Hey there! If you have a Chihuahua or any other dog, it’s important to know about the things that can be dangerous for them.
We’ve put together a list of 20 items that you should keep away from your furry friend. Some of these things might seem harmless to us humans, but they can be extremely toxic to dogs.
1-Chocolate
Most people know about this, but just in case you didn’t, never let your dog eat chocolate. I have personally lost a beloved beagle because he got into a large chocolate candy bar without our knowledge. The only way we knew what killed him was that he had an autopsy. It was a horrible experience and one I don’t wish on anyone else.
2-Caffeine
Caffeine in coffee, soft drinks, or anything else is toxic to dogs and can be deadly.
3-Cocoa Mulch
It’s often sold in garden centers, and just like chocolate, it can be deadly if ingested.
4-Lawn Chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, plant foods, and fertilizers)
Some of these can be fatal if your dog gets into them. There is a danger too if these things get on your dog’s feet and they lick them off.
5-Pesticides used for bugs and rodents
Even if you keep the pesticides away from your pup, if your dog finds a poisoned rodent and eats it, he will also ingest that poison. For a small dog like a Chihuahua, it can be fatal.
6-De-icing Salts
These are sometimes used to de-ice your car windshield. Once they get on the ground, your dog can get the residue on their paws. When your dog licks his paws, he ingests the poison. Keep booties on your dog in the winter if you live in a cold climate. Or make sure you wash your dog’s paws off after they come in from a walk.
7-Old Antifreeze
Antifreeze traditionally had a sweet taste that was attractive to dogs. Recently, manufacturers have voluntarily added a bitter agent to the antifreeze to discourage animals from trying to drink it. Be aware that if you have any old bottles of antifreeze stored in your garage, they don’t have this agent. Antifreeze is highly toxic to animals and will kill them.
8-Acetaminophen
You may not know what Acetaminophen is, but I’m sure you probably know what it is by its brand name, which is Tylenol. It’s toxic in dogs. In fact, many medications that are fine for humans are toxic for pets, so be sure to keep them out of their reach.
9-Plants
Many houseplants and garden plants are toxic to dogs if they happen to eat them. The Humane Society has a document that lists all the poisonous plants. You can find it here: http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/poisonous_plants.pdf
10-Grapes and Raisins
One grape may not hurt your dog (unless your Chi is a puppy or very tiny), but a handful or more can cause liver and kidney damage.
11-Avocados
Avocados contain a substance called Persin, which is mildly toxic to dogs.
12-Bread Dough
Bread dough contains yeast which, if it is ingested, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death.
13-Moldy Food
Of course, we would not eat moldy food. But your dog may find it in the garbage and eat it. Moldy food contains mycotoxins, which will make your dog ill if they eat it.
14-Macadamia Nuts
Although nuts are a healthy snack for humans, they are not for dogs. Many varieties of nuts can cause some problems, but Macadamia nuts are the worst of the lot.
15-Onions
Onions in any form (cooked, raw, onion powder) contain thiosulphate which will cause dogs to develop a serious type of Anemia several days after they eat the onions. Garlic is also toxic but to a lesser degree.
16-Fish and Chicken Bones
These bones tend to be very brittle and sharp, and can cause serious injury to your dog’s digestive system.
17-Xylitol
Xylitol, also known as Birch Sugar, is a sugar substitute often found in chewing gum, breath mints, candy, some peanut butters, and some diet foods. It’s extremely toxic to dogs.
18-Alcohol
Beer, wine, and hard alcohol are all no-nos for your dog. It doesn’t take much alcohol to cause alcohol poisoning in a small dog.
19-Plum and Peach Pits
The fruit itself is fine, but the pits contain cyanide, which is, of course, a poison for humans and animals alike.
20- Apple Seeds
Just like with plums and peaches, the apple itself is not toxic but the apple seeds do contain cyanide.
And here’s a bonus:
Mushrooms:
The Amanita mushroom has about 600 varieties of mushrooms in its family, all of which are toxic to dogs (many are toxic to humans, too).
We hope this list helps you keep your furry friend happy and healthy!
Cathy Bendzunas
Pet Blogger
Paula Simons
DVM
This article has been reviewed, fact-checked, and approved by Dr. Paula Simons DVM. You can read more about her on our About page.
I love my Chi….but to say coffee and soda> both my chi’s have had coffee and pepsi with me their whole lives and are 100% fine…Well my male was put down at the age of 8yrs because he got hit by a truck…. They don’t even get a 1/2 cup of either one a day….but they both got it everyday…and the vet didn’t have any issues because they were healthy….I don’t give it to my female as often as my male drank it but she still loves it when she does. She’s never had a seizer or any other health issues. I know I wouldn’t give them a whole cup on their own because that’s just way to much at one time but….a little here and their doesn’t seem to hurt them.
I don’t know what to tell you Kim. All I know is that we lost a Beagle because of a caffeine overdose and every vet I have ever talked to says it’s toxic to them. I wouldn’t take the chance personally.
Kim has just been lucky. Too much will kill them. And who knows if it builds up? I used to feed my dogs M&Ms but now that I know the dangers, I don’t.
Yeah I have heard it does accumulate in their system Karen. Knowing from personal experience that it can kill, I will never allow my dogs to have it.
please do not give any dog peanut butteri wish my pet dr in rockland country ny had told me my first dog would have ,kay rumley
Was it the kind of peanut butter that contained Xylitol Kay?
Hi yes please elaborate. I give my Chi little bits of peanut butter in bread daily.
When you buy peanut butter, check the ingredients on the jar and be sure Xylitol isn’t listed in there. If you use the same brand all the time, you are probably okay because your dog would have shown signs of being sick or would have died by now if you had fed them peanut butter with Xylitol in it.
Chihuahuas and most little dogs less than 20 pounds, have very high metabolisms which would account for why she can give her dogs Pepsi and you can’t. Differing breeds all metabolize differing foods, well….differently. The one size fits all of Foods that may harm dogs, just isn’t so. For instance, my dog LOVES wine. And beer. And while I dont give him any now, he had never been sick from it nor did he gain weight or have any episodes. In reading up on dogs, it truly depends on their metabolisms. Still not advisable to give them harmful foods of course.
Kim had chis that she’s giving caffiene too and I doubt they are more than 20 pounds.
My beagle who died from it weighed about 25 pounds.
I’m in the “Why tempt fate?” camp… It’s always okay, right up till it isn’t.
Kim, I know you completely love your chi babies and would never ever do anything to hurt them, but please do not give your babies anything that is on the lists, not even a tiny smell. You do not mean any harm but you can lose your babies by loving them too much and giving them bad snacks. Please be careful. You do not want to see in your babies what I watched my Henry go through.
Why on earth would you give a dog Pepsi or coffee…???? Wtf? What benefit would it have for a little dog?
I don’t purposely let my chi drink caffeine but sometimes she does steal a lick or 2 from my cup and it has not harmed her yet but I try to prevent her from getting into caffeine because she is to precious to take any chances with!
A lick or two probably won’t hurt her but your are right to try to keep it away from her.
If I get up from my chair for a minute, I have to take my coffee with me. Otherwise Lucy will be up there in a flash and drink as much as she can.
@Lisa,
My previous chihuahua, Zoey, loved coffee. I would sit in my recliner each morning and she would scratch at my arm until I gave her a little bit. I’m talking about 1/8th of a cup or less. She loved the smell and that drew her to it. She lived to be just short of 14 years and passed from kidney failure due to the heart medicine she was taking. I loved that girl more than anything in the whole world, so don’t be thinking I was a bad mom. So when you ask why would someone give their chi coffee … it’s because she wanted it and I loved her.
I’m glad it didn’t affect Zoey but I do know caffeine can kill a dog (it killed my daughter’s beagle) so I could never recommend it.
@Kim, why would you gi e your dog coffee and pepsi??? So not health so much sugar in pepsi too!!! Had dogs since I was 6 they all lived long time because I stay away from giving them too much human food. Simple!!!
@Kim, hello.My name is lisa.my chi absolutely loves coffee he cries for it.but since I have read about coffee being toxic i won’t let him any where’s its around.he used to try and get up on the table to get it.And he knows how to get the to go cup lids of of them also he just loves it.but I am not letting him have any.he will be just fine with out it.
@Lisa, yes wtf I can understand if you chi got into it when you weren’t expecting him to.but to actually give it to your chi thats different.I Wil go by what the list says.
Thanks so much for these health tips , never knew most of them !!! thanks again
You are very welcome Sandy and Maddie!
This summer my babies have been having watermelon for a snack. I hope nobody has had a problem with watermelon! I saw someplace that green beans make a good chi baby snack.
I give my Chi baby seedless watermelon during the summer and they love it! I hadn’t heard of giving them green beans.
Mine like watermelon too. It’s fine, just give them small amounts because of the high sugar content and make sure there aren’t any seeds.
Green beans are a great snack and most dogs love them.
yea thank you I just learned a lot of stuff and I never knew that they couldn’t eat chicken bones.
You are very welcome Dede and thanks for dropping by!
[…] So rule number one: Never leave food that is toxic to dogs out, even if you believe your dog won’t be able to reach it. You can read this article if you’d like to know what foods and other things are toxic to dogs: https://ilovemychi.com/20-dangerous-things-to-keep-away-from-your-chihuahua/ […]
I had a problem with my Chi. and the backward sneeze until I realized that she is allergic to Peanuts.
I discovered this by accident when I left her at doggie day care for a week. She was eating only her dogfood and food I prepared for her, but no peanut treats that week. I picked her up at the end of the week
and she had no attack. As the week went on she would dance for peanuts and I gave them as a treat.
Soon after, the backward sneeze began again. I stopped and so did the problem.
That’s good you figured out that peanuts were causing the problem Elizabeth.
I am a vet and a little caffeine like a tablespoon will NOT harm your dog,horse,cow,or even pig!
Even for small dogs like Chihuahuas Jen? It was my understanding that caffeine could build up in their system over time. All I know is we lost a sweet little beagle because he got a few candy bars that we didn’t know about so anything with caffeine is off limits for my dogs.
When we lay fresh mulch , my chi always wants to eat it. To my knowledge, she hasn’t. Good to know it is hazardous! We all know dogs pick up stuff from time to time and swallow before we can retrieve it..it’s nice to have a full on list of hazards
Not every kind of mulch is hazardous but plenty of them are.
I’m glad you found the list useful Jem 🙂
If there is ever anything that could be of danger to my baby I go to all lengths to avoid it. Just because your pet has never had a reaction does not mean someone else’s might not. If a vet has said not to do it, DON’T do it, why risk your dog’s life? Mine is my baby, and I would never put him in harms way.
I totally agree Tracy.
I just want to say I always love your articles. Very informative, adorable pictures…but mostly appreciate the way you respond to commenters and always in such a kind way. Thank you for your love of Chihuahuas.
Thank you Leah! That means a lot to me!
My chihuahua, Cocoa (8) , got into moldy scrambled eggs. She had pooped everywhere and then started having seizures. AFter projectile vomiting the seizures finally calmed down. Thank the good Lord that this wasn’t the end. She’s since recovered and is still the little ole grandma of the bunch.
Oh wow! Poor Cocoa! I’m glad she recovered.
Hi,
Just adopted my first Chi and he is a rescue. I desperately want to train him, Sid, and he is very responsive but I have yet to find a treat that he loves and that he does not spit up. He is allergic to chicken. Never thought I would own a Chi (always had collies) but my husband and I are absolutely in LOVE with Sid!
Congratulations on your new little guy Shawnee!
Is he okay with beef? You can cook up some hamburger, drain it and break it up into little bites for him and just keep a bag in the fridge.
Also you can probably get these at PetSmart or PetCo but see if he can tolerate and likes these:
https://amzn.to/2LfWWQb
https://amzn.to/2uzd1GX
https://amzn.to/2uNDEai
@Shawnee, I probably bought 50 kinds of doggie treats for my last Chi. All she would eat (all her life) was Iams Puppy biscuits. I guess she liked “bland”!
Never, ever!!! give your chibaby grapes!! I sat on the sofa watching TV with my sweet Henry and I had a bowl of grapes. I would take one and then give him one over and over for about half an hour or more. That night he was unsettled and fidigity in bed. I turned on the light and he, who totally puppy pad trained had left about 8 small diareaha bits along the foot of the bed. I got up, took him to sit with me for a few minutes………..he was sick, sooooo sick, blood, diareaha and vomit until I had to take him to SMALL ANIMAL EMERGENCY CLINIC. (This was after midnight) The vet wanted me to leave him and I did. He called me after about an hour and ask about what Henry had eaten and I only told him the dog food and he ask if he had eaten snacks, then I told him about the grapes and he ask me if I could return to the clinic and I did. What a very sick baby Henry was and I do not think he recognized me. Henry and I stayed at the clinic until 7AM when my vet opened the office. I took Henry there and he stayed there for 7 days.
I never buy grapes, raisins or anything with those two things in it. I will not allow those items in the house.
My Henry lived and sufferred no permanent damage but that is only because I have the best vet in town.
Please, please print the lists everytime you see them and post in your kitchen and other places. Cathy, thank you so much for putting these lists in the newsletter. We just do not know.
Oh wow! That’s scary about the grapes Dixie. I never buy grapes and raisins too because it’s so easy to drop one and not realize and then one of the pups will get it.
Before I knew they were not good for dogs, I used give my dogs grapes. Never had a problem. I think as with the other bad things for dogs, if a grape falls on the floor, it won’t immediately kill your dog. It would probably take more than that to have a problem. However, of course I would no longer give any of my dogs grapes.
I used to try to give my dogs grapes too before I knew they were bad for them but fortunately my dogs never liked them. One of them did like to play with them by rolling them all over the floor.
What about blueberries. Judy
Blueberries are fine and actually good for them in moderation.
CONGRATS TO THAT BEAUTIFUL BLACK DIAMOND FOR BEING CHI OF THE WEEK! I love black chis.
Me too Dixie and Diamond sure is a cute one.
ALSO MORE BIG CONGRATS TO GUNNER FOR BEING CHI OF THE WEEK! ANOTHER VERY HANDSOME FELLOW!!!!
Yes he is!
My uncle gave his fur baby a bottle of beer every day. She lived till age 15
Wow, a whole beer? To a little chihuahua? I’d hate to see what her liver looked like.
I would like to point out that alot of the infor.ation in this article is not true.
I’ve had several vets over the years talk about chocolate and dogs. Certain chocolate in moderation is actually healthy. Now of course if to much it eaten yes it can make your dog sick and possibly kill them. Ive also have always fed anything I ate to my dogs including onions, grapes, etc, and I have dogs ranging from chihuahua’s to Great Danes and they are all perfectly healthy! Also my babies have drank soda and beer none of which have ever made them sick (they knock cups over every chance they get). Peanut butter is also used a way to help sickly dogs gain weight and used as treats.
I urge everyone to actually do their research before just assuming that someone who writes an article is correct.
Knowledge is power!! Please research!
I can’t imagine any vet would tell you chocolate is healthy for dogs Aly. Every vet I have ever talked to told me it’s toxic. Depending on the amount they eat, it may not kill them but it’s definitely not healthy for them.
I have personal experience how it kills as we lost a beagle who stole and ate 2 large candy bars. I will never condone this.
Beer too can be lethal as since these dogs are small, they can get alcohol poisoning a lot faster than a human can. At the very least, do you really want your dogs turning into alcoholics?
Sympathies to all who learned the hard way; agonized over a sick pup (or worse!). ?♥️? CHOCOLATE,-my vets say: the darker the chocolate, the worse for ?. So those super intense dark choc bars @ 90%+ are very BAD!!! 2 little milk chocolate M&M’s, not nutritious – but not as bad. That said, I have kept raisins, grapes, choc, gum/candy etc w/ xylitol, poinsettias and other items on C’s list away from my pups for decades. However, your Pup’s mileage may vary. Also, a Founding Ptner Vet in practice we have gone to 35 yrs+ report told me: “Heck. I used to share grapes w/my dogs all the time when we we’re out & about. ‘1 for me, 1 for you . . . ‘“. Then she shrugged: “Who knee?” She does not anymore! Vets are “normal people,” too! This practice is terrific. Cathy, thx for super article. I learned new info. Mulch? Who knew???Merry Merry; Fa La La & Ho Ho Ho! ? Gigi ?Mia & Anni
Thanks Anni and pups! Great info and you are right, the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is.
My 1yr old chihuahua is pee pad trained,but now loves to go outside. Problem is that at night when she has to go poo,she goes on the floor. Help me solve this issue.
Do you still have pee pads out?
Ok this may be gross, but next time she poops, rub a little bit of it on the pee pad to attract her to it. Also if she tends to poop in one area, place a pee pad there. You can gradually start moving it closer to where you want it to be.
@Kathlene,
Please tell me the secret to getting her pee pad trained… ours is 8 months old and does well some days and then its like one day she forgets everything she knows and just goes where ever.. it is so frustrating loll
MY BABY HER NAME IS WUPPY SHE IS FINE ALL DAY AND AS SOON AS ALL GO TO BED SHE STARTS THE LOUD YELLING AND NONE STOP BARKING SHE IS 5 SHE IS ALSO A RESUE BABY
It sounds like she’s missing you and afraid of being abandoned. Chihuahuas and most dogs in general, want to be with their humans all the time, including when they are asleep.
My Chihuahua drinks coffee with me every morning, has since she was small and she is now 11 yrs old and very healthy. She still even has all her teeth. Just wanted to get that out there.
I would be very careful with that. We lost a beagle from eating 2 large chocolate bars. Caffeine toxicity is a real thing and it can accumulate over time.
I also would add pool products I just lost my two chi’s from pool shock that when mixed with warm water exploded into a cloud. Cause lung damage to them and myself.
Oh gosh! I’m so sorry! That’s horrible.
Recently I lost my dog to a cat. He was playing outside when a dirty stray cat came up and attacked him. He was only a puppy chihuahua. I had him for only 16 years, no more. Please wish he can go to heaven and I will be able to see him one day. I miss my little chi. I will keep in mind this article when I get a new chi. Please add cats to this, they are very dangerous to little chihuahuas.
Oh wow, I’m so sorry Sherryl! That’s horrible.