Human Foods That Dogs Can And Cannot Eat
There are two types of people when it comes to feeding dogs table scraps: those who don’t and those who do.
I fall into the latter category, and I fall hard. I am the absolute worst when it comes to feeding my dog people food. I can’t help it. Ava knows how to beg and look ridiculously cute, any self-control that I think I might have, vanishes in an instant.
So, its rather important that I understand what foods are safe to give as treats, and more importantly, what foods are dangerous for dogs to eat.
Even if you have a perfect record of never tossing a table scrap, its important to know what foods are unsafe for dogs to eat.
Can We Give Table Scraps To Dogs
During holiday seasons such as Thanksgiving and Christmas when leftover food is abundant, many dog parents tend to be more generous than usual when it comes to giving table scraps to dogs. But before you share your pumpkin pie with your dog, read on.
Feeding table scraps or other human foods to dogs indiscriminately is dangerous. Some human foods may cause digestive problems to our dogs, and some can even be life-threatening.
The key is to identify what foods can dogs eat, and what foods are not safe for dogs. This page looks at some common good and healthy human food for dogs, as well as some not-so-good and even dangerous human food for dogs.
The lists below are understandably not complete – they only show some of the most common foods that we have at home.
The bottom line? Always exercise common sense and caution when considering human food for dogs.
Lemons And Limes: Cant Eat
Lemons and limes can be toxic to your dog.
This is because the skins of lemons and limes contain a substance called psoralen, which can cause dogs to have gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea .
If very large amounts of psoralen are consumed by dogs, more severe symptoms, such as muscle tremors, difficulty walking, liver failure and death, can result.
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Can Dogs Drink Alcohol
Do not give your dog alcohol on purpose. Alcohol can cause not only intoxication, lack of coordination, weak breathing, and abnormal acidity but potentially even coma or death. Find out what dogs can drink safely.
This includes rubbing alcohol and alcohol in hand sanitizers.
When eaten or licked off the paws in large amounts, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can cause digestive upset such as vomiting or can even cause alcohol toxicity if the alcohol content is high enough. Elizabeth Racine, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Dangers Of Feeding Food Scraps To Your Dog
Picture a scene Youre sat at the dining table with your family, tucking into a mouth-watering meal. Your whole family is with you, including your dog whos sat in his favourite spot beside you. Hes looking up at you with his big round eyes and you know exactly what hes saying, after all, this happens every dinner time – That smells amazing, Mummy. I’m so hungry. Please save me some.
Youre trying to resist. You know hes had his dinner already and theres no way hes still hungry. But look at those eyes, maybe he hasnt had enough after all. Youve handpicked, prepared and cooked every ingredient yourself, so you know theyre all healthy for your family which must mean theyre harmless for your dog, right?…One small mouthful wont hurt.
Sadly, thats not necessarily true.
This scene repeats itself every night in millions of homes across the UK and is sadly the reason for many unavoidable trips to the veterinary clinic.
This blog explains the negative impact of feeding scraps of human food to our dogs. By the end, you should have a good idea of what seemingly healthy human hoods can cause serious complications for your pet, as well as how to avoid/stop begging at the table and the risks of obesity.
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Homemade Dog Food With Pork Recipe
One of the best ways to make sure your dog is eating quality pork safely is by making it yourself. You can provide your dog with high-quality, cooked pork so that they can reap the nutritional benefits and enjoy a tasty protein source.
Heres one of our favorite homemade dog food with pork recipes:
DetailsPrep time: 10 15 minutesCook time: 4 hoursTotal time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
Human Foods Your Dog Cant Eat
Your digestion system is different from your dogs, meaning there are lots of foods that you eat that just arent suitable for them. Plenty of common ingredients in people food, like onions or garlic, can prove deadly to our furry friends, so its important you know what they can and cant eat.
Whilst the list of foods that your dog can and cant eat can be quite long, here are a few common ingredients to watch out for:
- Onions
- Foods that are high in sugar
- Foods that are high in salt
- Avocado
If your dog does eat any of these ingredients, contact your vet immediately.
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Potential Costs Linked To Feeding Your Dog Scraps
Through this blog we will give you an idea of what feeding scraps to your dog could potentially lead to. There are many dangers, including accidentally eating something toxic, becoming overweight or swallowing sharp bone fragments, that can lead to expensive veterinary treatment.
What charges could you be looking at? Well, our claims team are regularly processing claims for pets whove eaten something they shouldnt or are suffering from issues linked to obesity. These two tables show just a few examples of claims that we paid in 2019.
Remember, many of these, particularly dietary indiscretion like eating chocolate, are almost entirely avoidable.
Human Food For Dogs That Will Not Harm
Have you been wondering Is human food bad for dogs? Although we humans try to keep our dogs on their canine diets, we sometimes just cant resist slipping them an occasional human morsel. If youve been wondering what human food is safe for dogs, you certainly do not want to miss this article.
Lets explore the best human food for dogs that are safe and healthy for our canine friends.
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Feeding Your Dog Human Food Versus Dog Food
If dogs can eat human food, why do we feed them dog food at all?
It comes down to ensuring they have a nutritionally balanced diet. When you only feed your dog table scraps, its much more difficult to ensure theyre getting all the right nutrients in the right proportions. Nutritional deficiencies can have both short- and long-term effects on your dogs health, so its not something to be taken lightly.
Complete dog food is developed so that your dog gets exactly what they need to stay fit and healthy, so you dont need to worry. The expert nutritionists behind PitPat Food are constantly tweaking their recipes according to the latest science, which then goes through rigorous testing to the most stringent standards. The end result is food that is not only super tasty but also top-quality, to help your dog live a healthy and happy life.
Given the importance of ensuring your dog gets a balanced diet, its best that the bulk of their diet is made up of a complete dog-specific food. That said, its perfectly fine to offer your dog human food that is safe for them to eat in the form of occasional treats or enrichment.
Ready to join the feeding revolution? Start feeding PitPat Food and get precise feeding recommendations based on your dogs age, breed, weight, sex and activity levels, all in the PitPat App.
Can Dogs Eat Chocolate
Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which speed the heart rate and stimulate the nervous system. The type of chocolate, the amount your dog ingested, and your dogs weight will determine how sick your dog may become.
Ingesting too much theobromine and caffeine in chocolate may result in vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, increased urination, tremors, elevated heart rate, seizures, and death. Typically, the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is for dogs.
Below is a list of the most to least risky chocolate for dogs:
- Cocoa powder
- White chocolate
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Some Table Food Is Toxic To Dogs
Human food often contains ingredients that are toxic to dogs. Chocolate, raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts, almonds, onions and garlic are all dangerous for dogs to eat. If you don’t know exactly what’s in the restaurant leftovers you brought home, you could unknowingly hurt your begging pooch by feeding them a spoonful. Many processed foods also contain artificial sweeteners, such as xylitol, which are extremely harmful to pets.
Kal Kan Complete Adult
This dog food makes the list because of questionable ingredient quality that is not nutritional and is somewhat harmful to dogs.
The primary ingredient is corn, which we just mentioned does not provide the proper nutrition your dog needs.
The second ingredient is meat and bone meal which is a dry product from the mammal tissues, including bones, exclusive of any added hair, blood, hoof, hide trimmings, horn, manure, rumen contents, and stomach.
Meat and bone meal may have a lower digestibility than most of the other meat meals.
Scientists believe that this decreased absorption may be because of the lower essential amino acid and higher ash content in the ingredient.
The meat itself can come from any mixture of cattle, pigs, goats or sheep, making classifying impossible for particular food allergens.
Although meat and bone meals are still considered meat concentrates rich in protein, a generic ingredient like this cannot be considered a quality item.
Kal Kans third ingredient is a soybean meal which a by-product or leftover of soybean oil production more often found in farm animal feed.
Although soybean meal comprises about 48% of protein, this ingredient would be estimated to have a lower biological value than meat.
Inexpensive plant-based ingredients like this can boost the total protein, an element that must be considered while judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
I think you get the point that these types of ingredients are not ideal for your furry friend.
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Whats In My Dogs Food
Have you ever looked at the ingredients list on your dogs food? If youre feeding them a commercial dry kibble, you might be a little surprised. No matter how many healthy claims and marketing jargon you see on the front, a quick rundown of the ingredients may reveal a less-than-ideal nutritional profile at best, and some pretty gross stuff at worst.
What Other Human Foods Are Bad For Dogs
The above list is a few of the most common foods dogs should not eat, which can be dangerous to your dogs health, but its not a full list. If youre unsure about what not to feed your dog, or if a food is safe for them, ask your veterinarian.
If you think your dog may have eaten something dangerous, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. You should also make sure to always have the number of a 24-hour emergency animal hospital in case your veterinarian is not available.
Dog treats and snacks can be a safe alternative to human foods or table scraps. .
1. American Veterinary Medical Association: Raw or undercooked animal-source protein in cat and dog diets.2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Q& A: Salmonella outbreak.
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Milk And Other Dairy Products
Cheese is probably the most popular dog training treat. Few people realize that it’s actually dangerous for dogs. Though milk and other dairy products are less dangerous to dogs compared to other food, too much of it can cause constipation or diarrhea in the short term, and in the long term, obesity and a lasting gastrointestinal issue.
Human Foods Your Dog Can Eat
There are plenty of foods that we eat that our dog also loves, from meats and veggies. That means our fridges are full of great treats for our pups.
Meat and fish
Your dog can eat most of the meat and fish we do as long as it isnt seasoned, and any cooked bones are removed.
Dairy products
Dairy products such as cheese, natural yoghurt and ice cream make a great treat for lots of dogs, but its best to keep them as treats due to their high-fat content. Additionally, some dogs may be lactose-intolerant if they get smelly farts, sloppy poops and vomiting after eating dairy, its best to cut back.
Fruit and veg
Fruits and veggies arent universally loved by dogs, but they make fantastic treats thanks to being low in calories and full of goodness. Get them started with different fruits and vegetables whilst they are puppies, and youll have lifelong fans wholl be jumping for joy at the thought of a frozen carrot.
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Human Food Is Not Always Dog
Foods that are perfectly suitable for human consumption may be toxic to your dog, posing a serious threat to their health and well-being. Some foods can cause vomiting, diarrhea, upset stomach, weakened breathing, kidney problems, seizures, and even death.
Why? Because a dogs metabolism is different from our metabolism. Metabolism is the process of breaking down food and turning it into energy. Your dogs body cant process all types of food the way your body can, so foods that are just fine for you can be bad news for your dog.
Please note, although were attempting to add every food we can find that is potentially unsafe for dogs to this article, there are foods that we may miss. Dont consider a food safe to feed to your dog just because its not on this list of foods bad for dogs.
Do your research if you are uncertain about a particular food. If you are worried about something your pet consumed, please call your vet immediately.
Human Foods That Are Dangerous For Your Dog
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While we consider dogs to be members of our family, feeding them the same food we eat can cause injury to them. Dogs are not used to eating the oily, fatty foods that we do, and they can get diarrhea and upset stomachs from them. Its important to know what foods are toxic to dogs and avoid them.
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It Encourages Unwanted Behavior
Another problem with table food for dogs is that it reinforces begging behavior. And while you might find it cute, dinner guests may not appreciate your dog hovering over their plates. Your dog might also decide that, since they’re fed from the table, it’s fine to take a bite of food sitting on the table or kitchen counter. Some dogs may even start refusing to eat their own food when they fill up on human food.
Other Foods Harmful To Dogs
Dairy products can upset your dogs digestive system and cause diarrhea as well as food allergies. Ingestion of just a few macadamia nuts can cause weakness, paralysis and lack of coordination. Avocados contain persin, which can cause mild stomach upset in dogs. The bones in meat, chicken and fish can also be very hazardous to your dog. They can splinter and stick in the throat, break teeth or cut the intestines.
If you are unsure if you can feed a food to your dog, always consult your veterinarian first. As a general rule of thumb it is best to avoid feeding your dog human food anyways. While it can be hard to ignore those puppy dog eyes looking at you at the dinner table, feeding your dog can often result in weight gain among other more serious issues. To keep your dog out of harms way, it is best to stick to a diet of food specifically formulated to meet your dogs nutritional needs.
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Can Dogs Eat Rice
As omnivores, dogs can eat both plant and animal-based foods. Brown rice is a fantastic option, as its an easily digestible carbohydrate. Rice is a great simple carbohydrate to feed dogs if theyre feeling unwell, as its less likely to upset their system and allow time for them to recover. Pasta is also a healthy alternative to rice.
What It Can Do:
While the effect of garlic consumption to red blood cells won’t appear for a few days in dogs, they’ll be tired and reluctant to move. The dog’s urine will be orange to dark red in color. Like with onions, a blood transfusion might be required in severe cases.
H/T ASPCA
Like Macadamia Nuts, grapes and raisins can be extremely toxic to dogs.
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Candy Gum Peanut Butter And Baked Goods
The real culprit when it comes to these sweets is an ingredient called xylitol. It causes an insulin surge through your dogs body that can lead to a drop in blood sugar and liver failure. Symptoms include lethargy, vomiting, loss of coordination, seizures, and eventually death. Several of these foods, especially peanut butter, are sometimes made without xylitol, so check the list of ingredients in your foods before you share them with your dog.
Human Foods You Definitely Shouldnt Feed Your Dog
Food is an international language of love so its totally natural that we sometimes find ourselves sharing a plate with our pups. Food is love, right? Well, maybe not.
Many of the foods we consider healthy for us can actually be dangerous and even fatal for our canine friends. Here are our top 10 dos and donts when it comes to dinner time with your doggo.
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