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What else is bad for dogs to eat?


bgb699

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There are some kinds of mushrooms which are really good for our dogs. There are some which are known to boost the immune systems and are especially good for dogs with cancer etc.
The mushrooms that are good for dogs are Cordyceps, Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake, and Turkey Tail.




[quote]" Several types of mushrooms also have potent immune system enhancing effects. The most important of these is "hen of the woods," also known by its Japanese name, maitake. You can buy the dried form or extracts in tablet form in some health food stores while some gourmet groceries even carry the fresh mushrooms. Several studies out of Japan have shown some other mushrooms including shiitake, reishi, wood ear and oyster mushrooms to be surprisingly effective at stimulating the immune system while simultaneously limiting or stopping the growth of cancer cells. All of these mushrooms are available in the U.S. these days, in either dried, fresh or capsule form. "[/quote]

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Oh yeah, I meant to mention another item ascorbic acid vitamin C in vitamin form which is not really serious but, in large quanities over an extended period can deplete copper levels in the dogs body. It is really quite interesting that vitamin C absorbed naturally from food does not cause this deficiency. I guess you would need to give a multi vitamin if giving vitamin C in vitamin pill form.


Another thing too. The list that I gave you on Pet education lists foods which are best to avoid and foods not to give in large quanities. For example garlic is good for a dog in small quanities. Cat food can be fed once in a blue moon, I have fed it to my dogs when I have run out of dog food :D just don't feed it for any length of time. Raw eggs, I have fed to my dogs every once in a blue moon, my dogs have never suffered from biotin deficiency, its just not some thing you would want to make a regular part of the dogs diet.

I have also read that you should never feed your dog cod liver oil if the dog is eating a kibble diet. The dog can have over doses of vitamin A as this vitamin is already included in commercial dog foods.

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[quote name='Kat']turkey (in large quantities), grapes, raisins all contain tryptophan which is an enzyme that can be toxic to dogs. [/quote]

please allow me to step in here and correct that statement, since it's completely wrong on not just one level.

1. tryptophan is [b]not[/b] an enzyme but an [i]essential amino acid[/i]. it is [b]not[/b] toxic to dogs.

2. essential amino acids [b]must[/b] be present in a dog's diet because the body can not synthesize them. amino acids are the "building blocks" that form proteins, which are consequently also essential in a dog's diet. the 10 essential ones for dogs are arginine, methionine, histidine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, threonine, leucine, tryptophan, lysine and valine. for cats there is one more - taurine. humans can synthesize both arginine and taurine.

3. turkey is an excellent source of protein and often a viable alternative for dogs who are allergic or sensitive to other sources like beef, chicken, lamb etc. where that "danger factor" comes in is when dogs who usually do not get anything but dry kibble are overfed with turkey skin during the holidays. the skin is very fatty and can cause pancreatitis.

4. raisins and grapes are toxic to dogs, but the toxin is as of yet unknown. you can find an article on the topic at the ASPCA's animal poison control website:

[url]http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=grapes[/url]

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[quote name='Matty']Here is a link for you with all the information you require.

[url]http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=0&cat=1276&articleid=1030[/url][/quote]

i'd like to debunk some baseless myths perpetuated on that page:

1. "bones" in general

are fine to give. many people, like me, feed a home prepared diet that includes raw bones of just about any imaginable animal. the statement should be corrected to "[b]cooked[/b] bones.

it's a constant source of frustration to me how many people waste their money on poor quality chewing items "especially designed for dogs" that are far worse than fresh, raw, untreated bones and contain a lot of chemicals and fillers. [b]those[/b] are what people should stay away from.


2. "milk and other dairy products"

yes, some dogs are lactose intolerant, just like some humans, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy dairy products as valuable additions to their diet. fermented products, such as yogurt and cottage cheese for example, only have traces of lactose left, if any at all, because they contain certain cultures of bacteria. cheese is also not bad for dogs and makes a better treat than most of the commercial dog treats you find at grocery stores or mainstream pet stores.


3. the garlic has already been addressed by someone else in theis thread, small amounts are fine.

4. "raw eggs"

it is true that the egg white contains avidin, which breaks down biotin, but there is also the fact that the egg yolk contains more than enough biotin to make up for this. unless you constantly [b]only[/b] feed large amounts of egg white without the yolk, this isn't an issue at all. eggs are excellent additions to the diet and can even be included on a daily basis.

5. raw fish - same as with garlic. if it's only fed as part of a well balanced diet, there isn't a problem.

i blame a lot of the content of such "do not feed" lists on the fact that they are sponsored by companies who have an interest in selling commercial pet foods and supplements. just consider the source.

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Thank TDG, you are full of information. :wink:

I didn't really pick the article apart, Dr Fosters and Smith are my hero's so I usually don't try to disagree with them :lol: :wink:

I give garlic to my dogs as an antibacterial and immune booster. I guess you just have to be open minded and do research. I also feed raw bones and I feed eggs and yogurt.

TDG My only concern is raw fish. You mentioned fish is fine, I "heard" that some fish for example Salmon may have a parasite called the fluke worm. I also heard or read some where that fresh water fish may contain high levels of mercury. Which fish would you consider safe? those have been my main concerns about feeding raw fish. I always buy canned wild pacific salmon or canned sardines already cooked and canned. I always thought this was "safer" than raw.
Of course I know of some people up north from me who feed their huskies raw makerel and herring, is that safe? there dogs seem healthy enough.

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Nuts in large amounts. And probably depending on the size of your dog.

I think the same can go for chocolate. A King size candy bar will make a Great Dane reeeeeeeaaaaaaaly sick.....but could be death to a Chi.

But I have heard that Macadamia nuts are particularly bad.

Again....there are soooo many things you hear! Are they all true? Thank goodness we have each other to bounce things off of! That way, we can dispell rumors and find the facts!!!

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[quote name='Kat']Thanks for correcting it, but yes in large quantities turkey is a danger to dogs as it contains high levels of tryptophan.[/quote]

tryptophan isn't toxic. it's an amino acid that, among other things, the body utilizes to produce serotonin. whatever portion isn't used is converted into energy.

add to that the fact that there are other meats that have the same or an even higher content of tryptophan. just as an example, 4 ounces of turkey meat contain about 350 mg of tryptophan. 4 ounces of innova dry dog food contain about 450 mg. even just a medium sized dog eating that food every day gets 1.3 times the dose of tryptophan than it would get by eating turkey. a larger dog can easily get to 2.5 times the dose or even more.

in all my nutritional studies i haven't found any credible, factual sources that describe tryptophan as toxic for dogs. none of the handbooks even mention it, they all just describe that cats are unable to convert tryptophan to niacin (such as e.g. "canine and feline nutrition" by case, carey, hirakawa and daristotle).

if you know of literature that factually proves that tryptophan is indeed dangerous to dogs, please do let me know. i'm always willing to listen to evidence, but right now the evidence i have says otherwise. :)

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fish - yes, salmonid species from the pacific northwest can cause what's commonly known as "salmon poisoning".
[url]http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/salmon.asp[/url]

heavy metal contamination is more of a concern in large deepwater fish like tuna. mackerel and herring is fine as far as i know.

peanuts - are actually not nuts but legumes. generally tolerated very well by dogs, but peanut butter is very fatty and shouldn't be fed in unreasonable amounts. tahini (sesame butter) is a nice alternative. you can find it in the ethnic section of supermarkets.

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TDG, the source of the tryptophan poisoning stemmed from the royal college of veterinary surgeons in london. It was around 5 years ago but several dogs were presented around the christmas period. First thoughts were drawn to chocolate but all owners had sworn that their dogs didn't get access to chocolate. It was then discovered that it was copious amounts of roasted turkey. I have access to research papers so I will look through the archives and see if it is there. I'm not trying to undermind you in any way by the way. :wink:

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Oh yes forget to add about the fish. Its better to feed fish that has been commercially processed and treated as wild fish do indeed contain trematodes(flukes) and cestode (tapeworms) as well as hookworms and nematodes (roundworms). These animals use the dog/cat as an intermediate host usually to complete their life cycle and can cause intestinal problems. It is not safe to feed a raw fish that is wild caught to a pet. I can remember in anatomy and physiology labs when we dissected salmon and trout and you would never believe the sorts of parasites that live within the organs of these fish.

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Just goes to show you can't trust everything you read on the internet. I think that the mushers who live in Alaska would be very surprised to hear about salmon poisoning, seeing that most of them feed allot of raw salmon, with no ill effects that I'm aware of. I purchased and fed over 500 pounds of raw salmon last year, no problems. I've also been feeding turkey trim for the last 15 years with no problems. "Trim" is mostly skin and fat that has been removed from human grade turkey. We also feed ground beef and venison scraps. (I do cook the venison because of Lymes.)

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Pumpkin musher, I was reading some where that some mushers feed their sled dogs pig pellets to avoid food aggression. Is that true??? :o

Pumpkin, also what you said about the fish I know alot of people who feed raw fish to dogs and they do pretty well on it. I never have or will myself though, I still think its a bit risky. I was also reading a story about feral dogs in a village, the dogs lived off the fish heads and guts from the fishermen when they came back from fishing. They said they caught and vaccinated the same dogs every 5 years to vaccinate, so to me this implies that the dogs have a long life span. The reason they keep the feral dogs vaccinated is to keep other unvaccinated feral dogs away. The feral dogs they keep around keep the other dogs from the area and keep diseases from spreading. I guess its easier to keep a few dogs healthy then to have to deal with new ones each week :wink:

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:o Pig pellets!? Really. That's a new one to me. If your dogs are well socialized and well fed, there should be no problems with any kind of aggression,meat or no meat . Most types of huskies are very pack oriented and can't afford to be aggressive. My little Pom usually goes with me when I feed the big dogs- she grabs any bits they drop! Here is a pic of all my dogs together- there are 3 intact males, one neutered male and 6 intact females. I've never had anything more than a few curled lips.
[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQB3A7EavqPa!L5nfUzSOcziqlbSfXz9tpHAy1DIUaVkVgTfUAR1dOYk77sH7v7vaJED4BwhGfEBzf0Zfe9Dy8ulhk6JBtvtEpjQ7EawY70xvchJYx93Uf0MrwK8szQTwUX0qoodm1Y/0207162-R1-002-00A.jpg?dc=4675493883918256703[/img]

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[quote name='Kat']TDG, the source of the tryptophan poisoning stemmed from the royal college of veterinary surgeons in london. It was around 5 years ago but several dogs were presented around the christmas period. First thoughts were drawn to chocolate but all owners had sworn that their dogs didn't get access to chocolate. It was then discovered that it was copious amounts of roasted turkey. I have access to research papers so I will look through the archives and see if it is there. I'm not trying to undermind you in any way by the way. :wink:[/quote]

kat, are you sure this is an issue of tryptophan tho? i know that pancreatitis is often a problem when dogs get into holiday foods, but that is generally because they consume a large amount of fatty food they aren't used to. it has nothing to do with the tryptophan.

check out tryptophan content per 100g serving in different food products here:
[url]http://nutritiondata.com/foods-000079000000000000000-w.html[/url]

i know of many, many people who feed turkey as one of the main protein sources in a home prepared diet and none of the nutritionists or veterinarians they or i consulted with mentioned it as an issue.

and please don't worry, i don't feel undermined at all, kat. :) it's just that canine nutrition is my special field of interest and i'm trying very hard to stay on top of things.

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[quote name='Pumpkin the musher']Just goes to show you can't trust everything you read on the internet. I think that the mushers who live in Alaska would be very surprised to hear about salmon poisoning, seeing that most of them feed allot of raw salmon, with no ill effects that I'm aware of. I purchased and fed over 500 pounds of raw salmon last year, no problems.[/quote]

i bet most or all of that was frozen at some point prior to feeding it tho, right? freezing destroys most parasites, so it's quite safe to feed.

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I suppose that it would depend on the time of year- the native lands rights thing is fairly complex in Alaska, so many mushers would be able to take salmon any time of year on the coast. All of the raw meat I feed would be frozen at one time. There was a musher a few years ago in Canada who fed his dogs whole, raw chickens, bones and all, and swore there was never any problems! :o

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  • 2 months later...

I read on a website (tho someone has already stated that you can't believe everything you read on websites) that salt water fish WAS good for dogs where as Not so much the fresh water fish. (I thought I saved the website but can't find it...and i know it was gotten to by way of Doberdogs.com..somehow)

Now, for a Newbie to the idea of feeding fish to dogs...(forgive my ignorance) when my hubby and I go camping at the beach and catch (xyz fish) it's safer to cook them and remove anything from the fish that could be a choking hazzard? And how about Shrimps? I haven't seen shrimps mentioned. We catch TONS of shrimps and would like to be able to share that with our pup as well!

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