Posted on 15th Mar 2010 @ 1:37 PM

While most foods safe for people are also safe for dogs, there are a few notable exceptions. Here are some foods you should not feed your dog:

• Onions: can cause a form of anemia. Reaction is dose-dependent and will build up over time. Small amounts are not harmful, but there's no reason to feed them.
• Grapes and raisins: cause kidney failure in a few dogs for unknown reasons.
• Macadamia nuts: toxic to dogs, even in very small amounts.
• Raw salmon, trout and related andromadous fish from the Pacific Northwest (California to Alaska): can carry a parasite that causes Salmon Poisoning in dogs. Cooking will destroy the parasite. Note that canned salmon is cooked and therefore safe.
• Chocolate and caffeine: toxic to dogs.
• Xylitol, a natural sweetener, is toxic to dogs. It is found in some water additives, such as C.E.T. AquaDent and Petrodex Breath Spray For Pets, made by Virbac Animal Health, BreathaLyser Plus and AQuala, made by imRex, Inc.. It is also found in many human products, including sugar-free gum, mints and children's vitamins. See New Findings on the Effects of Xylitol Ingestion in Dogs for more information.

The following foods should be restricted:

• Avocado: fruits of Guatemalan species are mildly toxic to dogs, causing digestive upset, while fruits of Mexican species are safe. Note that the popular Hass variety is a hybrid and toxicity level is unknown. Pits and rinds of all species can be toxic.
• Cruciferous vegetables are very healthy, but can suppress thyroid function if large amounts are fed raw. Feed in limited amounts, or cook first. The cruciferous family includes include arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnips, turnip greens, watercress, rutabaga, daikon, kohlrabi.
• Spinach and swiss chard should also be fed in limited amounts due to their high oxalate content. Cooking removes some of the oxalates, though in this case you should not feed the water, as that's where the oxalates go.
• Potatoes (the regular kind, not sweet potatoes), tomatoes, peppers (all kinds) and eggplant may aggravate arthritis pain, but are otherwise fine to feed. Grains and starchy veggies may also aggravate arthritis and other forms of inflammation.

This information is from the following website: http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html
More info: http://www.dogaware.com/wdjhomemade1.html#vegetarian