Some believe that commercial dog food is at the heart of many different illness in canines, and I think it may have contributed to my dog's seizures and may have even caused them. Cory, my dog had seizures and they gradually lowered in occurrences once I ceased feeding him kibble and canned dog food; then, five years ago, they stopped completely and I never once put him on any anti- epileptic medications, that is why I have come to this conclusion. However, are you aware of the fact that certain foods can lead to seizures or cause your dog to be sick? Some of these caught me by surprise!
*Chocolate is an absolute no-no.
The majority of dog owner's know that chocolate is known to cause seizures and in some cases, even death, in dogs. My dog, Cory, ate some of my son's chocolate candy from Halloween. Before my son caught him, he had eaten a lot. Cory was very happy to have been eating chocolate as was evidenced by how hard his tail was wagging. Immediately, Jayson called poison control and followed their instructions to pour hydrogen peroxide down Cory's throat, which in turn, induced vomiting. I am very glad that I keep Hydrogen Peroxide in my first aid cabinet. My son performed this emergency procedure outdoors. We were very lucky that Jayson found out about it soon enough so that no harm was done. If ever you suspect your dog to have gotten into and eaten chocolate, don't hesitate to call your vet immediately. If you catch your dog in the act, then try the Hydrogen Peroxide treatment. Keep in mind that milk chocolate will do less harm to your dog than will dark chocolate.
* Foods that Have Onions or Onion Powder for Ingredients
Onions have disulfides and sulfoxides in them that can lead to the destruction of red blood cells, which makes dogs anemic.
* Raw Fish is off limits.
Particularly in Oregon and Washington, a lot of fish are contaminated with a fluke that is contaminated with a bacteria that is known to trigger seizures and possibly even death when eaten without it being cooked thoroughly. The danger is completely eliminated if you cook the fish first, although you have to be careful to get all the bones out of the cooked fish before allowing your dog to eat it. I've been told that freezing the fish at a certain temperature will also kill the fluke & eliminate the problem, but I'm not enough of a scientist to know what that temperature is or how long the fish would need to be frozen in order to be comfortable feeding raw fish to my dog.
* Nutmeg is another to avoid.
It never really crossed my mind to put nutmeg on Cory's food, not even at the holidays, but it has been shown to cause tremors, seizures, and yes, even death. No more sharing those cookies with your buddy unless you are sure that they don't contain nutmeg, I think you'll be just fine on this one.
* Mushrooms.
Some mushrooms contain toxins that can cause problems for a dog, especially wild ones. Because I have this knowledge, I know to keep Cory away from the mushrooms when we go on our walks. 'Leave it' is a great command to teach your dog early.
* Cat food.
Poor Cory, he loves to lick the plate clean after our kitty's done eating, and now that I found out about this one, he won't be able to anymore. Cat food is made with too many fats and too high a protein content for dogs to eat. OK, maybe he can still lick the kitty's plate, but don't substitute cat food as meal for your pup.
* Apple Seeds are specific no-no's.
Apple seeds and other pits from fruit contain the poison cyanide, which can cause seizures.
* Raisins and Grapes
About the time that I discovered this information, I was reading a training book for dogs that actually advocated using raisins as training treats, even though they can cause kidney failure in dogs. I contacted the author with my concerns and she was very defensive, saying that she had always used raisins as training treats for her dogs. My only advice is to do the research and be aware of the risks before giving your dogs raisins or grapes.
* Egg Whites alone are also dangerous.
feeding your dog the entire egg is not a problem, the issue comes with the splitting of the whites and the yolk, the whites of an egg contain a protein named avidin, and it actually depletes your dog's body of the essential B vitamins. The yoke seems to have an element that counteracts the avidin protein in the whites, so if an egg is eaten whole, the depletion of vitamin B is no longer an issue.
Sandra DeMers is the author of Cory's Story, the story of how one dog conquered canine epilepsy that will absolutely AMAZE you. Visit her website for a wealth of knowledge and resources for canine epilepsy.
Video Source: Youtube
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