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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 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 (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 (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.