When those puppy dog eyes are staring at you from under the table, it’s hard not to succumb to your pet’s wishes and sneak them some leftovers.But you could be doing them more harm than good, according to vet Barbara Royal.She shared her experiences on Oprah.com , listing all the foods she has seen cause problems in dogs and cats.Dr Royal explained: “There are a lot of foods that people tend to feed their animals that they shouldn’t – and they don’t know they shouldn’t.”Has your pet ever had a bad reaction to eating something they shouldn’t? Let us know using the form below or via our Mirror Pets Facebook page.1. Peanut butterGettyLove peanut butter? Keep it on your toast – and don’t give it to your petsDr Royal said this one was the one that surprised pet owners the most when she said it’s forbidden.”I have a lot of animals that will come in [with] allergies or chronic problems, and then I find out that they’ve been giving all the medications in peanut butter.”So we stop the peanut butter and everything gets better.”That means no giving your pooch a dollop while you’re spreading it on your toast.2. Pizza crustsGettyThe crust isn’t the best bit – and it’s definitely not good for your dogNot everyone loves a crust and they’re most likely to be the bit of the pizza left over in the box (if any of it at all is left over…)But we should avoid the temptation to give our pets a Friday night treat and just throw them away.Dr Royal explains: “Other things that people feed are, like, Friday evening pizza crust – that comes under my long list of things which is: no corn, no wheat, no soy and no white potato in foods.”According to the vet, processed foods containing white potato often uses the skin, which has a ‘really toxic’ substance called solanine. Not something we want our beloved animals ingesting.3. CrispsGettyKeep these firmly out of your pets’ reachEver sat eating a packet of crisps and felt eyes watching you the whole time? Resist the temptation to throw one down for your dog.In fact, not just crisps but pretzels or any salty food is not good for them.Dr Royal explains: “The salty foods are things that are going to be more inflammatory. You don’t want to be feeding these to your pets.”4. Sweets and biscuitsGettyNot particularly good for us either, but we love themAs much as we all like a sweet treat, you’ll be doing your pet more harm than good if you slip them a ‘human’ biscuit as opposed to a doggy one.Dr Royal says all sugary foods should be ‘off limits’. Of course, chocolate is a complete no-no as it’s toxic to animals.So, what should we be sticking to?This vet advises that we should stick to things that “make sense to [our pets] evolutionarily.” You really should stick to things that would make sense to them evolutionarily. You’re only going to be sticking to treats that are meat treats or that are going to make sense to their body.”Cats – even more so. They’re obligate carnivores so they absolutely shouldn’t really be eating food other than mostly meat – they should have high protein, high fat and low carb – not more than 5-10% of their food should be carbohydrates.”So when you’re feeding treats, a lot of the treats have a lot of sugars and things in them. You wan’t to get rid of those.”
Source: The foods you should NEVER feed your pet: Vet explains which ‘treats’ do more harm than good – Mirror Online
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