There are many foods that are not good for dogs and should not be included in recipes you develop for your dogs. Things that are not good for dogs include alcohol, chocolate, raisins, grapes, onions, garlic, coffee, eggplant, and macadamia nuts.

Alcohol can lead to coma and death. This is not new. We see this in humans all the time.

The theobromine in chocolate is the chemical that can kill. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate have the most theobromine.

Raisins and grapes may lead to renal failure. Several people have told me stories of raisin toxicity in their dogs. Even though their dogs were over 100 pounds, a few raisins made them very sick. I no longer give my dogs raisins or grapes.

I have never given my dogs onions, because I know they are hard for dogs to digest. I recently learned that onions damage canine hemoglobin.

Garlic can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia. Studies show that garlic may also lead to kidney problems. I used to give my dogs garlic and use it in my liver brownie recipe. I recently stopped, after reading the results of some of these studies.

Coffee may increase a dog's heart rate and cause seizures. I don't drink coffee, so it never occurred to me to give it to my dogs.

Eggplant is hard for dogs to digest. People who have given their dogs eggplant say it passes through undigested. This makes a huge stool that is difficult to pick up.

Macadamia nuts may cause tremors or paralysis. They may also be a choking hazard, because of their size and shape.

If you think your dog had become ill from consuming any of these substances, call your veterinarian right away. Tell people not to feed anything to your dog, unless they check with you first.

Most dogs love pumpkin. Canned pumpkin can be mixed with dry dog food to help with weight loss. Pumpkin is nutritious, delicious, and low in calories. Most people find this recipe a little bland, but dogs enjoy these cookies.

Pumpkin Dog Cookie Recipe:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup fresh or canned pumpkin
1 egg
1/2 cup organic milk

Mix flour with butter and honey. Mix egg with milk then stir into flour mix. Add pumpkin. Mix together until dough is soft.

Use a teaspoon to drop cookies onto cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and Serve.

I hope you dogs love these cookies as much as mine do.

Learn more about this author, Linda Shortell.
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