4 human foods dogs can eat and 6 the AKC says to avoid

For some foods, the line between a harmless treat and a trip to the vet comes down to preparation. An egg gives a dog protein once it has been cooked through. Raw egg whites, by contrast, can contribute to biotin deficiency. Salmon follows the same pattern. Cooked fully, it supplies protein and healthy fats. Raw or undercooked, it may carry parasites that cause vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration.

That is why a list of human foods dogs can eat covers only half the picture. The other half is the shorter list of foods that cause harm, and the reasons behind each one.

This guide draws on the American Kennel Club article "People Foods Dogs Can and Can't Eat." The AKC names about two dozen people foods that are safe for dogs. It names six that owners should keep away from their dogs: almonds, chocolate, cinnamon, garlic, ice cream and macadamia nuts.

The slides that follow cover four of the safe foods from that longer list. They are cooked eggs, cooked salmon, plain yogurt and peanut butter. The slides also cover all six foods the AKC tells owners to avoid.

Those six foods do not carry the same kind of risk. The AKC places macadamia nuts among the most poisonous foods a dog can eat. Almonds are less toxic. A dog that does not chew them thoroughly, however, can end up with a blocked esophagus or a torn windpipe. Cinnamon is not toxic to dogs, according to the AKC. The group still advises keeping it away from them. Ice cream makes the list for its high sugar content and its dairy.

Dairy appears on both sides of the divide. Some dogs digest it poorly. The AKC lists diarrhea, gas and stomach upset after eating dairy as signs of lactose intolerance. That applies to plain yogurt, which the AKC treats as an acceptable snack, as well as to ice cream.

A reader checking a single food can go straight to its entry. Where the AKC sets out preparation steps, such as cooling fish and removing its tiny bones, that entry includes them. The AKC article gives no safe or toxic amount for any of these foods. None appears here.

Illustration: Quartz

Eggs are safe for dogs only after they have been thoroughly cooked. Prepared that way, they are a source of protein, according to the American Kennel Club.

The AKC includes eggs among the people foods owners can share with a dog. That approval covers eggs cooked all the way through. It does not extend to raw eggs.

Cooked eggs may also help settle a dog's upset stomach, the AKC notes.

Raw egg whites are the specific concern the AKC raises. They can contribute to biotin deficiency in dogs.

Illustration: Quartz

Salmon is safe for dogs once it has been cooked all the way through. Prepared that way, it gives a dog protein, healthy fats and amino acids.

The American Kennel Club credits cooked salmon with supporting the joints, the brain and the immune system. The AKC ties those benefits to salmon that has been fully cooked, not to raw fish.

Raw or undercooked salmon is where the danger lies. It may carry parasites. A dog that eats infected fish can develop vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. In extreme cases, the illness can kill the dog.

The AKC's entry on fish in general explains how to get it ready for a dog. The fish should be cooked completely first. It should then cool before it goes in the bowl. Every tiny bone should come out before the dog eats any of it.

That same fish entry also caps how often a dog should get it. The AKC recommends serving fish no more than twice a week. Under that guidance, cooked salmon is an occasional addition to a dog's meals rather than a daily food.

Illustration: Quartz

Plain yogurt is an acceptable snack for dogs, according to the American Kennel Club. Its active bacteria can work as probiotics that aid digestion, but only in a dog that tolerates dairy.

The AKC lists plain yogurt among the people foods dogs can eat. That approval comes with two conditions. One concerns the yogurt itself. The other concerns the dog eating it.

On the yogurt side, the AKC tells owners to skip products with added sugar. It gives the same advice about yogurts made with artificial sweeteners. Plain yogurt with neither addition is the version the organization treats as an acceptable snack. A sweetened cup does not meet that standard. Neither does one made with artificial sweeteners.

On the dog side, not every dog handles dairy well. Some digest it poorly. The AKC ties the probiotic benefit to a dog's ability to tolerate dairy in the first place.

The AKC treats diarrhea, gas or stomach upset after a dog eats dairy as signs of lactose intolerance. A dog that shows those signs after a taste of yogurt is not tolerating dairy. For that dog, the condition the AKC attaches to yogurt as a probiotic snack is not met.

Illustration: Quartz

Peanut butter is a people food that dogs can eat, according to the American Kennel Club. The AKC places it with the safe foods rather than with the foods it tells owners to keep away from dogs.

Illustration: Quartz

Macadamia nuts should stay off a dog's menu entirely. The American Kennel Club ranks them among the most poisonous foods a dog can eat.

The AKC links the nuts to several symptoms. A dog that eats them can vomit. Its body temperature can also climb.

The dog can turn lethargic. It may also become unable to walk.

The effects can reach beyond the stomach. The AKC notes that macadamia nuts may affect a dog's nervous system.

Illustration: Quartz

Almonds are less toxic to dogs than macadamia nuts, but they are not a safe snack. A dog that swallows almonds without chewing them thoroughly can end up with a blocked esophagus or a torn windpipe, according to the American Kennel Club.

The hazards the AKC describes for poorly chewed almonds are physical. The esophagus is the muscular tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. An almond that lodges there can block that passage.

The windpipe, or trachea, is the airway that leads to the lungs. The AKC lists a tear to the windpipe as a separate risk from a blocked esophagus. Both risks share one cause: a dog swallowing an almond it has not chewed properly.

Salted almonds add a second hazard. Salt makes a dog's body hold on to more water. For dogs prone to heart disease, that water retention can be fatal, according to the AKC.

Illustration: Quartz

Chocolate is not safe to share with a dog. The American Kennel Club lists it among the people foods that owners should keep away from their pets.

Illustration: Quartz

Garlic belongs on the list of foods to keep away from dogs. The American Kennel Club places it among the people foods that owners should not share with their pets.

The club's guidance sorts people foods into two groups. One holds foods a dog can eat. The other holds foods to keep off its plate. Garlic sits in the second group, alongside chocolate, macadamia nuts and almonds.

Garlic is also the only vegetable among the foods the club tells owners to avoid. The rest of that group is made up of nuts, a spice, chocolate and a dairy dessert.

The club's article lists garlic as a food dogs should not eat. It does not describe what garlic does to a dog, which symptoms follow or how much would cause harm. For that reason, no safe or harmful amount is given here.

Illustration: Quartz

Cinnamon is not toxic to dogs, according to the American Kennel Club, but the organization still recommends keeping it away from them. Both the ground spice and cinnamon oils can cause health problems.

The mouth is the first point of contact. The AKC notes that cinnamon and its oils can irritate the inside of a dog's mouth.

The effects can also reach the bloodstream. Cinnamon can push a dog's blood sugar too low, according to the AKC.

Digestive trouble is another possibility. A dog that eats cinnamon may develop diarrhea or start vomiting.

The heart can react as well. The AKC lists both a faster heart rate and a slower heart rate among the possible effects.

Liver disease appears on the same list of potential harms from the spice and its oils.

Powdered cinnamon carries a separate risk that does not depend on swallowing. A dog that breathes in the powder can have trouble breathing. It may also cough and choke.