From commercial pet food to various home-cooked meals, you can pamper your pets with a wide range of treats. Some pet parents also have the habit of feeding their pets nibbles of their snacks and food items. Before you get into this habit, it is important to know about human foods harmful to dogs and cats.

Here are the human foods that are harmful to dogs and cats . You must avoid feeding your pets these foods at all cost to keep them healthy and safe.

1. Chocolate
While some pet parents are eager to celebrate their pets’ birthday with various desserts, chocolates should not be one of the menu items. It is one of the most common human foods known to have adverse effects on cats and dogs’ health. Theobromine found in cocoa is the ingredient that causes digestive troubles in pets even when consumed in small quantities. As cats and dogs cannot easily metabolize this ingredient, it sometimes leads to liver failure when the pet consumes chocolates.

2. Caffeine
This is an ingredient found in coffee, tea, sodas, and other beverages. There could be mild to moderate symptoms in dogs and cats upon consumption of beverages that contain caffeine. Depending on your pet’s health, the side effects of caffeine can last for half an hour to half a day.

3. Dough
Yeast dough like bread dough should never be fed to cats or dogs. Because of the presence of yeast in the dough, it easily expands in the stomach and results in harmful effects on the pet. When consumed raw, this can lead to bloating and affect their appetite. Some cats and dogs might display symptoms like retching or even experience twisted stomach.

4. Grapes
Both fresh grapes and raisins should be avoided in pet food. The symptoms can sometimes be so severe that it can result in kidney failure. Within six to 12 hours after your pets have eaten grapes, if you notice unexplained lethargy or any other symptom that indicates dehydration, it could be due to the fruit’s harmful effects.

5. Avocados
Avocados are the most commonly known human foods that are harmful to dogs and cats. Persin found in this food can be toxic to dogs. Pit of avocado can lead to choking in pets. The fruit itself can be fatal in some cases, and other parts of the plant like leaves can also be dangerous to your pet. Some dogs might even display symptoms like mild respiratory distress or sometimes cause the kidney to fail.

These human foods that are harmful to dogs and cats should be strictly avoided. Proper feeding habits are critical in maintaining the pets’ overall health. Consult a vet if you have any doubts.