What Foods Should Bulldogs Not Eat?


We all know that a dog is a human’s best friend and we try to provide them with the best whenever possible. This “best” can be anything from the most effective vet care to the best food items.

Best always begins with the basics and as a responsible pet owner, it is on us to make sure we supply our dogs with the right nutrition. This also means knowing what foods you shouldn’t feed your bulldog.

Bulldogs should avoid certain foods to stay healthy. If they consume the wrong food, they might suffer from dermatitis, allergic reactions, and other conditions. Bulldogs can also suffer from kidney stones, flatulence, indigestion, heart, and joint issues if they eat the wrong things.

In this article, we cover the top 15 foods which your bulldog should never consume.

1. Macadamia nuts

It has been found only recently that macadamia nuts can cause lots of problems for dogs. The discovery is so new that the scientists are not clear on what in the nuts are causing problems for canines. Although the side effects seem to be nonfatal, they can include difficulty in walking, vomiting frequently, tremors, hypothermia, and depression.

2. Avocados

Avocados are not ideal for your bulldog. Dangers can come from two sides; first, this fruit consists of a toxic substance known as persin that can result in breathing problems and stomach problems. Second, there is a possibility that the slippery and hard pit will get lodged in the gastrointestinal tract of your bulldog, so it’s best to keep your bully away from avocados.

3. Bacon

Although it might be surprising to see this on the list, bacon, which is full of fat, can result in inflamed pancreas in the long run. Once the pancreas begin to malfunction, the bulldog will suffer from digestion problems and might also experience difficulty in absorbing nutrients.

4. Grapes and raisins

Raisins and grapes can prove to be harmful to dogs when they consume them in large amounts. The animals can suffer from gastrointestinal problems including diarrhea and vomiting. They might also show symptoms of kidney failure which can start approximately 24 hours after consumption.

Because of the severity of the symptoms, the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) has recommended aggressive treatment for any dog who has consumed raisins and grapes in large amounts, without delay. This treatment consists of stomach pumping to induce vomiting to get the toxic elements out of the dog’s stomach as soon as possible. This will be followed by intravenous fluid treatment for a minimum of 48 hours or depending on the blood test results for kidney damage.

5. Tea and coffee

Caffeine is harmful to canines and even a small number of laps of the beverage can lead to caffeine toxicity. Common symptoms of caffeine toxicity can include abnormal rhythm of the heart, vomiting, hyperthermia, seizures, hyperactivity, restlessness and enhanced heart rate.

6. Kale

Although kale is not as poisonous as raisins or caffeine, it’s not an ideal food for a bulldog. Kale is packed with calcium oxalate and although it can be beneficial for humans, it can result in kidney stones when it comes to pooches. Symptoms of kidney stones in bulldogs can include discomfort while urinating, lack of appetite, frequent urination, blood in urine, and vomiting.

7. Ice cream and milk

Although not toxic, milk is not recommended for your bulldog. Many bulldogs are lactose intolerant which means they might have trouble digesting dairy products. The same can be said about ice cream which consists of many toxic ingredients such as xylitol. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include bloating, severe gas, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. If you need to give your dog milk for whatever reason, goat milk might be an option since it contains less lactose than cow’s milk. If you want ti dig deeper in this topic, check out this post.

8. Pork

In general, cooked pork is not a problem for your bulldog, except for the bones, which you should avoid. Uncooked pork can be detrimental for dogs because of the presence of a harmful parasite, trichinella, which can lead to a food-borne disease called trichinosis. Symptoms of trichinosis infection can include an upset stomach, fever, joint pain, vomiting, inflammation of the muscles, stiffness, lethargy, and diarrhea.

9. Tomatoes

Ripening and unripe tomatoes consist of an alkaloid referred to as tomatine that can prove to be quite toxic for bulldogs. While the tomato ripens, the alkaloid begins to metabolize, and this can be extremely harmful to your pooch, provided the tomato has not ripened fully. Tomatine toxicity can consist of vomiting, diarrhea, enhanced heart rate, weakness of the muscles, abnormal heartbeat, seizures, and a loss of coordination.

10. Alcohol

Alcohol is extremely harmful to dogs. Even if they consume it in small amounts, it can significantly affect their well-being and health. Amongst the most typical indications of alcohol poisoning for bulldogs, the most common include: diarrhea, slow heartbeat, dehydration, vomiting, respiratory problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, depressive disorders, and in worst cases, death.

11. Almonds

Although they might not be as poisonous as macadamia nuts, almonds could block the esophagus if they are not chewed properly. Salted almonds are more dangerous since they can increase the retention of water which is quite detrimental to dogs when it comes to their heart health.

12. Chocolate

Chocolate consists of a compound known as theobromine which is both a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. If dogs eat chocolate, they can become hyperactive and excited, they might start urinating a lot and will also be abnormally thirsty. Diarrhea and vomiting are also quite common. Theobromine can affect the heart very badly by either causing it to beat irregularly or raise the heart rate, which could lead to death. Common symptoms of chocolate poisoning include: diarrhea, vomiting, hyperactivity, tremors, seizures, and irregular heart rate .

If a bulldog consumes large amounts of chocolate, it might even kill him eventually. After consuming large quantities of chocolate, a bulldog usually does not show any indication of poisoning for at least a few hours. However, they can even die within a span of 24 hours.

The most toxic forms of chocolate happen to be cooking or baking chocolate and cocoa powder. These types consist of a lot more theobromine as compared to milk chocolate. Even if the dog licks a portion of the chocolate icing from any cake, he can become sick. Apart from cooking chocolate and cocoa powder, the next most detrimental forms are dark chocolates and the semi-sweet ones.

13. Onions

Onions can lead to hemolytic anemia which implies that there is a breakdown of the red blood cells which can leave the bulldog short of oxygen. This type of poisoning can happen if the dog consumes large quantities of onions at any given time or repeatedly take small quantities of onion day after day.

After getting affected by onion poisoning, dogs depict symptoms such as gastroenteritis along with diarrhea and vomiting, general weakness and having no interest in consuming food items whatsoever. The urine of the bulldog becomes dark in color because of the reddish pigment from the exploded blood cells which appear in the urine. The bulldog might be suffering from shortness of breath since the red blood cells carrying oxygen all through the body become reduced in number. There are also other symptoms such as confusion, increased body temperature, and increased heart rate. In such cases, it is important that you consult a vet immediately.

14. Tobacco products

If consumed, cigarettes, cigars, cigarette butts, nicotine patches, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and nicotine gum can prove to be quite detrimental for bulldogs. The indications of nicotine poisoning can begin to appear within only an hour of ingestion and this might consist of various symptoms like salivation, hyperactivity, panting, vomiting plus diarrhea. Amongst the advanced signs, twitching, muscle weakness, collapse, increased heart rate, coma, and cardiac arrest deserve special mention. If there is any person who is in the habit of smoking cigarettes and he’s residing in your house or visiting your home on a regular basis, it is your duty to inform him or her to keep the tobacco products away from the reach of the bulldogs and also to dispose off the cigarette butts instantaneously. If you suspect that your furry friend has ingested any of these detrimental substances, go for veterinary treatment without making any delay at all.

15. Salt

Excessive salty food items and iodized salt can result in pancreatitis and stomach problems in the long run. The larger breeds including bulldogs have been observed to drink lots of water after consuming salty food items because they make them dehydrated. If enough sodium is consumed, dogs can develop lethal bloating when the stomach becomes filled with gas plus twists resulting in a painful demise unless and until emergency treatment is given to the canine almost instantly. To learn more about dogs and salt we wrote a very helpful post on the subject here.

Now that you have a proper idea regarding which food items your bulldog ought to avoid, we’d like to complete this article by asserting that if your bulldog accidentally consumes any food or liquid that is poisonous, contact your vet immediately and follow their instructions.

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