Foods That Can Cause Dog Seizures (Part 1)
As anyone who follows this blog already knows, I believe that commercial dog food is a culprit for many illnesses in a dog, and that it contributed to or may even have caused Cory’s seizures. The reason I came to that conclusion is that Cory’s seizures gradually were reduced once we stopped feeding him kibble and canned dog food, until they stopped completely over 5 years ago, without ever putting him on anti-epileptic drugs. But, did you know that there are other foods that can harm your dog’s health, even causing seizures? Some of these caught me by surprise!
- Chocolate. Almost everyone knows that chocolate can cause seizures and even death in a dog. One day Cory got into Jayson’s stash of Halloween chocolate. He had consumed quite a bit of it when Jayson discovered him, with Cory’s head deep inside the bowl of chocolate bars and his tail wagging with exuberant glee. Jayson called poison control and was advised to pour Hydrogen Peroxide liquid down Cory’s throat, which made Cory vomit. Happily I had Hydrogen Peroxide in the cupboard where I keep first aid supplies. Jayson took Cory outside for this messy task. We were very lucky that Jayson found out about it soon enough so that no harm was done. If you suspect your dog has consumed chocolate and you are not sure when it happened, call your veterinarian immediately. If you catch your dog in the act, then try the Hydrogen Peroxide treatment. Dark chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate.
- Onions or Products Containing Onion Powder. These contain sulfoxides and disulfides which can cause damage to the red blood cells, resulting in the dog becoming anemic.
- Raw Fish. Especially here in the Pacific Northwest, salmon and other fish often carry a fluke which in turn carries a bacteria which can cause seizures and death if consumed raw. 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. Not that it ever occurred to me to sprinkle nutmeg on Cory’s chow, but apparently it can cause tremors, seizures and death. Just don’t share any of your cookies containing nutmeg with your pooch and you should be OK with this one.
Tomorrow I’ll post Part 2 of this series! I’m sure you’ll be surprised by some of the other foods that cause cause your dog to have seizures. Have you ever noticed a correlation between something your dog ate and a seizure? Leave a comment and let us know!
