Written by Dr. Marcelle Landestoy, DVM
The affection between humans and dogs, also called human-canine bonding, dates back to over 15,000 years ago when two humans were found buried with one (Bonn-Oberkassel dog).
The bond may be so deep that you even share your meals with Fido. However, if you own a
Rottweiler, there are certain foods you should never feed them!
Foods your Rottweiler should avoid include cabbages, salty foods, and bones. Macadamia nuts, avocado, chocolate, onions, and bread are also off the menu! Eating these foods can cause a toxic reaction in your pup, triggering vomiting, kidney failure, irregular heartbeat, or even death.
As a licensed veterinary doctor, I’ll present foods your Rottweiler should avoid and actions you can take if your pup does accidentally ingest them!
Foods Your Rottweiler Should Avoid or Limit
Weighing between 85 to 135 pounds for males and females at 80 to 100 pounds, Rottweilers are huge dogs with a big appetite.
Never leave your pup to go hungry for long lest they try to eat anything in sight.
And just like any other living creature, whatever your Rottweiler ingests will have a direct impact on their quality of life.
So be careful what you feed your canine and avoid foods that may harm them.
A healthy pup will brighten up your home. And for big breeds like Rottweilers, they’ll even help you with some chores when adequately fed.
So, do you know which foods will give your Rottweiler a tummy ache and which will require an immediate vet visit?
To help, we’ve divided these harmful foods into three categories:
- GREEN: denoting foods that can cause mild irritation.
- YELLOW: foods that can cause moderate problems.
- RED: toxic foods that will result in severe reactions.
Green: Mild Discomfort
Green will represent foods that could cause mild irritation that’ll go away without a vet visit.
Cabbage
When served to a Rottweiler, cabbage may cause minor symptoms like abdominal cramps and flatulence.
It’s okay in moderation, but too much cabbage might lead to hypothyroidism in your Rottweiler.
In this condition, a dog’s thyroid gland makes insufficient thyroid hormones.
Salty foods
Salty foods, such as those found in pretzels and chips, can cause mild dehydration or salt poisoning in your Rottweiler.
The symptoms of sodium-ion poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, high body temperatures, seizures, and depression.
Don’t add any extra salt to your dog’s food, and reconsider handing Fido a piece of your burger!
Bones
Eating bones can cause gastrointestinal obstruction and constipation in a Rottweiler.
Avoid giving them chicken and game bones, as they might also damage your dog’s teeth, mouth, and stomach linings if they’re sharp or become lodged.
Potato Skin
Potatoes are very nutritious sources of carbohydrates for both Rottweilers and even human beings.
However, you must be very cautious when feeding your dog mashed potatoes, not to include the potato peels.
Potato peels can contain solanine, a toxic chemical that can cause poisoning in dogs when ingested in large quantities.
This may lead to gastrointestinal distress (diarrhea and vomiting) in a Rottweiler.
Other symptoms of solanine poisoning also include weakness, lethargy, and confusion in your dog.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is not toxic to your dog, and the effects may not be fatal when consumed.
However, that should not lead you to sprinkle some on your Rottweilers’ food.
The Pet Poison Helpline warns that cinnamon may cause digestive and skin irritation when consumed in large amounts.
Inhaling cinnamon powder will also make your dog cough, choke and may create difficulty in breathing.
Consuming ground cinnamon, chewing on cinnamon sticks, and essential oils can also irritate your dog’s mouth.
Other harmful foods to avoid feeding your Rottweiler also include:
- Walnuts
- Raw potato
- Liver
Your Rottie will likely be okay after eating any of these foods.
However, you’ll want to keep a close eye on your dog to ensure his condition isn’t worsening.
Yellow: Moderate to Severe Discomfort
Foods in this category may cause moderate to severe health problems, meaning you should never intentionally feed them to your Rottweiler.
Milk
Dogs have a less-active lactase enzyme responsible for breaking down lactose found in milk and other dairy products.
Therefore, your Rottweiler’s colon can’t entirely digest milk products, leading to diarrhea.
Limit your Rottweiler’s milk intake to just 20ml per kg body weight.
However, yogurt and cottage cheese may offer a soothing effect for a Rottweilers’ stomach when taken as per a vet’s recommendation.
Macadamia Nuts
Amygdalin found in fruit kernels, and macadamia nuts can potentially block cellular breathing and pose a danger to a Rottweiler’s life.
Though these nuts seem like excellent training and reward tools because of their small size, the health risk is too significant.
Avocado
An avocado’s skin, back, stem, core, and leaves contain a toxic substance called persin.
Although fats in avocado, when eaten in moderation by Rottweilers, can be beneficial to their health, excessive ingestion may lead to shortness of breath, heart muscle damage, restlessness, and indigestion.
The most common symptoms are constantly vomiting and diarrhea as a result of the avocado’s high-fat content.
A Rottweiler also risks swallowing the whole fruit, which may cause intestinal constipation that will require surgery to correct.
You’ll also want to avoid the following foods:
- Raw eggs
- Raw fish
- Almonds
When your Rottweiler consumes any of these yellow foods, reach out to a veterinarian for professional advice first.
Some conditions may be corrected with induced vomiting, but you should never attempt this without a vet consultation.
Red: Dangerous or Poisonous
This red category is for poisonous foods. If your Rottweiler eats any of these, you need to bring it to the vet right away.
Chocolate
Chocolate is widely known as a no-no in a dog’s diet. Cacao contains two methylxanthines, caffeine, and theobromine, highly toxic to Rottweilers and can become fatal quite quickly.
Although white chocolate contains less amount of toxic theobromine than dark chocolate, both can be very dangerous when ingested by an unsuspecting dog.
Common side effects you may notice include:
- Abdominal discomfort
- Vomiting
- Irregular heartbeat
- Seizures
- High body temperatures
- Increased thirst
- Muscle tremors
- Restlessness
Once you notice these changes, bring your Rottweiler to the vet immediately to save its life.
Bread Dough
The live yeast found in bread dough will expand when exposed to a Rottweiler’s warm stomach.
Potential dangers include possible tissue death in and around the stomach and blood flow stoppage due to over expansion.
Extreme cases will cause breathing difficulties.
Yeast in bread dough might also multiply to create alcohol intoxication, which might be dangerous considering Rottweilers are very sensitive to ethanol.
Signs to watch out for include lack of coordination, stooping, distended abdomen, and vomiting.
This condition can get worse to a point where your dog starts stumbling on objects or even falling.
Grapes and Raisins
Consumption of grapes and raisins will cause kidney problems, which may cause the death of a Rottweiler within 3 to 4 days of ingestion.
Sometimes, all it takes is a few grapes and raisins.
Some of the common symptoms to watch are increased urination, then no urination at all, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration.
Onion and Garlic
Onions and garlic contain N-propyl Disulfide and Thiosulfate, respectively, that can cause anemia when detected in a Rottweiler’s red blood cells.
The poisoning symptoms include reddish urine, lethargy, decreased appetite, pale gums, weakness, and fainting.
Xylitol
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener used in sugar-free packets like coffee and tea, sugar-free baking goods, and sugar-free gum.
When ingested by a Rottweiler, the toxicity in xylitol will cause a rapid drop in blood sugar.
A Rottweiler may become disoriented or experience seizure within 30 minutes of eating xylitol.
Since this condition can be fatal, it certainly requires immediate care by a veterinarian.
Most conditions in this red category can enter a life-threatening level quite quickly.
Rush your Rottweiler to the vet if it’s showing signs or you know it ate one of these dangerous foods.
Remember that some problems might take a few hours before they take a toll on your Rottweiler.
For instance, heavy panting may begin two hours after ingestion. On the other hand, some symptoms may not show until after a few days.
Conclusion
A Rottweiler is a massive dog with a big appetite and requires proper planning before considering bringing it home as a pet or for work.
Apart from the visits with a veterinary doctor on what you should not feed your Rottweiler, be ready to spend big to meet the dogs’ dietary requirements and avoid chances of the dog pouncing on just any food, including those that may be poisonous.
In case of any doubts, get professional advice from a veterinarian and never diagnose your Rottweiler based on a presumption.
Sources
- ADRK-Poisonous Foods For a Rottweiler
- Emborapets- What Rottweilers Can’t Eat
- Rottweilerlife-Human Foods That Dogs Can’t Eat
- Rottweilerhq- Poisonous Foods Not to Give a Dog
Read more about the Rottweiler breed in my one-page Rottie owner guide
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| 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 |
