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Foods That Are Toxic to Pets
Why Table Scraps Are the Problem
Most food poisoning cases we treat do not involve anything unusual. They involve normal household food, given kindly or stolen from a table. The list below covers the ones we see most, grouped by the kind of pet you have. If your pet has already eaten something, use the steps above first.
Toxic Foods by Type of Pet
Dogs eat first and think later, which is why they make up most of the food cases we see. Call us for anything on this list, whatever the amount.
Chocolate
Causes a racing heart, tremors and seizures. Darker chocolate is worse, but do not wait to work out which kind it was.
Grapes and raisins
Can cause kidney failure, and there is no safe amount we can promise you. Raisins hide in cakes, buns and cereal.
Onion, garlic, shallot, leek
Damages red blood cells, whether raw, cooked or in gravy. This is the one most owners miss, because it is in almost everything we cook.
Xylitol
A sweetener in sugar-free gum, sweets, some peanut butters and toothpaste. Drops blood sugar fast and damages the liver.
Alcohol and raw dough
Raw bread dough keeps rising in the stomach and produces alcohol as it does. Both cause collapse.
Macadamia nuts
Cause weakness and wobbly back legs, often within a day. Distressing to watch, and worth a call.
Cooked bones
Splinter into sharp pieces that can pierce the gut. Chicken and fish bones from the table are the usual culprits.
Coffee and tea
Caffeine affects the heart. Used coffee grounds and tea bags in the bin count too.
Cats are fussier eaters, so poisoning often happens through licking, grooming or curiosity rather than eating a meal.
Onion, garlic and chives
Cats are more sensitive to these than dogs. Cooked, raw or in a sauce all count.
Lilies
Not a food, but the most dangerous thing a cat can meet in a home. Even pollen brushed onto fur and then groomed off can cause kidney failure.
Paracetamol and human medicine
Cats cannot process paracetamol at all. Never give human painkillers, not even a small piece of a tablet.
Chocolate and caffeine
Same risks as in dogs. Cats eat it less often, but the effect is no gentler.
Raw fish, regularly fed
An occasional piece is not the problem. Fed often, it can lead to a vitamin deficiency that affects the nerves.
Milk and dairy
Most adult cats cannot digest it, despite the picture books. Expect an upset stomach rather than an emergency.
Dog food as a regular meal
Not poisonous, but it lacks taurine, which cats must get from food. Long term this harms the heart and eyes.
Bones and string from food
Cats swallow the string from meat or a roast more often than owners realise, and it can damage the gut.
For rabbits and rodents, the bigger danger is usually the wrong everyday diet rather than one poisonous item. Their gut stops working quickly when things go wrong.
Chocolate, coffee and sweets
Toxic to rabbits and rodents just as they are to dogs and cats. Sugary human snacks also upset the gut badly.
Avocado
Toxic to rabbits, birds and rodents. Keep it well away, including the skin and stone.
Onion, garlic and leek
Not safe for rabbits or rodents in any amount, cooked or raw.
Not eating at all
A rabbit that stops eating for a few hours is an emergency in itself, even with no poison involved. Do not wait overnight.
Bread, biscuits and cereal
Starchy human food upsets the balance of bacteria a rabbit needs to digest properly.
Too much fruit
Fruit is a treat, not a meal. Too much sugar causes soft droppings and gut trouble.
Sudden diet changes
Even safe foods cause problems when introduced too fast. Add new greens slowly, one at a time.
Not enough hay
Hay should be most of what a rabbit eats. Too little causes both dental disease and gut slowdown.
Birds are small, and they also breathe differently from us, so both food and fumes reach them faster than you would expect.
Avocado
One of the most dangerous foods for birds. Do not let them near any part of it.
Non-stick pan fumes
Not a food, but worth knowing. An overheated non-stick pan releases fumes that can kill a bird in the same room within minutes.
Chocolate and caffeine
Affect the heart and nervous system. A bird is tiny, so a crumb is not a small amount to them.
Fruit seeds and stones
Apple pips and stone-fruit pits contain a compound that is dangerous to birds. Flesh is fine, the seed is not.
Salty and fried snacks
Keropok, crisps and fried food carry far more salt and fat than a small bird can handle.
Onion and garlic
Not safe for birds either, in any form.
A seed-only diet
Not poisonous, but one of the most common causes of illness in pet birds. Seed alone does not keep a bird healthy.
Scented candles and aerosols
Strong household fumes irritate a bird's airway. Ventilate well, and keep sprays out of their room.
Reptiles rarely eat something poisonous by accident. Most of the problems we see come from being fed the wrong thing over months.
Wild-caught insects
May carry pesticide from gardens or drains. Feed insects bought for reptiles instead.
Fireflies
Dangerous to bearded dragons and other lizards even in tiny amounts. Never offer them.
Spinach, kale and rhubarb
Bind calcium and block its absorption, which contributes to bone disease over time.
Insects with no calcium dusting
Feeder insects alone do not carry enough calcium. Without dusting and correct lighting, bone disease follows.
Prey that is too large
Food wider than the widest part of your reptile risks a blockage or regurgitation.
Human food of any kind
Bread, meat from the table and dairy have no place in a reptile diet.
Local Foods Worth Knowing About
Most toxic food lists online are written for kitchens in America or Britain. These are the ones we actually see here, usually after a family meal or a festive weekend.
The pattern to remember: if it was cooked for people, assume onion and garlic are in it. That single habit prevents most of the food cases we treat. When your pet has stolen something from the table, check what went into it before deciding it was harmless.
Signs Your Pet May Have Eaten Something
Symptoms can take hours to appear, and with some foods the damage starts before your pet looks unwell. Call us if you notice any of these, especially if you cannot account for what your pet has been doing.
VomitingOr trying to vomit without bringing anything up.
DiarrhoeaEspecially if there is blood in the stool.
Drooling more than usualWet chin, or repeated swallowing and lip licking.
Shaking or unsteady walkingTwitching, wobbling, or looking drunk on their feet.
Breathing faster than normalOr panting when they have not been active.
Sudden tiredness or hidingNot wanting to move, or going somewhere quiet on their own.
Not eating at allIn rabbits, rodents and small pets this is an emergency on its own. Do not wait until morning.
Drinking or urinating much moreA noticeable change from their normal pattern.
You do not need to be certain before you call. Describing what you have noticed is enough for us to tell you whether it can wait.
Dr. Asma Fariha
Veterinary Surgeon · MVC Reg. No. 3362
Dr. Asma leads clinical care at ExoCare, treating cats and dogs alongside rabbits, birds, reptiles and other exotic species that most general practices are not equipped for.