Can Dogs Eat…? Food Safety Database

By Ashar Islam · Last reviewed

Search 66 foods for a straight answer on whether it is safe for dogs, unsafe, or safe only in limited amounts.

Searching 66 foods.

Commonly searched:

How this is calculated

Every entry carries one of four verdicts. The distinction between them is the point: "not toxic" and "a good idea" are very different claims, and most food advice for dogs blurs them.

Verdict What it means Count
Toxic Has a known toxic principle. Contact a vet if your dog has eaten any. 18
Not safe Avoid. Risk of choking, obstruction, injury or illness. 8
In moderation Fine as an occasional small treat, a problem in quantity or every day. 14
Safe No known toxicity when prepared plainly and fed in sensible amounts. 26

Where a food has a real dose-response relationship, the entry links to a calculator that works out the actual dose for your dog's weight. A verdict tells you whether to worry; a dose tells you how much.

Sources

Detailed answers

23 of these foods have a page of their own, with the mechanism, the published dose threshold where one exists, the symptoms to watch for and what to do. They are the ones we could source properly; the rest of the database below is a one-line verdict only.

Toxic (10)

A known toxic principle, or a documented pattern of serious harm. Call a vet.

  • Can dogs eat chocolate? No. Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which dogs clear far more slowly than people do.
  • Can dogs eat grapes? No, and there is no amount established as safe. Grapes, raisins and tamarinds can cause acute kidney injury in dogs.
  • Can dogs eat xylitol? No. Xylitol triggers a massive insulin release in dogs and can cause life-threatening low blood sugar within under an hour.
  • Can dogs eat onions? No. Onions and every other allium damage red blood cells and can cause hemolytic anemia several days after the meal.
  • Can dogs eat garlic? No. Garlic is the most concentrated of the alliums — Merck puts it at 3 to 5 times the toxicity of onion by weight.
  • Can dogs eat macadamia nuts? No. Macadamia nuts cause weakness, tremors and fever in dogs, by a mechanism nobody has identified.
  • Can dogs eat alcohol? No. Ethanol is a strong central nervous system depressant and dogs are affected by far smaller amounts than people.
  • Can dogs eat raw bread dough? No, and it is two emergencies at once: the dough expands in the stomach, and the yeast ferments into alcohol.
  • Can dogs eat coffee? No. Caffeine is a methylxanthine, the same class of compound as the theobromine in chocolate, and the chocolate thresholds are stated in combined methylxanthines for that reason.
  • Can dogs eat salt? Not in quantity. Large amounts of salt cause hypernatremia, and Merck reports increasing cases in dogs from acute salt consumption.

Risky (8)

Not poisonous, but a real risk of injury, obstruction or illness. Best avoided.

  • Can dogs eat avocado? Mostly not for the reason you have heard. Merck describes dogs as relatively resistant to persin; the real hazard is the pit.
  • Can dogs eat cooked bones? No. Cooking makes bone brittle, so it splinters into sharp fragments instead of crushing.
  • Can dogs eat corn on the cob? The kernels are fine. The cob is one of the classic causes of intestinal obstruction in dogs.
  • Can dogs eat raw meat? Not without understanding the trade-off. The ASPCA warns that raw meat and eggs can carry Salmonella and E. coli.
  • Can dogs eat milk? It is not toxic, but most adult dogs do not digest lactose well and a bowl of milk usually means diarrhea.
  • Can dogs eat almonds? Not toxic in the way macadamias are, but the ASPCA warns that almonds, pecans and walnuts are high enough in fat to cause digestive upset and pancreatitis.
  • Can dogs eat oranges? A little flesh is not a poisoning risk, but the ASPCA notes citrus contains citric acid and essential oils that irritate.
  • Can dogs eat coconut? Not toxic, but the ASPCA notes coconut and coconut oil can cause stomach upset, loose stools and diarrhea.

Safe (5)

No known toxicity when prepared plainly and kept to a sensible share of the day.

  • Can dogs eat peanut butter? Yes, provided it contains no xylitol. Check the label every time, because some brands sweeten with it.
  • Can dogs eat carrots? Yes. Carrots have no known toxicity for dogs and are low enough in calories to be a useful everyday treat.
  • Can dogs eat apples? Yes, without the core. The flesh has no known toxicity for dogs.
  • Can dogs eat pumpkin? Yes, plain and unsweetened. Canned pumpkin has no known toxicity and is around 34 kcal per 100 g.
  • Can dogs eat green beans? Yes. Green beans have no known toxicity and at roughly 31 kcal per 100 g they are one of the better options for a dog on a diet.

The full list

Toxic (18)

Has a known toxic principle. Contact a vet if your dog has eaten any.

  • Alcohol. Dogs are far more sensitive than people. Small amounts are dangerous.
  • Apple seeds. Seeds contain cyanide compounds. The flesh is fine.
  • Caffeine. Same family of compounds as chocolate — a methylxanthine.
  • Cherry pits. Pits, stems and leaves contain cyanide compounds.
  • Chocolate. Theobromine poisoning. Dark and baking chocolate are far worse than milk.
  • Garlic. About five times more potent than onion by weight.
  • Grapes. Can cause acute kidney failure. No safe dose is known.
  • Green potato. Green or sprouting potatoes contain solanine.
  • Hops. Causes malignant hyperthermia. Relevant to home brewers.
  • Macadamia nuts. Cause weakness, tremors and hind-limb paralysis.
  • Nutmeg. Myristicin causes hallucinations and seizures in large amounts.
  • Onion. Damages red blood cells. Cooking does not make it safe.
  • Raisins. Same risk as grapes, concentrated. Hidden in cakes and biscuits.
  • Raw bread dough. Rises in the stomach and ferments into alcohol.
  • Rhubarb. Leaves contain oxalates that damage the kidneys.
  • Salt. Large amounts cause sodium ion poisoning.
  • Wild mushrooms. Some species cause liver failure. Identification is unreliable.
  • Xylitol. Causes a rapid blood sugar crash and can destroy the liver.

Not safe (8)

Avoid. Risk of choking, obstruction, injury or illness.

  • Avocado. Persin plus a large, obstructing stone.
  • Cooked bones. Splinter into sharp fragments that can pierce the gut.
  • Corn on the cob. The cob is a classic cause of intestinal obstruction.
  • Fat trimmings. A common trigger for pancreatitis.
  • Ice cream. Lactose plus sugar, and sometimes xylitol or chocolate.
  • Milk. Most adult dogs are lactose intolerant.
  • Raw eggs. Salmonella risk, and avidin blocks biotin absorption.
  • Raw fish. Parasite risk, including salmon poisoning disease.

In moderation (14)

Fine as an occasional small treat, a problem in quantity or every day.

  • Almonds. Not toxic, but a choking and obstruction risk.
  • Bread. Harmless plain, but empty calories.
  • Cheese. Useful training treat, but calorie dense and salty.
  • Citrus. Flesh is safe; peel and pith cause upset.
  • Coconut oil. Very high in calories and fat. Small amounts only.
  • Ham. Very salty and very fatty.
  • Honey. Safe in tiny amounts, but it is pure sugar.
  • Peanut butter. Fine if xylitol-free. Check every label, every time.
  • Peanuts. Plain and unsalted are fine in small numbers.
  • Popcorn. Plain air-popped only. No butter, no salt.
  • Sweet corn. Kernels are fine. Never the cob.
  • Tomato. Ripe fruit is fine; green parts of the plant are not.
  • Tuna. Occasional only, because of mercury.
  • Yogurt. Plain, unsweetened only. Check for xylitol.

Safe (26)

No known toxicity when prepared plainly and fed in sensible amounts.

  • Apple. Safe with the core and seeds removed.
  • Banana. Safe, but high in sugar. Small slices only.
  • Blueberries. Small, low calorie and easy to use as training treats.
  • Broccoli. Fine in small amounts. Large amounts cause gas.
  • Carrot. Excellent low-calorie treat, raw or cooked.
  • Celery. Low calorie and crunchy.
  • Coconut flesh. Small amounts of plain coconut flesh are fine.
  • Cooked chicken. Plain, cooked, boneless chicken is an excellent food.
  • Cooked egg. Well-cooked eggs are highly digestible protein.
  • Cooked salmon. Cooked and boneless. Good source of omega-3.
  • Cottage cheese. Low fat, low lactose, good for bland diets.
  • Cucumber. Almost no calories. Good for overweight dogs.
  • Green beans. Very low calorie. Useful for dogs on a diet.
  • Mango. Peeled, with the stone removed.
  • Oatmeal. Plain cooked oats, made with water not milk.
  • Peas. Green, snow and sugar snap peas are all fine.
  • Pineapple. Fresh, peeled, in small chunks.
  • Plain pasta. Cooked plain pasta is harmless.
  • Plain rice. A staple of bland diets for upset stomachs.
  • Pumpkin. Plain canned pumpkin helps both diarrhea and constipation.
  • Sardines. Canned in water, no salt added. Excellent omega-3.
  • Spinach. Fine in small amounts.
  • Strawberries. Safe and high in fiber and vitamin C.
  • Sweet potato. Cooked and plain. Good fiber source.
  • Turkey. Plain cooked turkey with no skin, bones or seasoning.
  • Watermelon. Hydrating and low calorie. Remove seeds and rind.

A note on how to read this

"Safe" here means no known toxicity when prepared plainly and fed in sensible amounts. It does not mean a food should form a large part of the diet, and it assumes no butter, salt, oil, seasoning, onion or garlic have been added. Most human dishes fail on that last point rather than on their headline ingredient.

Individual dogs also differ. Allergies, pancreatitis history, kidney disease and medication all change what is sensible, and a food that is fine for most dogs may not be fine for yours.

Common questions

What human foods are toxic to dogs?

The main ones are chocolate, grapes and raisins, xylitol, onion and garlic, macadamia nuts, alcohol, caffeine and raw bread dough. Each has a different mechanism and a different urgency, which is why the individual calculators exist.

What human food can dogs eat safely?

Plain cooked chicken, turkey and fish; cooked eggs; plain rice and oats; and most vegetables including carrot, green beans, cucumber, pumpkin and broccoli. Fruit such as apple without seeds, blueberries and watermelon without rind is fine too.

My dog ate something not on this list. What now?

Not being listed does not mean safe. Call your vet or a pet poison control line, and keep the packaging or a photograph of the plant or product. Those services deal with unusual ingestions every day.

How much of a safe food can my dog have?

Keep everything outside the complete diet under about 10% of daily calories. Beyond that you start unbalancing the nutrients in the rest of the food, not just adding calories.

Is cooked food safer than raw for dogs?

For meat, fish and eggs, yes: cooking removes the bacterial and parasite risk. For toxic foods it makes no difference. Cooking does not reduce the toxicity of onion, garlic or grapes at all.

Can dogs eat bones?

Never cooked bones, which splinter into sharp fragments. Raw bones do not splinter the same way but still carry risks of tooth fracture, obstruction and bacterial contamination. Many vets advise against both.