Whoever is a pet owner knows that there`s more to it than just having an animal around the house. There are many those who consider that only children or old people could have any need of pets, since the main reason people get a domestic animal is that they want something to play with or keep them company, but in fact, anyone could benefit.
You might consider that carrying for a pet will only add to the everyday problems you encounter, but there are certain advantages of being an owner that you might not expect.
People usually use the excuse that their daily life is already very crowded without having to look after an animal, but in fact, owning a pet could actually help you get some order into your life. When you set up a routine you know you have to respect, it`s easier to bring a bit of structure to your schedule.
Plus, it will serve as motivation for those days when you feel no purpose whatsoever to get up and start the new day. Maybe you don`t want to get out of your bed, but your pet needs you to. Same rule applies to exercising. No matter how much you want to start, you never seem to find time for it, but if you get a pet, you`ll have to make time for its sake to take it out for walks.
Pets know how to offer you comfort and companionship when you really don`t want anyone around you. They will love you unconditionally and offer you support without you having to ask for it. They usually mold their personality and mood to match that of their master and they`re never likely to be unavailable. When you feel lonely or depressed, overstressed or overwhelmed, pets have their ways to sense it and come to you and share your life challenges.
At the end of the day, owning and carrying for a pet is an investment into your life and your happiness. Having a pet means commitment, means someone to get home to and someone who will always be there for you no matter what you do.
Under those circumstances it really is not hard to believe that most pet owners don`t even think of them as animals anymore, but as part of the family. So it`s only natural that you want to share your food with them, but when doing so you should be careful at your animal`s rates of metabolism. Certain foods that we consider trivial, may actually turn out to be toxic for your furry family member.
What to watch for:
13. Yeast
Whether they ingest it on its own or in dough, Yeast can cause gas to accumulate in your pet’s digestive system.
It can lead to something as simple as lots of farting, and discomfort to more painful situations which cause the stomach to bloat and twist, causing ruptures of the stomach and intestines, becoming a life threatening emergency. Also, ingesting yeast can stimulate the body to produce ethanol which can cause your dog to become drunk.
How to care for your pets
The best way around it is to keep any toxic substances out of your pet`s reach and to discourage begging for foods you know will harm them. However, you can`t always stop them from eating something they’re not supposed to, but you can give them the first aid at home.
When you suspect your pet has ingested something harmful, the first thing you need to do it determine what and how much they might have eaten and then call your veterinarian for advice. Based on the severity of the case, you might just have to wait or actually induce vomiting and take your pet to the vet`s office. It might not hurt to make sure that your pet stays hydrated through the process.
12. Undercooked Meat, Eggs and Bones
Pets are as susceptile to getting sick from bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli residing in raw meat and eggs as you.
Feeding your pet raw meat and bones might seem natural since at least cats are used to amusing themselves by hunting mice and small birds and snacking on them from time to time, but that is only healthy if your pet lives in the wild.
Domestic pets might choke on bones, both raw and cooked. At least in the case of cooked bones, the danger is even more present because the bones have been weakened and thus can break more easily. Pets can sustain grave injuries if the bone splinters get stuck in or puncture your pet`s digestive tract.
11. Tobacco
Tobacco is harmful enough for humans, but it`s even more of a toxic hazard for pets, especially dogs, who are more affected by nicotine than us.
Nicotine ingestion can damage their digestive and nervous system, cause increase in the heart rate, make them pass out and it ultimately results in death.
10. Sugar vs Xylitol
Too much sugar can cause your puppy to suffer from dental issues, obesity, and even diabetes just as easily as it can harm you, but by far the worst of the pair is the substance called Xylitol, a sweetener used in many sugar-free products, such a s gum, candy, baked goods and toothpaste.
It can lead to insulin release in most species, which can cause liver failure and hypoglycemia. Initial signs of toxicosis include vomiting, lethargy and loss of coordination but if left untreated, it will progress to seizures. There is no evidence that cats can become ill from these products, but it can cause severe damage to dogs.
9. Salt
Just like sale isn`t the healthiest thing for you, it`s even worse for your dog. It`s easy to forget about this hidden danger when you have salty snacks at hands, such as potato chips, pretzels, and salted popcorn, but you should refrain from feeding them to your pet.
Large amounts of salt can heal to excessive thirst and urination which ends up in dehydration, imbalance in electrolyte levels and even sodium ion poisoning and in some cases seizures and death. Clear signs that your dog has ingested too much salt include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, tremors and fever.
8. Onions, Garlic, Chives
No matter which form they come into, these vegetables and herbs can cause serious gastrointestinal irritation, anemia and blood cell damage.
In fact, any member of the onion vegetable family can cause your pet problem if they eat enough of it.
Although cats are more affected by them, dogs are also at risk if they eat a large enough amount.
7. Nuts
It`s not hard to guess why dogs are so attracted to nuts, since they can usually find them in cookies and candies but nuts such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts are rich in oils and fat, which can cause health problems from an upset stomach to an obstruction of your dog’s throat and intestinal tract, pancreatitis, seizures and neurological problems.
Most common effects of nut ingestion are vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and loss of muscle control.
6. Dairy products
This might seem hard to believe, since litters of all pets insist on being breastfed for as long as possible by their mothers, dogs and cats actually become lactose intolerant after reaching adulthood, most like humans do in the present.
Eating small quantities of milk will not kill your pet, but they might cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you absolutely have to give them dairy, you should probably look into lactose-free products.
5. Grapes and Raisins
Researches have yet to find the toxic substance within grapes and raisins that can harm pets, but ingesting them can cause liver damage and kidney failure.
While cats haven`t showed any interested in eating these particular two edibles, dogs have commonly fallen ill from only a handful of grapes which resulted in their death.
4. Citruses
While these particular fruits can cause something as minor as a upset stomach, too much citric acid ingested by your pet can cause irritation and vomiting, even central nervous system depression.
3. Chocolate and caffeine
It`s hard to imagine life without any of those two products, but as far as pets are concerned, not only can they live without them, it is advised they do so.
The substance called methylxanthines found in both cacao and coffee seeds, when ingested can cause vomiting and diarrhea, hyperactivity, rapid breathing, abnormal heart arrhythmias, muscle tremors, seizures and in the worst cases even death.
2. Avocado
Avocado concerns animals both small and large, usually birds, rabbits and horses, even domestic pets such as sheep and goats.
While the large animals can get away with some swelling of the neck and head, the birds are actually at risk of dying of cardiovascular damage.
The Persin contained by this fruit can also cause heart congestion in dogs.
1. Alcohol
You must be familiar by now with those “funny” youtube videos of people getting pets drunk at parties. Whether it happens by accident or on purpose, the pet is surely not as amused as you might be.
While alcohol can cause all sorts of troubles to your pet, from something simple as lack of coordination to increasingly dangerous health problems such as difficulty breathing, tremors, abnormal acidity of the blood, coma and even death. As little as a spoon of alcohol is enough to put your cat at risk of death.