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Plants & Pets

TreeTake is a monthly bilingual colour magazine on environment that is fully committed to serving Mother Nature with well researched, interactive and engaging articles and lots of interesting info.

Plants & Pets

Plants & Pets

Plants & Pets

A list of human foods dogs can & can’t eat

TreeTake Network

Dogs and humans metabolize foods differently. For this reason, some foods are safe for humans to eat but may be toxic and potentially deadly for dogs. On the other hand, there are many human foods that are perfectly safe and even healthy for dogs to eat as an occasional treat.

Carrots: Can Eat: Both raw and cooked carrots are safe for your dog to eat. Carrots are low in calories and a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. This makes them a very healthy food for your dog to snack on.

Grapes and Raisins: Can’t Eat: You should never feed grapes or raisins to your dog. Grapes and raisins contain toxic compounds that are harmful to dogs. They have the potential to lead to rapid kidney failure and death. Even small amounts of grapes and raisins can make your dog sick, so it’s important to avoid giving them to your dog altogether.

Salt: Limit: Salt should be limited in your dog’s diet. Excessive salt intake may lead to salt poisoning or water deprivation in dogs.

Peanut Butter: Can Eat: Peanut butter is a healthy and safe treat for dogs to eat in moderate amounts. However, it is best to limit your dog’s peanut butter intake. Also, make sure to feed your dog plain, unsalted peanut butter.

Eggs: Can Eat: Cooked eggs are perfectly safe and nutritious for dogs to eat. One medium egg provides some of almost every vitamin and mineral, plus lots of protein. It is important to note that you should avoid feeding raw eggs to your dog. While dogs typically do not get sick from eating raw eggs, bacteria, such as Salmonella, can spread from the dog to its human owners, increasing their risk of infection.

Chocolate: Can’t Eat: It is widely known that dogs should never eat chocolate. This is because chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, two stimulants that dogs cannot efficiently metabolize. Darker and less sweet varieties of chocolate, such as cocoa powder and unsweetened baker’s chocolate are more poisonous to dogs than sweetened varieties, such as milk chocolate.

Cheese: Limit: Cheese is safe for most dogs to eat in small quantities. It may also help to only feed your dog low-fat cheeses, such as mozzarella.

Blueberries: Can Eat: Blueberries are safe and nutritious for dogs to eat. Blueberries are a rich source of disease-fighting antioxidants and provide a significant amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber, all of which may benefit your dog’s health. Moreover, blueberries are low in calories and small in size, making them an excellent health-conscious treat for your dog.

Popcorn: Can Eat: Dogs can eat popcorn as an occasional treat, as long as it doesn’t contain any extra ingredients. It is best to only feed your dog plain, air-popped popcorn.

Cashews: Limit: You should limit your dog’s intake of cashews. Plain, unsalted and roasted cashews are safe for most dogs to eat in moderation. However, cashews are high in fat and calories and may lead to weight gain and pancreatitis when consumed in excess. For these reasons, you should limit your dog’s intake to one or two cashews a day or less.

Macadamia Nuts: Can’t Eat: Dogs should never eat macadamia nuts. Macadamia nuts contain an unknown toxin that may lead to vomiting, muscle weakness, tremors, hyperthermia and depression when dogs consume them, even in small amounts.

Almonds: Limit: It is best to limit almonds in your dog’s diet. Although plain, unsalted almonds are generally safe for dogs to eat in small amounts, they are difficult for dogs to digest and may lead to vomiting and diarrhoea.

Pineapple: Can Eat: Fresh pineapple is safe for dogs to eat in small amounts. Additionally, pineapple is full of many vitamins, minerals and fiber, making it an excellent nutrient-dense snack for your dog.

Onions: Can’t Eat: You should never feed your dog onions. Onions contain N-propyl disulfide, a compound that is toxic to dogs. It can damage your dog’s red blood cells, reducing their ability to carry oxygen through the body. This often results in anaemia.

Watermelon: Can Eat: Watermelon is safe for dogs to eat, as long as it doesn’t contain the rind or seeds. Watermelon rinds and seeds could be a choking hazard; however, watermelon fruit on its own is a very healthy treat for dogs, as it is low in calories and packed with nutrients, such as vitamin A and vitamin C.

Cottage Cheese: Limit: Dogs can eat cottage cheese in small amounts.

Bread: Can Eat: Plain white or whole grain bread is safe for most dogs to eat as an occasional treat. Before feeding your dog bread, make sure it doesn’t contain any extra ingredients, such as raisins, which could be potentially harmful.

Blackberries: Can Eat: You can safely feed your dog blackberries.

Avocado: Can’t Eat: Avocados should never be consumed by dogs. This is because they contain a toxin called persin, which is known to be very poisonous to dogs.

Corn: Can Eat: Dogs can eat corn in moderate amounts. Corn is a good source of some vitamins and minerals and common ingredient in many types of dog food.

Tomatoes: Limit: It’s okay to feed your dog tomatoes as an occasional treat, as long as they are ripe. Green tomatoes, on the other hand, may harm dogs.

Green Peas: Can Eat: It’s generally safe for dogs to consume green peas. Green peas are a common ingredient in many types of dog food.

Oatmeal: Can Eat: Plain oatmeal is safe for your dog to eat. Oatmeal provides lots of fiber, as well as some vitamins and minerals.

Coffee and Tea: Can’t Eat: Coffee and tea are dangerous for dogs to consume due to their caffeine contents.

Apples: Can Eat: Apples that have been sliced are safe and healthy for dogs to eat. However, you should never feed your dog apple seeds, as they contain cyanide, a chemical that can be poisonous in large amounts.

Garlic: Can’t Eat: You should never feed your dog garlic. Garlic contains chemicals called thiosulfates, which are toxic to dogs.

Broccoli: Can Eat: Dogs can eat raw or cooked broccoli in moderation.

Sweet Potatoes: Can Eat: Sweet potatoes are a safe and healthy food for dogs to eat in moderate amounts.

Coconut: Can Eat: Coconut is safe for dogs to consume. Additionally, feeding coconut meat or coconut oil to dogs as an occasional treat has been anecdotally claimed to benefit their skin and fur.

Cinnamon: Limit: Cinnamon is non-toxic to dogs, but it should still be limited in your dog’s diet.

Mango: Can Eat: Peeled mangoes are very healthy for dogs in small amounts, as they provide several vitamins and minerals, in addition to lots of fiber.

Nutmeg: Can’t Eat: Nutmeg is not safe for dogs to eat. This is because nutmeg contains myristicin, a compound that is toxic to dogs when consumed in large amounts.

Honey: Limit: If you want to feed your dog honey as a treat every once in a while, it is best to provide it with only a very small amount.

Milk: Limit: You should prevent your dog from drinking too much milk. Lactose intolerance is common in dogs, which may cause loose stools, gas, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea.

Rice: Can Eat: Dogs can eat plain and cooked brown or white rice. Rice is very easy for dogs to digest and may help relieve an upset stomach.

Lemons and Limes: Can’t Eat: Lemons and limes can be toxic to your dog.

Bananas: Can Eat: Dogs can eat bananas in moderation.

Strawberries: Can Eat: Your dog can safely eat strawberries in moderation.

Oranges: Can Eat: Dogs can eat oranges in small quantities. Oranges are an excellent treat for dogs because they are high in nutrients and low in calories.

Peanuts: Limit: Plain, unsalted peanuts are safe for dogs to eat in small quantities.

Mushrooms: Can Eat: Only feed your dog plain mushrooms that have not been combined with extra ingredients, such as garlic and onions, that may have adverse effects in dogs.

Potatoes: Can Eat: Dogs can eat plain potatoes that have been cooked. However, you should never feed your dog raw potatoes. Potatoes should only be fed to dogs in small quantities.

Celery: Can Eat: In small amounts, celery is a safe snack for dogs to eat.

Cherries: Limit: Dogs can eat fresh, pitted cherries in moderate amounts. However, you should not allow your dog to eat cherry pits.

Create your eco-friendly insect barrier

TreeTake Network

Essential oils in these plants act as nature’s bug repellent. Insects tend to avoid them. There are a number of plants when planted close together would be effective in repelling insects to a great extent. Thus, for those who would like to give the natural route a try, here is a list of herbs and flowering plants that are said to repel mosquitoes and other annoying insects. Lavender Repels moths, fleas, flies and mosquitoes. Lavender has been used for centuries to add a pleasantly sweet fragrance to homes and clothes drawers. Although people love the smell of lavender, mosquitoes, flies and other unwanted insects hate it. Plant it in sunny areas of the garden or near entryways to your house to help keep those areas pest free. You can also use oil extracted from the flowers as a mosquito repellent by applying on the skin. Basil Repels house flies and mosquitoes. Plant basil in containers by your house doors and in outdoor areas. As one of the most pungent of herbs, basil makes an outstanding natural mosquito repellant without the leaves having to be crushed or touched. Lemongrass Repels mosquitoes. You’ve no doubt seen citronella candles in stores during the summer and read how citronella will keep mosquitoes away. Citronella is natural oil found in lemongrass, an ornamental that can grow up to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide in one season. It does well in a pot or in the ground in a sunny, well-drained location. Lemon thyme Repels mosquitoes. This hardy herb can adapt to dry or rocky, shallow soil and will thrive in your herb garden, a rock garden or a front border as long as these are in sunny locations. The plant itself will not repel pesky mosquitoes. To release its chemicals, you must first bruise the leaves. To do this, simply cut off a few stems and rub them between your hands. Mint Repels mosquitoes. Mint is best grown in pots rather than the ground because it spreads aggressively. Once established in the garden, it can be difficult to remove. Cuttings of mint in mulch can help broccoli, cabbage and turnips. Containers of mint strategically placed in the garden or on the patio will help keep nearby plants insect free. Rosemary Repels mosquitoes and a variety of insects harmful to vegetable plants. Rosemary plants can be grown in containers on a patio and shaped into ornamental pyramids, grown in herb gardens or planted in landscaped beds, where some varieties can grow quite large. The plant itself and its cuttings are effective repellents. Bay leaves Repel flies. When you grow this plant, you won’t have to rely on the dried leaves from stores to add flavor to food. It also acts as great repellant. Alliums Keep insects away. Plants in the Allium family, such as the dramatic Allium giganteum whose flower heads adorn stalks up to 6 feet tall, are regarded as a broad-spectrum natural insecticide. They repel numerous insects that plague vegetable gardens, including slugs, aphids, carrot flies and cabbage worms. Plants that will benefit from the proximity of alliums include tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi and carrots. They also will keep aphids off rose bushes. Alliums include small-growing herbs such as chives and garlic chives, leeks and shallots. Chrysanthemums Repel roaches, ants, Japanese beetles, ticks, silverfish, lice, fleas, bedbugs, spider mites, harlequin bugs and root-knot nematodes. The ingredient in chrysanthemums that makes them so effective as an insect-repelling companion plant is pyrethrum. Although chrysanthemum flowers can be used to make an insecticidal spray, pyrethrum can be carcinogenic to humans and care should be taken in using them in this form. Marigolds The scent from various types of marigolds repels aphids, mosquitoes and even rabbits. The roots of marigolds are well-known among farmers to repel nematodes, though those qualities require a year to take effect. Mixed in along the border of your flower beds or interspersed throughout your vegetable garden, marigold can also spur the growth of certain plants, especially roses. Although marigolds are easy to grow in sunny locations, they can fall victim to gray mold, several types of leaf spot, powdery mildew, damping off and root rot. Nasturtiums Repel whiteflies, squash bugs, aphids, many beetles and cabbage loopers. Nasturtiums could be considered the poster child for companion planting, which is growing a variety of plants close to one another for the benefits each brings to the others. Nasturtiums release an airborne chemical that repels predacious insects, protecting not just the nasturtium but other plants in the grouping. Because many of the insects nasturtiums repel favor vegetables — tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, kohlrabi, collards, broccoli, cabbage and radishes — nasturtiums are an idea choice for planting along the edges of vegetable gardens. Fortunately, nasturtiums do not repel the all-important pollinator — the bumblebee. Petunias Repel aphids, tomato hornworms, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers and squash bugs. Some people think of petunias as nature’s pesticide. They are popular mostly because they are available in a variety of bright colors, require such minimal maintenance they are almost foolproof to grow and can be grown in garden beds, containers or hanging baskets. Plant them in sunny areas near vegetables and herbs such as beans, tomatoes, peppers and basil. Pitcher plants Trap and ingest insects. Pitcher plants are the largest group of carnivorous plants. These exotic-looking plants lure insects into their “pitcher,” actually a specialized leaf, through a combination of nectar, fragrance and color. Once inside the pitcher, the insect finds itself on a slippery surface with downward-facing hairs. The insect then either slips or falls into a pool of water. Once in the water, it drowns or dies of exhaustion in trying to escape, which is impossible because of the downward-facing hairs. The plant then digests the insect. Insects that most often fall prey to pitcher plants are ants, flies, wasps, bees, beetles, slugs and snails. Pitcher plants, which grow in bogs in the wild, need a sunny area that stays moist, generally a difficult combination for home gardeners. Growing them in pots sitting in a saucer of water is easier. However, don’t keep the growing medium too wet. It just needs to be moist.

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