Anyone whose a dog lover can tell you that you’re own four-legged friend isn’t just a pet, it’s a member of your family. And you want every member of you family to be healthy, happy and safe as long as you can. Between 37-47% of households in the United States own a dog, or about 46.3 million households. And keeping that tail wagging becomes a top priority to any dog lover included in that number. And what better way to keep them happy than to feed them some delicious food. True, the United States spends roughly $20.46 billion dollars on pet food each year, but sometimes that just doesn’t seem to cut it. Sometimes you want to give them some of your delectable human food. But careful! There are some foods a dog should not eat. Some are obvious, others not, but regardless, you should keep these foods away from your pet’s chompers.

Chocolate This one seems like a no brainer. We’ve all heard that chocolate is bad for dogs and unfortunately, it is very true. No matter the amount, a dog who eats chocolate is at risk for diarrhea, vomiting and even seizures. Protect your animals health by making sure no chocolate is ever in reach. And, if you pet does ingest chocolate, contact your vert right away.

Garlic Perhaps lesser known in the world of pet care is a dog’s intolerance to garlic. Garlic can act like a poison to a dog, causing severe anemia, a faster heart rate, weakness and collapsing.

Cooked Bones This one sounds strange. We’ve all seen a puppy or dog alike who was gnawing on a bone before, right? Well, yes but those bones are raw bones. Raw bones are great for a dog’s health and teeth. However cooked bones run the risk of splintering, getting lodged in your dog’s mouth, throat and stomach and cause internal bleeding.

Milk Yet another thing to avoid when it cones to pet care is milk. One may not think milk could be all that bad, but research has proven that dogs are, in fact, lactose intolerant. And exposure to too much milk or diary products can cause gas, upset stomach leading to vomiting or diarrhea and even to itchiness from an allergic reaction.

Xylitol Chances are, that word is probably unfamiliar to you. But it exists in a lot of the foods we eat everyday. The most crucial one being peanut butter. I have no yet met a dog that doesn’t enjoy peanut butter. However, some brands do contain xylitol, which can lead to liver failure, hypoglycemia, and severe seizures.

Pet care for our beloved pooches usually comes as top priority to any dog lover. So keep in mind and take into account what foods your four-legged friend can and cannot eat before he dives his nose into the trash can.