What Can Dogs Eat? Safe and Toxic Human Foods

Many human foods are safe for dogs as an occasional treat, including apples, blueberries, carrots, green beans, plain cooked chicken, cooked eggs, plain rice and plain pumpkin. A few are dangerous even in small amounts: grapes and raisins, chocolate, xylitol (in sugar-free products), onions, garlic, macadamia nuts, raw bread dough, alcohol and caffeine.^1,2,3 Most other foods fall in between and are fine only plain, in small pieces and without pits, seeds or seasoning. Use the checker below to look up a food.

Foods Dogs Should Never Eat

These foods can cause serious illness even in small amounts. If your dog eats any of them, call your vet or a pet poison hotline right away, even if he seems fine, because some cause damage hours or days later.^1,3

• Grapes, raisins, currants and tamarind: can cause sudden kidney injury, with no known safe amount. See grapes and raisins.²⁴
• Chocolate, cocoa, coffee and caffeine: cause vomiting, a racing heart, tremors and seizures. See dog ate chocolate.¹⁸
• Xylitol: found in sugar-free gum, candy, baked goods, some peanut butters and toothpaste, it causes a sudden drop in blood sugar and liver failure. See xylitol poisoning.²⁸
• Onions, garlic, chives and leeks: damage red blood cells and can cause anemia, whether raw, cooked or powdered. Akitas and Shiba Inus are more sensitive.^17,22
• Macadamia nuts: cause weakness, wobbliness, tremors and fever.³²
• Raw yeast dough and alcohol: dough expands in the stomach and makes alcohol, and alcohol itself can be fatal.^11,4
• Raw salmon and trout from the Pacific Northwest: can carry salmon poisoning disease.⁴⁴
• Cooked bones, corn cobs, and fruit pits: cause choking, blockages and tears in the gut.^21,2
• Wild mushrooms, raw or green potatoes, nutmeg and raw kidney beans are also on the do-not-feed list.^33,42,34,8

For other household poisons, like medicines, rat bait and antifreeze, see dog poisoning.

What Fruits Can Dogs Eat?

The safest fruits for dogs are apples (no core or seeds), blueberries, blackberries, watermelon (no rind or seeds), pears and bananas, along with strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, peaches, kiwi and oranges in small amounts.⁵ Fruit is high in sugar, so keep portions small, especially for overweight or diabetic dogs.

Fruits to avoid are grapes and raisins (toxic), cherries (toxic pits and stems), and citrus peels, lemons, limes and grapefruit, which upset the stomach.^14,30,23 Always remove pits, seeds, stems and cores. Apple seeds and the pits of peaches, plums, cherries and mangoes contain compounds that release cyanide and can cause blockages.⁶

Read more: strawberries, bananas, apples, blueberries, watermelon, pineapple and oranges.

What Vegetables Can Dogs Eat?

Good vegetables for dogs include carrots, green beans, cucumbers, peas, celery, lettuce, zucchini, sweet potatoes, plain pumpkin and cauliflower. Broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, asparagus, plain cooked potatoes and ripe tomatoes are fine in small amounts.^5,48,9,13 Serve them plain, raw or steamed, and cut into bite-size pieces.

Avoid onions, garlic, chives and leeks, wild mushrooms, raw or green potatoes, green tomatoes and tomato plants, corn cobs and raw kidney beans.^17,42,47,33 Pickles and canned vegetables are often very salty.³⁸ See also can dogs eat tomatoes.

Meat, Fish, Eggs and Dairy

Plain, cooked, lean meat is a safe treat for most dogs: skinless chicken or turkey, lean beef or pork, and fully cooked fish like salmon. Cooked eggs are a good protein source.^2,15 Avoid raw meat, raw eggs and raw milk, which can carry bacteria and bird flu.^1,16 Fatty meats like bacon, ham, sausage, turkey skin and fat trimmings can trigger pancreatitis.

Many adult dogs don't digest lactose well, so milk and ice cream often cause diarrhea. Small amounts of cheese and plain yogurt are usually tolerated.^1,27

Can Dogs Eat Nuts?

Macadamia nuts are toxic. Most other nuts aren't poisonous but are high in fat, hard to digest and often salted, so they can cause stomach upset, pancreatitis or a blockage, especially in small dogs. Moldy walnuts and pecans can carry mold toxins that cause tremors.^32,37,40 Plain, unsalted peanuts, cashews and xylitol-free peanut butter are the safest choices, in small amounts.^2,28

How to Share Human Food Safely

• Keep treats small. Treats, including human food, should make up no more than about 10 percent of your dog's daily calories, with the rest from a complete dog food.^48,43 See how much to feed your dog.
• Serve it plain. No butter, oil, salt, sugar, sauces or seasoning, and especially no onion or garlic.²
• Remove pits, seeds, cores, rinds, shells and bones, and cut food into bite-size pieces.⁵
• Try one new food at a time, in a small amount, and watch for vomiting, diarrhea or gas.²
• Read labels for xylitol, also called birch sugar, in anything sugar-free.²⁸
• Ask your vet first if your dog has pancreatitis, diabetes, kidney or heart disease, food allergies or is on a prescription diet.

What to Do If Your Dog Ate Something Toxic

Call your vet, an emergency vet or a pet poison hotline right away. In the United States, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is at (888) 426-4435 and the Pet Poison Helpline is at (855) 764-7661. Both are open 24 hours, and both charge a consultation fee.^49,50 Have the package handy and note what your dog ate, how much, when, and his weight. Don't make your dog vomit unless a vet tells you to, and never use salt to do it.⁴⁵ See dog poisoning for the signs to watch for, and dog ate something he shouldn't for bones, cobs and other objects.

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