Everyone likes to slip their pooch a titbit or two of human food every now and again; we’re all guilty of loving our pups just a bit too much sometimes! Some foods are so dangerous, though, so they should never be considered as treats.

Chocolate
While it takes a huge amount of chocolate to be lethal, smaller amounts can make your dog quite sick. Vomiting, diarrhoea, panting, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and hyperactivity are signs that your pup has helped themselves to chocolate. Severity of the symptoms varies with the amount of chocolate your dog has eaten. White chocolate is the least dangerous and dark baking chocolate is the most dangerous, due to the amount of toxins they contain.
Alcohol
While not technically a food, alcohol deserves a mention. Your dog should never be given or allowed access alcohol, which can cause low blood pressure, low body temperature and neurologic signs, among other problems. Be especially wary of unbaked desserts, rum-soaked cake is a good example, as well as yeast-bread dough.
Raisins
Raisins may be one of the most toxic human foods a dog can eat. A very small number of raisins can easily kill a dog, and the smaller the dog, the more deadlier the threat. No one is sure what the toxic compound in raisins actually is. While there’s been a lot of research conducted, no conclusion has been reached. What is known, though, is that raisins cause very quick kidney failure. Progression typically happens within one to three days, and early symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and seizures. If your dog has been exposed to raisins, take him to the vet immediately.
Macadamia Nuts
It’s hard to resist the rich, meaty, delicate flavour of a macadamia nut whether you walk on two legs or four. It’s very important, though, to keep your macadamia nuts and anything containing them to yourself. For your dog, ingesting these nuts can cause vomiting, weakness, tremors and hyperthermia. The symptoms usually resolve within 48 hours and typically aren’t lethal, but it can be quite unpleasant for your dog. Just to be safe, your dog should be taken to the vet for monitoring if he’s helped himself to something containing macadamia nuts.
Caffeine
Caffeine in any form can be quite dangerous for your dog. Just like in humans, it overstimulates the central nervous and circulatory systems. It can overtax the heart and, depending on the amount your dog consumed, can cause death. Tremors, rapid heartbeat and unsteadiness are signs of caffeine consumption.
Onions
Onions can cause anaemia in your dog when they’re ingested over a period of time or in large amounts. While anaemia may not sound all that serious, it quickly becomes so when you consider the fact that anaemic cells cannot carry oxygen all that well and your highly-active pup may collapse without warning while exercising, walking or simply being. If your dog eats onions, take him to the vet; he’ll likely need stabilizing treatment, up to and possibly including a blood transfusion.