrhea and drooling.

Coffee Grounds

The harmful substances like theobromine and the caffeine found in coffee grounds are very similar to those in chocolate and often produce the same side effects. Look out for vomiting and diarrhea. In addition your pet may experience hyperactivity, increased heart rate, seizures, tremors and possibly even death, depending on the amount ingested.

Macadamia Nuts

We’ve only seen a negative reaction from these nuts in dogs and we don’t know all that much about why they are dangerous, but we would recommend keeping them away from all pets. It’s an interesting phenomenon – if enough are ingested (and as little as a handful can be seen as dangerous), we see weakness in hind legs and can see the gastrointestinal effects – vomiting, diarrhea and drooling. These nuts can also affect the central nervous system and cause depression and muscle tremors. Generally signs resolve in 48 hours with proper care and treatment.

Onions & Onion Powder

Onions, garlic and chives are all part of the allium species. Any of plants can produce similar effects. Look for the common gastrointestinal effects and trouble breathing. In addition, these substances can see significant damage to a pet’s red blood cells. Cats can be particularly sensitive but it is dangerous to cats, dogs and birds.

If you think your pet has ingested a toxic food, please contact a veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center.

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435

W&OD Trail – Vienna, Virginia

Time: 2 hours (or whatever you like)

Gear: water – leash

Difficulty Level: 1 paw

Scenery: 1 paw

Pack: You and your dog

Comments: Lots of people traffic & bicycles

Lucky me, I live within a few miles of the W&OD Trail which is a beautifully maintained, paved, 45-mile trail from DC to Reston, VA.

We parked on the streets of the Town of Vienna where signs indicated there are no parking restrictions on Saturday. There is also a great farmers’ market on Church Street from 8-12 on Saturdays but the big “NO DOGS” sign kept us focused as we headed west on the trail.

At 8a on a cloudy day the trail wasn’t too busy and I only saw one other dog. There are some serious runners and bikers using the path so I kept Karma on a relatively short leash and responsibly heeded all the polite “on your left” call-outs from cyclists. You cannot let your dog wander all over the place when on the main path and you want to have confident control.

What’s cool about this and many sections of the W&OD Trail is there is often a parallel path that is mowed but not paved so Karma and I switched to that path the first chance we got (it sort of stops and starts). There I was able to let him have the full length of the Flexi Lead and wander and sniff to his heart’s delight. We actually came across several water areas where he could drink, stand and play (Karma doesn’t swim per se but that’s another story). I always look for water opportunities to help keep him cool not to mention he loves water so it ups the fun factor.

We walked about an hour and a half at a pretty good pace since I was wearing my heart monitor and wanted to count it as my workout too – ha!

One thing to remember on walks like this is “what walks out, must walk back.” It sounds obvious, but all too often people don’t turn around to come back until their dog starts to look tired and then it can be too late. Wear a watch and learn the limits of your dog even as you work to improve your dog’s fitness level.

When Karma was younger I took him on the same trail, starting out in the morning on a weekend day in September. I had grand visions of walking out/west at least an hour then coming back. Ha! The morning heated up faster than I expected and at the 20 minute mark Karma pulled over and flopped down in the grass panting. Of course I was dressed like Marathon Marge and all these hard-core fitness folks were laughing at the dog in the shade as they ran/rode by. It was funny but I was worried about Karma. It took us forever to get back as Karma kept pulling over and flopping in the shade. Obviously I ran out of water too. Times like this have made me hyper-aware of what it’s like to have this breed of dog in any heat whatsoever! So please, know your dog! And if you have multiple dogs – even if they are the same breed – treat them as individuals.