Common Foods & Products that can poison pets

An apple a day may keep the doctor away for humans, but the cyanide in apple seeds can kill your dog.

Mothballs are another common cause of poisoning in pets. Those that contain 100 percent naphthalene can be deadly.

If you use fabric softener sheets, keep them away from your pet pals. These sheets contain detergents known as cationics that are potentially harmful, especially to cats.

Pennies minted after 1982 are made of copper plating around zinc core. APCC experts say that the zinc in just one penny can cause kidney failure and damage red blood cells in pets.

If your Cinco de Mayo celebration calls for guacamole, keep your pet pals away from the table. Avocados contain a toxic component called persin, which can damage heart, lung and other tissue in many animals.

Nuts are also common party fare that can be hazardous to pets. Walnuts and macadamia nuts are especially toxic.

Chocolate is supposedly good for human hearts. But chocolate contains theobromine, which if eaten in enough quantity, can kill your pet pal. Dark and unsweetened baking chocolates are especially dangerous.

Another problem is candy or anything containing Xylitol, a common sweetener found in some diet products, which can cause a sudden drop in an animal's blood sugar, loss of coordination and seizures. If not treated, the animal could die.

Keep cherry pits, peach pits, pear pips, plums pits and apricot pits far away from your pets. Like apple seeds, they all contain cyanide. There's also the danger that an animal may choke on large pits.

Coffee, tea or any product that contains caffeine stimulates an animal's central nervous and cardiac systems. This can lead to restlessness, heart palpitations and death, depending on how much the animal consumes.

Grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill them. And their effect is cumulative, meaning that even if a dog eats just one or two grapes or raisins regularly, the toxicity that builds in his system will eventually kill him.

Onions are another common food that can be highly toxic pets. They can destroy an animal's red blood cells and lead to anemia, weakness and breathing difficulties. Their effects are also cumulative over time.