Even if you don't have a canine friend, the information below might come in handy when you find yourself in a dog-friendly house or office (like ours).

I was pretty surprised to learn about some of these items. I often feed the dogs pieces of apple and will now be very careful not to include a seed. Both dogs love apple. The other item on the list that gave me a scare was the tomato. We have been growing tomatoes this year and the other day Quigley came trotting back in the house from the backyard licking his lips clean of red stuff... some tomato had dropped from our raised planter and he decided to sample. Unfortunately, I think he likes tomato now – I noticed he hunts for them every time he's near the planter, so now I have to be extra cautious when he is in the backyard without me. I had no idea tomato could be harmful, I had never seen it on a dangerous foods list for pets. One thing missing from this list is amount or concentration of the various food items. I think this is due to the variation in the size of animals and possibly even individual reactions may vary. Quigley definitely ate a tomato with no witnessed tremors, just not sure how many tomatoes he ate and I don't plan on testing his tolerance - if I can help it.

Grapes and Raisins: Can cause kidney failure. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill a dog.

Onions: Destroy red blood cells and can cause anemia.

Chocolate: Can cause seizures, coma, and death.

Coffee, Coffee grounds, Tea and Tea bags: Cause many of the same symptoms chocolate does.

Animal fat and fried foods: Excessive fat can cause pancreatitis.

Bones: Cooked bones can splinter and damage a dog\'s internal organs. Raw bones should always be supervised as a small piece can break off and cause problems.

Tomatoes: Can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias. Tomato plants are toxic.

Salt: Excessive salt intake can cause kidney problems.

Mushrooms or toadstools: Never let your pet eat mushrooms found in your yard.

Xylitol Sweetener: Even a small amount can cause liver failure.

Apple and pear seeds: Contain arsenic, which may be deadly.

Macadamia nuts: Can cause weakness, muscle tremor, and paralysis. Limit all other nuts as they are not good for dogs in general. The exception is peanut butter, however, always use organic, salt/ sugar-free, which is free of toxins and pesticides found in regular peanut butter.

If your pet has ingested any of these foods, please get veterinary help immediately. ASPCA Poison Hotline (888) 426-4435