All pet owners care a lot about their pets and are willing to do anything they can to keep them healthy and happy. One of the best ways to take care of your dogs and cats is to ensure that they have a healthy diet. Feeding dogs and cats pet food that is veterinarian recommended is one of the best ways to keep them healthy and reduce pet insurance.

While it may seem like fun to feed your dog or cat human food, this is incredibly dangerous and can lead to a wide variety of negative side effects including obesity, sickness and even death. Here are some of the top foods that are dangerous for your pets:

1. Caffeine
There is never a reason to give your dog or cat caffeine and should always be avoided. Similar to chocolate, caffeine contains an ingredient called theobromine. In both cats and dogs, this ingredient is toxic. Even small amounts can cause an upset stomach, illness, death, and other complications.

2. Grapes and raisins
Both grapes and raisins are toxic for dogs and cats. These foods can be extremely fatal even if they are only ingested in a small amount. The exact reason for the illness and toxicity is unknown, but there have been many occurrences for dogs and cats having sudden kidney failure after ingesting a grape or raisin. These foods are one of the most toxic foods to give your dog or cat and should never be given to them.

3. Onions and garlic
Both onions and garlic are extremely toxic to dogs and cats. They can cause destruction of their red blood cells and cause anemia in your animals. Since many human foods are made and cooked with these ingredients it is always best to avoid feeding your animals human food. Even if these foods are cooked, they are still toxic for dogs and cats and can cause death and serious illness.

4. Raw eggs and raw meat and bones
While dogs and cats are better able to tolerate bacteria in their diet, they are still very susceptible to salmonella that you can find in raw eggs and raw meat. These foods should never be given to your dog or cat because they can cause death and a severe upset stomach due to the high levels of bacteria found in the food. Bones should also never be given to your dog or cat because the bones can split and can cause your dog or cat to choke. The splintering of bones can be life threatening for your loved pet.

5. Chocolate
Chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats and should never be given to them. Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine, which is toxic to dogs and cats. This ingredient is unable to be digested by dogs and cats and therefore, should never be given to them. If dogs and cats consume enough chocolate they can actually die from it. While most people do not give their animals enough chocolate to cause death, it often results in serious illness even if the dogs and cats only eat a small amount.

If you want to keep your dogs and cats as healthy as possible, it is absolutely critical that you avoid giving them these foods and stick to feeding them pet food that is recommended for your breed.