“For many people, pets are full-fledged members of the family.
The desire to treat a dog or cat to something tasty from the owner’s table, to diversify its diet, unfortunately, can lead to dire consequences.
For example, there is a well-established stereotype that the best treat for any dog is a bone,” he added.
At the same time, the specialist noted that in the process of breeding various decorative breeds, changes occurred in the gastrointestinal tract and many dogs are not able to digest bones.
“Therefore, we, veterinarians, often encounter problems such that these bones get stuck, irritate the gastrointestinal tract, and we often have to perform surgery to remove them from the body,” Rudenko emphasized.
When it comes to meat, veterinarians recommend feeding only high-quality or farm-raised products to your pets, he said.
“The fact is that raw meat is often treated with various substances (for example, acetic acid) to increase its shelf life.
This can lead to various irritations of the animal's gastrointestinal tract.
In addition, it is a common practice to inflate meat products with a special gel to add volume.
The gel itself is safe, but it reduces the nutritional value of meat,” the specialist emphasized.
A popular type of food for dogs is porridge.
In general, according to the veterinarian, this is a good part of the diet - provided that the porridge is well boiled.
“It is also not recommended to use barley or wheat: they are poorly digested by animals.
Vegetables and fruits are often used to add variety to the diet and additional vitamins.
But their nutritional value for predators is minimal.
In the best case, the animal will simply digest the product without any benefit to the gastrointestinal tract; in the worst case, it will suffer from indigestion.
But boiled, low-fat potatoes can be offered to animals: they are widely used, including in some foreign foods recommended by nutritionists,” the expert said.
At the same time, there are a number of products from the owners’ table that are strictly prohibited to be given to animals, RT’s interlocutor warned.
“For example, chocolate: dogs cannot tolerate theobromine, an alkaloid found in dark and milk chocolate.
Eating chocolate can cause severe poisoning with neurological symptoms, seizures and death.
Severe poisoning in dogs can be caused by grapes and raisins, characterized by kidney failure and even death.
Onions and garlic are contraindicated for small animals due to severe irritation of the gastrointestinal tract,” Rudenko noted.
Some types of sweeteners are also toxic to animals.
For example, xylitol, which is found in chewing gum, drinks, and toothpaste.
“I would like to say something about alcohol.
It is a widespread practice to pour strong drinks, such as vodka, into the mouth of a sick animal.
Veterinarians do not recommend doing this, especially in relation to small animals,” concluded the doctor of veterinary sciences.
Earlier, the chairman of the Association of Nature Users, Roman Korniets, proposed introducing a complete ban on keeping predatory and exotic animals in apartment buildings, and also called for tougher penalties for organizing apartment “shelters” and “nurseries.”