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Foods Toxic to Dogs and Cats: The Complete List

A food that is perfectly fine for a person can be dangerous for a dog or cat. This guide is for general safety information only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice β€” if your pet has eaten something dangerous or is showing unusual symptoms, contact a veterinarian immediately.

Chocolate and cocoa products

Theobromine and caffeine in chocolate are hard for dogs and cats to metabolize the way humans do, and can build up in the body, causing vomiting, diarrhea, a racing heart, and in severe cases tremors or seizures. Dark and baking chocolate, with their higher cocoa content, are more dangerous per ounce than milk chocolate, but no type should be considered safe.

Grapes and raisins

Grapes and raisins are a well-documented cause of acute kidney failure in dogs, though exactly which compound is responsible is still not fully understood. There is no known safe amount, and some dogs react even to a small quantity, so grapes, raisins, and foods containing them should be avoided entirely; the risk to cats is less clearly documented but treated with the same caution.

Onions, garlic, and other alliums

Onions, garlic, scallions, chives, and other allium vegetables contain compounds that damage red blood cells and can cause hemolytic anemia when eaten in enough quantity, or repeatedly. Cooking or powdering these foods does not meaningfully reduce the risk, so broths, stir-fries, or sauces containing onion should not be shared β€” cats are known to be even more sensitive to alliums than dogs.

Xylitol (in sugar-free gum, candy, and toothpaste)

Xylitol is harmless to people but triggers a dangerous surge of insulin in dogs, causing a rapid drop in blood sugar even though actual sugar levels never rose. Symptoms include weakness, vomiting, and loss of coordination, and severe cases can involve seizures or liver damage; check ingredient labels carefully, since it turns up in sugar-free gum, some peanut butters, and even toothpaste.

Avocado and macadamia nuts

Persin, a compound in avocado, is particularly dangerous to birds and rabbits and considered lower-risk for dogs and cats, but the fruit's high fat content can still trigger vomiting, diarrhea, or pancreatitis, and the pit poses a choking and blockage hazard. Macadamia nuts are known to cause weakness in the hind legs, tremors, joint swelling, and fever in dogs, and even a small amount should be avoided since the exact mechanism is not fully understood.

Alcohol and caffeinated drinks

Alcohol depresses the central nervous system in dogs and cats at far lower doses than in humans, potentially causing lethargy, vomiting, breathing difficulty, or in severe cases coma. Caffeine in coffee, energy drinks, and strong tea can likewise send the heart rate dangerously high and trigger tremors or seizures, so leftover drinks should be kept well out of reach.

Cooked bones (chicken, fish, and others)

Cooking makes bones lose their natural give and become prone to splintering, so a swallowed piece can lodge in the throat or esophagus, or a sharp fragment can puncture the stomach or intestinal wall. This applies to any cooked bone β€” chicken, fish, rib, or otherwise β€” so clearing away leftover chicken or fish right away is one of the simplest ways to prevent an accident.

Raw bread dough and yeast

Raw dough with live yeast keeps rising in the warm, moist stomach, which can cause painful bloating and, in some cases, a dangerous twisting of the stomach. The fermenting yeast also produces alcohol that is absorbed into the bloodstream. Baked bread in small amounts is generally not toxic, but raw dough is an emergency, and dough left to proof on a counter is a classic cause of accidental ingestion.

Salt, salty snacks, and homemade play dough

Large amounts of salt can cause excessive thirst, vomiting, tremors, and in severe cases seizures from a dangerous rise in blood sodium. Chips, pretzels, cured meats, and soy-sauce dishes are common sources, and so are salt-dough crafts and ocean water swallowed at the beach. A lick of a salty snack is rarely a problem, but a bag raided from the counter can be.

Dairy and very fatty foods

Many adult dogs and cats lack enough lactase to digest milk, so milk, ice cream, and cheese can cause gas, loose stools, and an upset stomach rather than true poisoning. Rich fatty foods such as bacon grease, fried leftovers, and trimmed fat are a separate concern because a sudden fatty meal can trigger pancreatitis, which causes vomiting, belly pain, and lethargy and often needs veterinary care.

Nutmeg and strong spices

Nutmeg contains a compound called myristicin that can cause disorientation, a racing heart, and tremors in pets when eaten in quantity, for example from a spice jar or baked goods made with a lot of nutmeg. A pinch cooked into a recipe is unlikely to cause harm, but spiced dishes in general tend to also contain onion or garlic, so they are best kept out of the bowl.

Pits and seeds from stone fruit and apples

The flesh of peaches, plums, and cherries is not the main hazard. The pits can block the intestines, and the seeds or pits of apples, cherries, and apricots contain cyanogenic compounds that release cyanide when chewed in quantity. One swallowed seed is not usually a crisis, but a dog chewing through a bag of pits is. Remove cores and stones before sharing fruit.

Check what and how much before you panic

If you catch a pet eating something dangerous, resist the urge to react purely on instinct β€” first figure out what was eaten, roughly how much, and when. Bringing the packaging or leftover food with you to the vet makes it much easier for them to identify the exact substance and give the right treatment.

Do not wait for symptoms to appear

Poisoning symptoms can take several hours to show up, so if you know your pet ate something on this list, calling a veterinarian or an animal poison-control hotline right away is safer than waiting to see if anything happens. Acting before symptoms appear generally gives treatment a much better chance of working.

What to have ready before an emergency

Save the number of your regular veterinary clinic, the nearest after-hours emergency hospital, and a poison-control service in your phone. In the United States, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center lists a 24-hour emergency line at (888) 426-4435; a consultation fee may apply, so ask when you call. Elsewhere, ask your clinic which service it recommends. When you call, have your pet's species, age, and weight, what was eaten, the amount, and the time ready, and keep the packaging nearby.

Why size, amount, and form all matter

The danger of a food depends on how much the animal ate relative to its body weight, not just on which food it was. A 3 kg cat and a 30 kg dog react very differently to the same square of chocolate. Concentrated forms are more dangerous than whole foods: baking chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar-free gum, and raisin-heavy baked goods pack far more of the harmful compound per bite. For xylitol, veterinary references such as the Merck Veterinary Manual associate doses above roughly 100 mg per kg of body weight with low blood sugar and doses above roughly 500 mg per kg with possible liver failure, but because labels rarely state the amount clearly, treat any xylitol ingestion as a reason to call.

Do not try to make the pet vomit on your own

Online advice sometimes suggests inducing vomiting at home, but doing it at the wrong time, with the wrong substance, or in the wrong animal can cause harm. Cats in particular should not be given home remedies. Whether vomiting is appropriate depends on what was eaten, how long ago, and the animal's condition, so let the veterinarian or poison-control specialist make that call. This article is general information, not veterinary advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I go to the vet even if my pet only ate a small amount?

For foods like chocolate or grapes where no safe amount has been clearly established, it is safer to call a vet even after a small amount, since smaller pets in particular can be affected more severely by the same quantity than larger ones.

Is it best to avoid giving human food entirely?

Not all human food is dangerous, but anything with seasoning, sauce, or heavy flavoring is more likely to contain risky ingredients like onion, garlic, or excess salt. Sticking mainly to pet food and pet-safe treats, and double-checking before sharing anything else, is the safer habit to build.

How long after eating something toxic do symptoms appear?

It depends on the substance. Chocolate signs commonly start within hours, xylitol low blood sugar can begin within about thirty minutes or be delayed by many hours, and grape-related kidney problems may take a day or more to become obvious. Because the timing varies, do not wait for symptoms before calling.

Are cats and dogs affected by the same foods?

Mostly yes, but not identically. Onions and garlic are considered more dangerous for cats, xylitol and grapes are better documented in dogs, and cats are also at risk from items not on this food list, such as lilies. When in doubt, treat a food as unsafe for both species until a vet says otherwise.