As people celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday, no New Year’s Eve family reunion would be complete without traditional dishes, such as glutinous rice cake, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall stew, “laba” rice porridge, mullet roe, scallop, abalone, daylily, tufted hairgrass, and others. These tasty dishes are tempting but may be high in calories and fat, and most importantly, they may not be sui-table for your four-legged family members.,
人們在慶祝農曆新年時，家家戶戶除夕團圓，一定有年糕、佛跳牆、臘八粥、烏魚子、干貝、鮑魚、金針、髮菜等年菜。這些美食令人垂涎三尺，不過熱量與脂肪含量可能偏高，更重要的是，這些食物可能不適合家中四隻腳的成員食用。
According to an article titled “Can I feed my pets human foods?” written by Taipei City Animal Protection Office Director Yen I-feng (嚴一峰) and published in the first issue of Pet, Vet & Me in December last year, Yen gives a list of foods, based on the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (ASPCA) recommendations, that are fine for humans but can pose great health risks to our canine and feline friends. The list includes caffeine, alcohol, avocado, macadamia nuts, grapes and raisins, yeast dough, raw or undercooked meat, eggs, bones, xylitol, onions, garlic, chives, milk, salt, and others. If you find your pets ingesting these foods, please record the amount swallowed and contact a veterinarian for medical treatment.
Photo: Amber Chang, Taipei Times
根據台北市動物保護處嚴一峰處長在去年十二月發行的《醫盟寵物語》創刊號，刊登一篇「我可以餵家中寵物寶貝人類的食物嗎？」的文章，嚴處長根據美國防止虐待動物協會（ASPCA）建議，列出一些適合人類食用，但是對犬貓健康有害的食物。它們包括咖啡因、酒精、酪梨、碎果仁、葡萄及葡萄乾、酵母生麵團、生鮮或未煮熟的肉、蛋、骨頭、木糖醇、洋蔥、大蒜、香蔥、牛奶、食鹽等。如果發現家中寵物吃了上列食物，請記下攝食總量，並聯絡獸醫師安排就醫。
The article lists 11 categories of foods that pet owners should avoid feeding their pets.
以下是文中列出十一類禁止餵食寵物的食物。
Photo: Ian Bartholomew, Taipei Times
1. Chocolate, coffee, caffeine
巧克力、咖啡、咖啡因
Chocolate, coffee, and other caffeinated pro-ducts contain methylxanthine, which is derived from cacao beans. Methylxanthines can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, urination, excitement, hyperactivity, tremors, seizures, convulsions, epilepsy, and other symptoms in pets. One hundred percent pure dark chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate. According to statistics compiled abroad, most cases of chocolate poisoning happen during holiday seasons, or a few days later, as that is when chocolate happens to be around more. As a result, chocolates may be sneaked and eaten by pets or fed to the pets by their owners who may not be aware that chocolates can poison their pets. The purer a chocolate is, the more poisonous it is to your pets. For every kilogram a dog weighs, only 100mg to 200mg of caffeine or theobromine can be lethal. If your pets get chocolate poisoning, you should induce vomiting and seek veterinary treatment immediately.
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
巧克力、咖啡與其他含咖啡因產品都含有存在可可豆中的甲基黃嘌呤物質。若是寵物攝取後，甲基黃嘌呤會導致嘔吐、腹瀉、心悸、過度口渴、頻尿、興奮、活動力增加、發抖、抽搐、甚至痙攣或癲癇等症狀。純度百分之百的黑巧克力比牛奶巧克力更危險。根據國外的統計，巧克力中毒最常發生在假日或假日之後的幾天，因為飼主收到禮物，會被犬貓偷吃，或者是不知道巧克力的毒性，而拿來餵食。巧克力製品中巧克力含量越高，中毒的情況會越嚴重，其致命性取決於狗狗的體重和攝取量的多寡，如一公斤體重的狗，只要吃下一百至兩百毫克的咖啡因或可可鹼，就會造成死亡，依此類推。一旦發現有誤食巧克力的情形，應馬上催吐並就醫。
2. Alcohol 酒精
Some pet owners may think it is fun to watch pets get drunk by giving them alcoholic drinks. In fact, this is a kind of animal cruelty, since the body structures of dogs and cats are different from that of humans. Pet owners should never give alcohol to their pets because their tiny bodies can’t handle the alcohol in the same way humans can. Alcohol poisoning in pets can lead to liver failure or even death. Even small amounts of alcohol should be avoided.
Photo: Amber Chang, Taipei Times
飼主有時基於一時的好玩，想看看寵物喝醉酒的樣子，就給牠們喝酒。事實上，這可是種戕害小動物的行為，犬貓與人類的身體構造不同，飼主絕對不要給你的寵物喝含有酒精成分的飲料，因為牠們小小的身軀無法將酒精解毒，容易形成酒精中毒，引發肝功能衰竭，甚至死亡。儘管是少量，也是非常不智的。
3. Avocado 酪梨
Avocado contains a substance called persin, a kind of mild toxin. Generally speaking, it poses no harm to human health because it can be decomposed by the human digestive organs, but it can pose hazards for most animals, including dogs and cats. After ingesting avocado, these animals will display symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and others. The symptoms are most prominent in birds and rodents, which are especially susceptible to the persin found in avocadoes.
Photo courtesy of Pet, Vet & Me
照片由《醫盟寵物語》提供
酪梨含有一種輕微毒性，稱為persin脂肪酸衍生物。一般而言，它對人體無害，可被人類的消化器官分解。但大部分動物，包含犬貓，在食用酪梨後，都會出現嘔吐、腹瀉的症狀，尤其是鳥類及囓齒類對酪梨毒特別敏感。
4. Macadamia nuts 澳洲堅果
Macadamia nuts, generally used in cookies and candies, are toxic to dogs and cats. A study shows that 30 to 40 macadamia nuts ingested by a dog can lead to symptoms of poisoning, including weakness, vomiting, paralysis of the hindquarters, abdomen pain, elevated body temperature, and others. Onset of signs occurs within 12 hours after ingesting the toxins and can last for 12 to 48 hours.
Photo: Taipei Times
澳洲堅果，一般常用於餅乾及糖果，犬貓吃後會中毒。據研究顯示,狗兒若吃下三至四十粒碎果仁後,便會出現乏力、嘔吐、後肢癱瘓、腹痛、發燒等中毒徵狀。這些徵狀通常會在攝食後十二小時內出現，會持續約十二至四十八小時。
To be continued... 待續...
Photo: Taipei Times
Photo: Taipei Times
Photo: Taipei Times
Photo: Taipei Times
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