Treat etiquette
Treat etiquette
Your colleagues might be tempted to spoil your furry friend with treats!
But be careful, too many treats can have a negative impact on your pup’s health.
Apart from becoming overweight, you dog could also develop problems associated with lots of less-than-healthy titbits several times a day! Additionally, your dog may also have a sensitivity or allergy to certain treats which can cause problems like stomach upset or itchy skin.
Of course, how many calories your dog needs will also depend on things like activity level, whether they are neutered or entire (neutered animals tend to need less calories) and their age (puppies generally have different caloric needs than adult dogs). Your vet will be able to advise you on specific advise regarding your dog’s energy requirements.
So, what would happen if at 9am when you and your pooch arrive to work, and your desk neighbour greets them with a 50kcal treat to say hi?
Probably not much (as long as your dog has no allergies or dietary requirements!)
But then at lunchtime, one of your co-workers slips them a little bit of ham from their sandwich (100kcal)
After their lunchtime walk, you reward them for doing their business with a dog biscuit (70kcal)
And before they go home your boss gives your dog a little bacon flavour dog treat, they keep in their desk for being such a good boy all day in the office? (60kcal)
That means without even having their meals for the day, your little doggy has ingested a whopping 280 calories! If this is a small dog he has eaten well over half of his daily allowance, with much of his calories coming from non-nutritionally optimal sources! This is like you snacking on chocolate bars and packets of crisps multiple times a day!
Encourage your colleagues to ask you first before they give your dog any treats!
Toxic treats
We know it may be tempting for your colleagues to share their lunch with your furry friend, especially when your dog uses those famous puppy-dog eyes!
But not only could this act of kindness be unhealthy, but it could also be really dangerous for your dog, resulting in vomiting, diarrhoea or even death.
If you think your dog has ingested any of these, call a vet immediately!
Onions, garlic, leek, and chives
Onions, garlic, leek, and chives are commonly used as ingredients in many dishes due to their strong aromatic properties. In dogs, these ingredients can cause anaemia from red blood cell destruction and dogs are highly susceptible to poisoning from human food containing them, even when the food is cooked thoroughly. Common signs of poisoning from these ingredients include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and depression, but don’t wait to see! If you think a dog has eaten anything containing these, call their vet ASAP!
Ethanol
Ethanol is an alcohol found in a variety of products, such as alcoholic beverages, medication, perfume, mouthwash, some thermometers, and certain forms of antifreeze. It is also used as a disinfectant and in many hand sanitizers. Usually, ethanol poisoning in dogs comes about as a result of accidental ingestion of alcoholic beverages but can also be due to eating uncooked bread and pizza dough, which contain yeast that metabolizes carbohydrates to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Toxicity causes central nervous system depression, and clinical signs range from lethargy/depression and incoordination to tremors and death.
Grapes and their dried products
Grapes and their dried products (raisins, sultanas, and currants) can cause kidney failure in dogs. The fruits may be ingested raw or cooked as ingredients of fruit cake, mince pies, malt loaf, snack bars, scones, and other baked goods. Ingestion of any quantity of these fruits is potentially dangerous, and can result in vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain and even death is kidney failure is severe
Chocolate
Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine, which dogs and some other animals struggle to metabolise. Most poisoning cases occur because of chocolate ingestion. Chocolate poisoning episodes are more common around the holidays, particularly Easter or Christmas time when there is a higher occurrence of chocolate products in the home, and most likely, in your office too! Small amounts of theobromine can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, but higher doses can cause seizures and occasionally death. A vet should be able to advise on how serious the situation is based on the size of the dog and the quantity ingested.
Xylitol
Xylitol (also known as E967) is a naturally occurring sweetener that is used in many food products instead of sugar, including sugar-free gum, mints, sweets, and some baked goods and peanut butter. It is also sometimes used in dental products, such as mouthwash and toothpaste. Xylitol can stimulate insulin release in dogs, leading to a dramatic crash in blood sugar levels. It can also cause liver failure in dogs and could be as fast acting as under an hour before signs appear, or it could be up to 12 hours before any signs appear. Therefore, if you suspect your dog has consumed anything with Xylitol, contact their vet immediately.
Avocados
Avocados have become very popular in recent years, but these fruits contain persin, a fungicidal toxin. It could cause serious health issues if a dog eats too much, so steer clear of any at all. Persin is mostly located in the leaves and bark of the avocado plant and in the pits and skin of the fruit, but it is also found in the flesh of the avocado in a less concentrated amount. Unripened fruits also contain higher amounts of persin. It’s best to err on the side of caution and treat all parts of an avocado as potentially be hazardous to dogs.
Tea and Coffee
Tea and coffee (and chocolate!) feature organic compounds that can be harmful to dogs, including caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. These are also commonly found in a variety of foods, beverages, human medication, and other products in the home. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, guarana, and as an additive in many soft drinks. Theobromine is found in cacao seeds and in products manufactured from these seeds, such as chocolate. Theophylline is found in tea along with caffeine. Caffeine is also used in human medication to increase mental alertness, and theophylline is widely used in anti-asthma drugs. All of these are harmful if ingested by dogs so should be kept away (and dogs certainly shouldn’t be allowed a sip of tea/coffee with their own breakfast!)
Macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts are produced by trees of the genus Macadamia and are very popular as snacks for human consumption, both as plain nuts or when used in cakes, cookies, or in nutty chocolate bars. Even ingesting a tiny amount of macadamia nut can be very harmful for dogs. If a dog eats macadamia nuts they could become very ill, including showing muscle weakness (particularly hind limb weakness), depression, vomiting, co-ordination problems, tremors, hyperthermia, abdominal pain, lameness, and stiffness. Call a vet if you think they have eaten some so that action can be taken before signs occur.
Give a dog a bone?
Although popular culture would lead us to believe that bones are great for dogs, you need to be really careful not to give a dog any bones. Take care to ensure you and your colleagues know that they shouldn’t be giving the office dog leftovers, like the ends of a chicken drumstick at lunch! Bones can cause constipation, obstruction of the throat/gut or even pierce the gut which can be fatal.
What about other things a dog might be tempted to eat?
Most dogs love to CHEW! Some will chew anything interesting that they can get their paws on, even if it's not a good idea! Make sure you keep your bags out of reach of dogs, particularly if you keep snacks or anything else a dog might want to go nosing for, in there.
Make sure your colleagues are also aware of other objects left within reach of a dog, and pay particular attention to small objects that can fall from desks, such as pencils and pens, PPE (mask, gloves), phone chargers, small tools, medications (even common over the counter drugs such as ibuprofen can be highly dangerous to dogs!), and of course, small bottles of hand sanitizers that a dog could be tempted to chew on if they find them within reach!
These lists are NOT exhaustive! If a dog has ingested (or you suspect they have ingested) any of these call a vet immediately!
