Why are chocolate, onions and grapes toxic to dogs, but not us?
“Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. Larger quantities of chocolate can poison or even kill a medium or large dog.”
“Onions cause hemolytic anemia, which means that the red blood cells break down leaving the dog short of oxygen.”
“No one quite knows the problem with grapes and raisins, but they seem to be associated with kidney failure in dogs. Not every dog, not every time, but there have been enough cases to establish a link.”
So why can people eat all of these things? I just ate an unacceptable amount of brownies, how come they didn’t poison me? How come onions don’t cause our red blood cells to break down? How can I eat grapes and be just fine? I don’t understand.
Launi -
“because humans and dogs are different”
Most lazy / worst answer I have ever received on Yahoo Answers. Congrats.
Their digestive system is set up a little different from ours and their metabolism works differently. There are other things that are also toxic to them: raisins, all nuts, garlic, mushrooms–all of these get metabolized totally different by dogs and their substances can be toxic–some of them can cause sudden death and some can cause a slow deterioration of the liver eventually leading to liver failure.
If you are interested in reading up on it, here is a website:
http://www.animalpetsandfriends.com/Article/25-Human-Foods-Toxic-To-Dogs/300
Good luck
Holiday Christmas Pet Dangers
