Foods dogs cannot eat
Every food on WagGuide rated toxic or best avoided, in one place. Each page explains what makes it dangerous, the signs to watch for, and what to do next. If your dog has already eaten something on this list, ring your vet now rather than reading first.
Ethanol (alcohol poisoning)
No. Alcohol is toxic to dogs in any form, and Pet Poison Helpline lists beer, wine, spirits and cocktails among the sources it warns owners about. VCA Animal Hospitals says signs of alcohol poisoning usually appear within 15 to 90 minutes of exposure. Keep every drink, poured or not, out of reach, and ring your vet straight away if a dog gets to one.
Persin, in the skin, stone and leaves
Best avoided. Avocado skin, leaves and stone carry persin, the stone is a classic choking and blockage hazard, and the fatty flesh can set off pancreatitis. Ripe flesh is low in persin and a stolen lick is rarely serious, but UK veterinary advice is not to feed avocado at all.
No, bacon is not a good thing to share. It is not poisonous, but it puts cured salt together with a lot of fat, and that pairing is one of the routes vets see into pancreatitis. A stolen rasher is unlikely to harm a healthy dog. Regular bacon sharing is a real risk.
No. Cooked beef bones splinter like any other cooked bone, and Battersea advises avoiding cooked bones at all cost because of the risk of constipation or a fatal gut perforation. Raw beef marrow bones are sold as a chew, but PDSA does not recommend feeding pets bones at all, cooked or uncooked, and VCA Animal Hospitals names marrow bones among the common causes of fractured teeth. If your dog has already swallowed a piece, ring your vet now.
Roquefortine C and related Penicillium mycotoxins
No, treat blue cheese as unsafe for dogs. The Penicillium mould that gives Stilton, Roquefort and Gorgonzola their veins also produces roquefortine C, and blue cheese sits high among the dairy products vets name as sources of tremorgenic mycotoxin poisoning, a condition that can cause tremors and seizures. It is also usually high in salt and fat, on top of the mould risk.
No. Cooked chicken bones are unsafe for dogs. Cooking makes bone brittle, and the Kennel Club says eating chicken, turkey or goose carcasses can cause pieces to obstruct the gut or splinters to penetrate the stomach or intestinal wall. Raw chicken bones are a separate, less clear-cut question, and still need a vet's input before you offer one.
Theobromine
No. Chocolate is toxic to dogs because of theobromine, a stimulant dogs metabolise far more slowly than we do. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is, and cocoa powder is the worst of all. Anything beyond a stolen crumb is worth a call to your vet.
Caffeine (methylxanthine toxicosis)
No. Coffee, in any form, is toxic to dogs, and Pet Poison Helpline lists coffee, coffee grounds and energy drinks among the sources it treats as poisoning risks. VCA Animal Hospitals warns that one or two caffeine pills can be fatal for a small dog. A quick lick of milky coffee is unlikely to cause harm, but beans, grounds and energy drinks are a genuine emergency.
No, the cob itself is unsafe. The kernels are fine for dogs in small amounts, but a corn cob does not break down in a dog's gut, and vets treat swallowed cobs as a genuine blockage emergency that often ends in surgery. Keep whole cobs, cooked or raw, away from dogs entirely.
No. Tinned corned beef carries around 2g of salt per 100g plus a lot of processed fat, and corned beef hash usually adds onion, which is toxic to dogs. A stolen slice is not an emergency for a healthy dog, but this is not a meat to share on purpose.
Onion and garlic powder in many flavourings
No. One dropped crisp is nothing to worry about, but crisps are salt and fried fat in a form dogs will happily overeat, and many flavourings contain onion or garlic powder, both toxic to dogs. The bag, especially the sharing bag, is the thing to keep out of reach.
No. Gammon is pork cured in brine, so it carries a heavy salt load on top of the fat that triggers pancreatitis in dogs. A stolen scrap is not an emergency, but the Christmas joint, the rind and above all the cooked bone should stay well away from your dog.
Disulphides and thiosulfinates (allium family compounds)
No. Garlic is toxic to dogs in every form, raw, cooked, dried or powdered, and PDSA names it alongside onions and leeks as part of the allium family that damages red blood cells. VCA Animal Hospitals identifies garlic as the most toxic member of that family, and says one teaspoon of garlic powder is equivalent to eight cloves of fresh garlic. If your dog has eaten a meaningful amount, ring your vet straight away rather than waiting for symptoms.
Tartaric acid (suspected agent)
No. Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants are toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure. There is no established safe amount, and one dog can be poisoned by a quantity another dog tolerates. Treat any amount as a vet call.
Onion powder (allium compounds) plus salt
No. Almost all UK gravy is made with onion powder and a lot of salt, and onion in any form damages a dog's red blood cells. A lick from a dropped plate is not an emergency, but gravy poured over dog food is a habit worth breaking. Plain unsalted meat juices are the safe swap.
Onion (allium compounds)
No. Haggis contains onion, which damages a dog's red blood cells, plus about 1g of salt and 20g of fat per 100g on a typical supermarket label. A stolen mouthful means watching your dog and ringing for advice. A plateful, or a raid on the leftovers, means calling your vet.
No, ham is not a food to give dogs. It is cured meat, which means salt in quantity and a fat load that can set off pancreatitis, and neither belongs in a dog's diet. One small piece will not poison a healthy dog, but there is no version of ham worth making a habit of.
No. Cooked lamb bones splinter, and the fragments can pierce or block a dog's gut, so the chop bone from a Sunday roast is one of the riskier leftovers in the kitchen. Raw lamb bones divide veterinary opinion. If your dog has already eaten a cooked bone, ring your vet now.
N-propyl disulphide and related organosulphur compounds (allium family)
No. Leeks are members of the allium family, and Pet Poison Helpline lists them as toxic to dogs in the same way as onions, garlic and chives, whether raw, cooked or dried. The compounds damage red blood cells, and the worst signs often take days to appear. Anything more than a trace is worth a call to your vet.
Citrus oils (limonene and linalool) and psoralen, concentrated in the peel
No, and there is no reason to try. Lemons and limes are not in the same category as grapes, but the flesh is intensely sour, the peel and pith carry citric acid and citrus oils that cause stomach upset, and a dog gains nothing from either. Most dogs refuse them anyway.
Unknown compound (macadamia nut toxicosis)
No. Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs, and there is no safe amount to feed on purpose. The MSD Veterinary Manual recorded symptoms in dogs after around 2.4g of nuts per kilogram of body weight, which for a small dog can be just a few nuts. Ring your vet straight away if your dog eats any, even one.
Tremorgenic mycotoxins (penitrem A, roquefortine C)
No. Mouldy food is genuinely toxic to dogs, well beyond a case of an upset stomach. The MSD Veterinary Manual names penitrem A and roquefortine C, mycotoxins produced by Penicillium mould on spoiled food, as the cause of tremorgenic neuromycotoxicosis, which brings on tremors and seizures within hours. Bins, compost heaps and fallen fruit are the most common routes, and the Pet Poison Helpline and ASPCA both treat this as an emergency.
No, mustard is unsafe for dogs and worth keeping off any plate they can reach. Vets Now names both mustard and ketchup among the barbecue condiments that harm dogs, mainly through their salt, sugar and, in some brands, artificial sweeteners. English mustard and mustard powder are the strongest versions, and flavoured jars sometimes add garlic, onion or honey too.
Myristicin
No, nutmeg is unsafe for dogs and should be kept out of reach. It contains myristicin, a compound that can cause hallucinations, a raised heart rate, high blood pressure and, in larger amounts, seizures in dogs. Pet Poison Helpline notes the small pinch used in most home recipes is unlikely to cause serious harm, but whole nutmeg, a spilled jar or a nutmeg-heavy bake is a real concern.
N-propyl disulphide (allium compounds)
No. Onion is toxic to dogs in every form: raw, cooked, fried, dried or powdered. Its allium compounds destroy red blood cells and cause anaemia, and the worst signs often take days to appear. Anything beyond a stray crumb of onion is worth a call to your vet.
Onion or garlic (Allium toxicosis), plus a high fat and salt load
No. Most UK liver pate is seasoned with onion or garlic, and Battersea lists the onion family as toxic to dogs whether it is dry, raw or cooked, in any form. Pate is also dense in fat and salt even in the plainer versions, which PDSA names among the triggers for pancreatitis. A thin scrape off a stray cracker is unlikely to harm a healthy dog.
Garlic (Allium toxicosis)
No. Nearly every pesto, jarred or homemade, is built on garlic, and the MSD Veterinary Manual lists garlic as more toxic to dogs than onion, gram for gram. On top of that, pesto is dense in fat from the oil, pine nuts or cashews, and salt from the parmesan, which is its own route to an upset stomach or pancreatitis.
No. Cooked pork bones splinter, and Vets Now names chicken and pork specifically as the cooked bones most likely to cause serious internal injury if swallowed. Raw pork bones are not a safe substitute either, since PDSA does not recommend feeding pets bones at all, cooked or uncooked. If your dog has already swallowed a piece, ring your vet now.
Ethanol from yeast fermentation, plus bloat or GDV from dough expansion
No. Raw bread dough is toxic to dogs, because the live yeast keeps fermenting once it reaches the warm, moist stomach. Fermentation produces carbon dioxide, which can bloat or twist the stomach, and ethanol, which causes genuine alcohol poisoning. Ring your vet straight away if your dog eats any raw dough.
No, salami and pepperoni are best avoided for dogs. Both are cured, processed meats that are typically high in salt and fat, often seasoned with garlic, chilli or paprika, and sometimes made with nitrates or nitrites as curing agents. A single small accidental bite is not an emergency, but this is not a food worth offering on purpose.
Sodium (salt toxicosis)
Unsafe in any real quantity, though the severity depends heavily on the amount. The MSD Veterinary Manual puts the lethal dose of salt for dogs at roughly 4g per kilogram of body weight, a threshold homemade salt dough, seawater and de-icing grit can reach fast. PDSA notes that true salt poisoning is otherwise rare, since a dog will usually drink water to cope with a smaller dose. A crisp or two is a very different risk from a mouthful of playdough or seawater.
No, sausages are not a good thing to share. The RSPCA names processed meats such as pigs in blankets among the foods that are incredibly high in salt, and the fat sits alongside pork and cheese on PDSA's list of foods that raise the risk of pancreatitis. Many also carry onion, which Battersea lists as toxic to dogs. A single stolen sausage is unlikely to harm a healthy adult dog.
No, soy sauce is unsafe for dogs and should not be added to their food or shared from your plate. A single tablespoon carries around 879mg of sodium, several times a dog's daily requirement, and the MSD Veterinary Manual puts the dose linked to salt-toxicosis symptoms at just 2 to 3 grams of salt per kilogram of body weight. Small dogs and repeated exposure are the real danger.
Onion (allium compounds)
No. Sage and onion stuffing is the UK standard, and the onion is the problem: Paxo's mix is 15 percent dried onion before the water goes in, and onion damages a dog's red blood cells. A dropped crumb is nothing. A stuffing ball, or a raid on the dish, is a call to your vet.
Tartaric acid (suspected agent, the same toxin implicated in grapes and raisins)
No. Sultanas are dried grapes, and they carry the same toxin as fresh grapes and raisins, concentrated into a smaller, denser mouthful. There is no established safe amount, and sultanas turn up in far more UK kitchen cupboards than fresh grapes do, in cereal, baking and lunchbox snacks. Any amount eaten by a dog is a same-day vet call.
Tremorgenic mycotoxins (penitrem A) in mouldy walnuts; high fat content in fresh walnuts
No. Plain fresh walnuts are not toxic the way macadamia nuts are, but they are high in fat, easily upset a dog's stomach and can cause pancreatitis or a blockage whole. Mouldy walnuts are a separate, genuinely dangerous problem: the MSD Veterinary Manual names walnuts among the foods that grow tremorgenic mycotoxins, which cause rapid-onset tremors and seizures.
No, white chocolate is best avoided, though not for the usual chocolate-poisoning reason. It is made from cocoa butter rather than cocoa solids, so the MSD Veterinary Manual puts its theobromine content at only around 0.04mg per gram, a negligible dose next to milk or dark chocolate. The real risk is its fat and sugar, which can upset a dog's stomach or, in a large amount, trigger pancreatitis.
Xylitol (triggers rapid insulin release; causes hypoglycaemia and, at higher doses, liver failure)
No. Xylitol is toxic to dogs and there is no safe amount to give on purpose. The MSD Veterinary Manual records hypoglycaemia at doses above roughly 100mg per kilogram of body weight, a threshold a small dog can reach easily, and liver failure at higher doses. Ring your vet immediately if your dog eats anything containing it.