Written by Dr. Marcelle Landestoy, DVM
Dogs and humans have different dietary restrictions. There are foods you might enjoy eating a lot that would be toxic to your furbaby.
These are some foods you should stop feeding to your German shorthaired pointer: cinnamon, almonds, tomatoes, chocolate, and macadamia nuts. Some foods like chocolate and grapes are severely toxic to your pet. They should be brought to a vet immediately if they ingest those foods.
As you read, you’ll learn that you can’t share everything with your furbaby, no matter how tempting it is.
They’ll beg for it, but you must toughen your resolve and not give in to those sad puppy eyes.
Foods You Should Avoid Feeding to Your German Shorthaired Pointer
Many foods have varying impacts on your dog’s health.
Some are fatal, while others only affect at high concentrations.
Thus, I’ll categorize the foods into three colors:
- Green foods cause mild discomfort. They aren’t poisonous, but you shouldn’t feed them to your pup in too many quantities or too often as there are adverse effects like vomiting.
- Meanwhile, yellow foods can cause moderate to severe effects, such as difficulty breathing and diarrhea. They are more toxic than green foods. Should your pet consume them, you will need veterinary assistance.
- Lastly, red foods are your dog’s most toxic and fatal products. They are highly poisonous and should not be fed to your pointer. Immediate vet consultation is crucial.
I’ll discuss the foods that belong to each category. You should keep note of them and their effects.
As a bonus, I’ll also tell you what to do should they ingest those foods.
Green: Mild Discomfort
Green foods aren’t toxic or fatal. But you are discouraged from feeding them your dog because they can lead to mild adverse effects.
Dairy Products
Some dairy products like cheese and milk can be fed to your shorthaired pointer but only in small quantities and infrequently.
Regular or excessive consumption can lead to adverse effects, especially if your pup is lactose-intolerant.
However, You should not give some products like ice cream at all.
Aside from the dairy, its high sugar content harms your pup.
Almonds
While plain almonds aren’t toxic or fatal for your pup, their size can cause a blockage in their esophagus, making eating hard and uncomfortable.
Worse, it may even tear the windpipe, which can affect breathing.
Salted almonds may even be more harmful to dogs with heart diseases or prone to them.
The salt increases water retention, which is not suitable for heart illnesses.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon isn’t toxic, but it’s an irritant, especially in powdered form. It has oils that can make your pup feel sick or nauseous.
Powdered particles can cause choking or difficulty breathing when inhaled.
Too much cinnamon may lead to low blood pressure, which can cause more harmful effects like liver disease.
Recommendations
If you witness your dog eat any of the foods mentioned earlier, ensure they don’t consume more.
Watch out for drastic effects, like choking or difficulty breathing.
Usually, mild effects like vomiting or nausea go away on their own. If they persist or you have doubts, visit a vet.
Yellow: Moderate to Severe Discomfort
Yellow foods are more harmful than green ones. They may be toxic to your pet and cause severe diarrhea, pain, or other effects.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes may contain a toxin called solanine, which is harmful to dogs.
However, solanine is only present in green or raw tomatoes, leaves, and other green parts.
Thus, it’s usually safe for your pup to feed on red or ripe tomatoes.
Excessive consumption of tomatoes or solanine causes tomatine or tomato poisoning.
Smaller dogs tend to have more severe effects than larger dogs.
Symptoms or effects include:
- tremors
- seizures
- loss of coordination and appetite
- weakness
- abdominal pain
- irregular heartbeat
Avocado
Avocado skin, pit, bark, and leaves are abundant with a toxin called persin.
It is also present in the fruit’s fleshy or pulp part but not in as high concentrations as the skin, pit, or leaves.
Too much persin can cause abdominal distress for your pup.
Aside from persin, you should also look out for the risk of pancreatitis in sensitive dogs after consuming avocado pulp or flesh.
Although such cause-and-effect hasn’t been fully established, it has been observed, so better to be safe.
Recommendations
If you catch your dog eating foods like avocado or tomato, immediately ensure they don’t eat more.
Then observe for any symptoms like pain or vomiting. It is also best to seek veterinary advice as soon as possible, even if the effects aren’t severe.
Red
Highly toxic foods belong to the red category. You should hide these products from your pup to ensure they don’t consume them, especially when you are away.
Chocolate
If you’ve heard that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, I’m here to tell you that it’s true.
Chocolate contains a group of compounds called methylxanthines.
Specific examples of these compounds are theobromine and caffeine, which are both in chocolate.
These methylxanthines can:
- overstimulate the muscles
- affect metabolic processes
- impact the heart
- induce vomiting
Your pup may even seize and, in cases where they’ve consumed very high amounts of chocolate, die.
However, death due to chocolate is rare.
Effects mainly depend on the concentration of methylxanthines, the amount of chocolate, and your dog’s size.
The smaller your dog, the more harmful chocolate is because adverse effects are first observed when they consume theobromine at a dose of 20 mg/kg.
Thus, large dogs won’t exhibit effects immediately, but smaller ones, like chihuahuas, may immediately dip into a fatal situation.
Macadamia Nuts
A very toxic food for dogs is macadamia nuts, also known as Queensland or Australian nuts.
They induce vomiting, difficulty walking, lethargy, and fever. At worst, they impact your pet’s nervous system.
Effects may be more severe if your dog has other illnesses. Treatment depends on symptoms.
Garlic and Onions
Garlic and onions are just two of the members of the Allium family.
These foods are very toxic to dogs, leading to effects like:
- anemia
- weakness
- increased heart rate
- and even collapse
It is crucial to monitor your dog even days after consumption because side effects may take time.
Recommendations
If your dog consumes highly toxic products, immediately get them to a veterinarian.
Provide all relevant details, such as when your dog consumed it, how much they ate, and other similar information.
Time is of the essence for cases like this because vets need to induce the product out and prevent the chemical or toxin’s spread.
Also, keep monitoring your dog after the incident. Bring them to the vet again if the situation doesn’t improve.
Final Thoughts
There are many foods, such as chocolate, avocado, and onions, that your German shorthaired pointer should not eat.
They can cause mild to fatal effects. Bring them to a vet if they consume these foods, especially the highly toxic ones.
It is best not to share food if you are unsure if it’s safe for them.
Ask your vet what foods are safe to share with your furry best friend.
References
- American Kennel Club: People Foods Dogs Can and Can’t Eat
- American Kennel Club: Fruits and Vegetables Dogs Can or Can’t Eat
- American Kennel Club: Can Dogs Eat Tomatoes?
- PetMD: Are Avocados Poisonous to Dogs?
- McGill: My Dog Ate Chocolate and He Was Fine, so What’s the Big Deal?
- Animal Poisons: Macadamia Nuts and Dogs
- MSD Manual: Macadamia Nut Toxicosis in Dogs
- YouTube: NEVER LET YOUR GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER EAT THIS!!!!
 |
| Marcelle Landestoy Veterinary Hospital Director at UCE Dr. Marcelle is a general veterinarian with a Small Animal Medicine Specialty | Director of the UCE School of Veterinary Medicine | Certified by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society |
