07/31/2025
Herbaceous Health Hoaxes: Why Are We So Afraid of Feeding Dogs Real Food?
The internet is flooded with misleading lists of “toxic” foods for dogs. Online lists warning about “toxic” foods for pets are often bloated with confusion, fear, and half-truths.
But according to FEDIAF (the European Pet Food Industry Federation), only three foods and one supplement are truly toxic to dogs and cats:
• Grapes🍇 (and raisins)
• Chocolate🍫 (cocoa)
• Onions🧅 and their relatives (including chives and high-dose garlic extract—though fresh garlic is fine in moderation)
Compare this short list to the extensive “no-no” food lists found on websites like the ASPCA and AKC, and your head will spin.
Most of those longer lists mix up:
• Truly toxic foods
• Foods that should be avoided for pets with specific health conditions (like pancreatitis)
• Foods that can pose a choking hazard (like pits or whole plants)
For example, eggs🥚, seeds, and nuts🥜 are often wrongly labeled as toxic simply because they’re higher in fat. But these are healthy, nutrient-dense options for most dogs.
Even foods like almonds, peaches, tomatoes, and cherries are only risky if pits or stems are not removed.
Sadly, four truly toxic items have been lumped together with dozens of misunderstood or situationally inappropriate foods, fueling unnecessary fear
The takeaway?
• Avoid grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions, and garlic supplements.
• Use common sense and real science for everything else.
Nutrition doesn't have to be scary—just informed. European common sense for the win.
Here are some common canine food myths we can finally put to rest:
➤ “Avocados🥑 are toxic.” — FALSE.
The myth that avocados are toxic to pets is based on a controversial report filed in 1994 in Nairobi, Kenya, of two malnourished South African dogs who ate the stems and leaves of avocados (Onderstepoort J Vet Res, 1994, 61:107). In fact, a later study showed dogs fed an extract of Avocado flesh, skin and pit🥑 for 6 months was well tolerated with no health or safety concerns.
This report highlights why to keep your pet away from plant stems and leaves, not avocado flesh. (Your pet should also not eat stems and leaves from many plants, including tomato plants and walnut trees.) Avocado pits and skins are also a choking hazard, so don’t feed these parts.
➤ “Never feed dogs mushrooms🍄🟫.” — FALSE.
Mushrooms that are safe for people are safe for dogs. (Some mushrooms like wild outdoor mushrooms can be toxic) Likewise, highly medicinal mushrooms for humans are also medicinal for dogs—and the same goes for toxicity. Cooking mushrooms improves digestibility and enhances their benefits by inactivating compounds like agaritine, a naturally occurring mycotoxin found in portobellos.
➤ “Rosemary causes seizures.” — SOMEONE’S CONFUSED.
This myth likely comes from the essential oils of rosemary and eucalyptus, which contain concentrated camphor. In large amounts, this compound can trigger seizures in epileptic animals. But a pinch of fresh rosemary or a dash of dried in your healthy dog’s food is completely safe—and even beneficial.
➤ “Walnuts are toxic.” — PSEUDOSCIENCE.
Raw, unsalted English walnuts (along with almonds and Brazil nuts) can pose a choking risk, so chop them into small pieces first.
Only macadamia nuts are known to cause toxicity (mainly nausea). Peanuts may contain trace mycotoxins, but they are not inherently toxic to dogs.
If you have a black walnut tree, keep your dog away from the bark and outer husk, which can sometimes grow mold that causes vomiting or neurological symptoms.
➤ “Garlic🧄 is toxic.” - FALSE.
📝 Note about garlic🧄:
Garlic often gets a bad reputation because it belongs to the onion family. However, onions contain about 15x more thiosulfate, the compound linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.
A 2004 study found no anemia in dogs even with high doses of garlic—while noting significant cardiovascular benefits from allicin, garlic’s active compound. That’s why many commercial pet foods safely include garlic, and most vets have no issue with it in appropriate amounts.
More foods that are not toxic for your pet:
• Peaches🍑, cherries🍒, apricots, and other pitted fruits: These fruits are perfectly safe as long as the pits and stems are removed.
• Pork🐖: Some say pork is too fatty for pets, but it actually contains about one-third the fat of beef. Pork is a great source of protein and amino acids and may be ideal for pets with chicken or beef allergies. If feeding raw, the CDC recommends freezing pork for 20 days at 5°F (-15°C) to kill any trichinella parasites. Cooking pork to 145°F (63°C) also makes it safe.
• Salmon🐟: Raw salmon from the Pacific Northwest can, in rare cases, carry a parasite that causes “salmon poisoning” in dogs. The risk is easily avoided by freezing (-20°C for 24 hours) or lightly cooking the salmon.
Source: The Forever Dog & The Forever Dog LIFE
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