Letter: Food dangerous to pets should be labeled

Certain common foods are extremely dangerous for domesticated animals. According to an article on WebMD, "Last year, there were more than 100,000 cases of pet poisoning in the U.S. Many of these were caused by household substances that may seem perfectly harmless to you. But just because something is safe for people doesn't mean it won't hurt beloved pets."

There are labels warning about the dangers of honey for babies, and telling consumers a food was manufactured in a plant where nut products are made. However, there is nothing warning people of the danger to dogs and cats of chocolate, grapes, vanilla and even cashews and avocados.

Many soaps, shampoos and cleaning products already have animal warnings. Similar labels should be required on foods most dangerous to animals. As a veterinary technician student, I know we'll never be able to stop people from feeding their pets table scraps. But warning labels would greatly reduce the tragic deaths of so many pets fed "people food" by well-meaning but uninformed owners.

Sable Tanner

Orem