What Foods Are Poisonous To Cats And Dogs?

Alliums

Onions, garlic, shallots, scallions, chives, and any other plants from the allium family contain toxins that can seriously harm dogs and cats. The worst of these is garlic, which contains up to five times the amount of the toxin as onions and green alliums, but they are all very dangerous. Cats are especially susceptible to these compounds, though dogs are also at risk—particularly Japanese breeds such as Akitas, Shiba Inus, Hokkaido, and Kishu. The medical complications caused by allium plants are wide-ranging and include anemia and other blood disorders, damage to red blood cells, and profound gastroenteritis leading to severe intestinal damage. One of the more insidious aspects of allium poisoning is that the symptoms will not manifest until several days after the food is ingested. These will include a lack of energy, weakness, and urine that ranges in color from orange to deep red. The process of diagnosing allium toxicity includes blood work to confirm the presence of clumps known as Heinz-Ehrlich inclusions attached to the red blood cells.

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