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We all know (hopefully) that some types of food are off-limits to our dogs because of potential toxicities. But what about feeding your dog other types of people foods? Is it good? Is it bad? It’s a controversial subject at best.
Today, guest blogger Alyssa Jacobs shares her thoughts on the topic of feeding your dog people food.
What Happens When You Give Your Dog People Food
by Alyssa Jacobs
As the saying goes, a dog is a man’s best friend. Contrary to the saying, the way people take care of their dogs is coming to be a problem in many different ways. Specifically and mainly, feeding your dog people food. Although some people foods, particularly the ones containing proteins and carbohydrates, are okay for dogs, there are still serious side effects.
Just as obesity has become increasingly common and dangerous for humans, it can start to affect your dog as well. The same foods that cause you to gain weight will cause your dog to gain weight too. Foods such as hot dogs, beans, or cheese for example are only some of the many foods that can be threatening to dogs. These fatty foods will cause a fat build up in your dog and in turn can cause a number of diseases. One, for instance, will cause your dog’s pancreas to become inflamed, thus stopping it from working.
As stated above, some foods can be life threatening to your pup.
- Kidney damage can be done caused to an unknown enzyme that is found in fruits, particularly raisins and grapes.
- Onions and garlic can cause anemia. Just like in humans, anemia is a low amount of red blood cells. Garlic and onion contain disulfides and sulfoxides that cause red blood cell deficiency in dogs.
- Another common disease dogs can share with humans is diabetes. An extreme intake of sugary foods is the cause of diabetes, along with causing dental problems and as mentioned before, obesity. (Editors note: Many cases of canine diabetes are genetic in nature and, though sugary foods are not recommended, they may not necessarily be the cause of diabetes either.)
- Bones from fish, poultry, or other meats can get stuck in the animal’s digestive tract too.
- The most common food that everyone knows, or should know, not to feed their dog is chocolate. Chocolate, along with caffeine, contains theobromine. Theobromine is a chemical that can be dangerously toxic to a dog and cause heart disease as well as horrible affects to the nervous system.
It has been shown that dogs require fat, carbohydrates, mineral, vitamins, water and protein to survive. However, these are needed in moderation and in specific quantities. Feeding your dog people food will throw off the balance that is found in commercial dog foods.
Some people think that it is okay to “reward” your dog people food for behaving or doing a trick. This is wrong for many reasons. Two of them being the dog can become addicted and/or it will become a habit. For all of the reasons listed previously, it is obvious as to why this should never become a habit. The dog will constantly be begging for people food and a lot of people will give in.
If you love your dog, you should show it. Do not feed him or her foods that are bad for their health. Get them on a steady diet that allows for them to get the nutrition that they need. Treats once in a while for rewards are okay, but try and stay away from the people foods.
This article was written by Alyssa Jacobs. She has a passion for dogs, and is a proud owner of two GoldenDoodles. In her spare time she volunteers caring for animals in need, and loves reading up on animal stories. She currently writes for Acne Centre, a website that specializes in acne treatment.
Do you have an opinion about sharing your food with your dog? Share your thoughts and comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
Photo Courtesy of ozmafan/Flickr.com
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Grapes, and their dried, more concentrated form, raisins, contain something, very likely a not yet identified enzyme, which causes kidney damage in dogs. If there’s any evidence of it in other fruits, I have not yet encountered that information anywhere, and would appreciate a bit more detail than a vague warming against “fruits.”
Onions can definitely cause anemia. Garlic is suspect because they are of the same family, but it hasn’t been demonstrated, and in small amounts is used as a flavoring in dog food without any apparent harm.
Too much sugary foods isn’t good for anyone, human, canine, or most other mammal species, because too much sugar was never a problem before modern human food processing. It’s useful to remember that dogs normally weigh much less than humans, and the quantity of sugary food should be correspondingly smaller.
Any treats, if over-used or used improperly, can become a problem. There’s nothing magic or especially evil about “human foods” used as treats, provided you are choosing them sensibly. If your dog is an annoying beggar, it’s because you are rewarding begging–whether you do it with good quality chicken, or doggie junk food like Begg’n Strips. And, in keeping with your final admonishment, that if you love your dog you should feed foods that are bad for dogs, good quality chicken is a lot less likely to have bad health effects than the junk food found in the dog treats aisle in supermarkets.
Can we please have a little more useful information and a little less tsk-tsking over “human food” and its supposed Evil Effects?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Liz. I will ask Alyssa if she would like to stop by and address some of your comments.
I’m sorry to be rude, but this is not a very helpful or original article. The foods she cited have been known for years to be problematic. Her admonition that all people food is horrible is flat silly. She sounds like she works for a dog food company.
It’s generally not the food, but the quantity. My parents fed their dogs human food and the issue was always the quantity of food given. The dogs should not have had nearly the amount they ate. They never consumed sugary snacks, but food consumed in excess will pack on the pounds in dogs and humans if they don’t have a method for burning it off.
Our family dog likes carrots and has been eating them for years. Sometimes, my mom will give her turkey (lunch meat), but that’s all the ‘table meat’ she receives. I’m not a big fan of processed meats (I’m a vegetarian), but Harriet hasn’t had any reaction to the meat. She’s an energetic and happy 13-year-old dog
This was the dumbest article I’ve ever read on the subject. She states everything that any dog owner already knows. Nothing new. AND leaves out the entire community who MAKES THEIR OWN food for their dogs ie. Raw food feeders. She states that all bones can get stuck, when in fact I know MANY people, myself included who have been feeding a raw food diet WITH BONES for years and years with no problems whatsoever. I completely agree that processed foods are no good for dogs, but I FIRMLY believe that giving my dogs a REAL food/human food treat is WAYYYYYY better than all the extremely processed dog treats out there!!! She ignores that completely. So frustrating.
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We must give the quality food to dogs because when we pet the dogs they help us in many problems. They also have the feeling like human. I recommend that we must insured our dogs or pet animal this increase the care of animals. Pet insurance
Thanks for the informative article! I’ve had dogs all my life, and seeing others who are new “parents” to a dog, who do what I consider dumb things, such as feeding them improperly infuriate me. Being able to direct them to knowledgeable articles and sites seems to help a great deal.
Aside from that, I’d love to get your opinion on something. I have a 4-5 year old German Shepherd / Black Lab mix who’s like one of my children. He’s always been a little different from most of the dogs I’ve ever had in that when you scratch his belly he doesn’t do the cute little foot thing… EXCEPT when his skin is dry or irritated by something. When this happens, I’ve tried many things alone, and together to see what will give him relief. Thus far, about the only thing that seems to give any sort of quick relief is to give him a bath with an oatmeal shampoo and conditioner plus giving him two boiled eggs.
Within a day or so, he’s completely back to being a happy boy. This is maybe a once every six month thing. While I’m aware of the health issues of eggs in high concentrations, and also possible allergic reactions, do you think there are any negative side effects to this? So far, there are no obvious reactions, but I understand there are many reactions and side effects not seen by the naked eye and/or immediately.
Thanks again!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth, I think you’re probably fine giving two boiled eggs every six months or so. There’s not much danger of anything other than GI upset if the eggs don’t agree with him. Very little danger of toxicity unless you’re giving them much more often, I would think. And the oatmeal bath certainly can’t do any harm. It tends to have a soothing action on the skin.
Make sure you’re using effective flea control, so we can rule out fleas as the cause. If his skin is dry, perhaps a change in diet is in order. Or at least adding some fatty acids to his diet. But check with your veterinarian first, of course.
Well, I think that making rules as simple as possible is the best policy for most people. Less room for interpretation and screw ups.
It is interesting though, that some dog designated treats, including those that lately became VERY popular at all the vets’ offices we go to can easily qualify as people food. The newest and most popular is dehydrated liver treats. All vet offices offer them proudly to their dog visitors. It’s packaged as dog treats. Ingredients? Dehydrated liver. Is liver people food or dog food?
I personally think that it is a fine treat and I believe it is better than many of the dog biscuits or other dog treats.
Does people food grow on different trees than dog food?
I agree that understanding which foods (because that’s what they all are – foods) are dangerous to dogs is extremely important. Because some foods we eat ARE harmful and toxic to dogs.
I also agree that junk food (whether “people” or “dog” variety) is not good for dogs.
However, I am quite happy treat our dogs with dehydrated beef. I also think that having a bit of cheese every now and then isn’t going to harm anything.
And yes, I believe in balance diet. For me it’s easy, I KNOW I’m going to be giving meat for treats, so I compensate when making Jasmine’s home-cooked recipe.
When giving dogs “people” food for treats becomes a problem is when people don’t know which foods are toxic to dogs or when they overshoot the runway.
So for most folk, I think, a simple rule of “no people food for dogs” is probably the safest way to go.
For those who know a bit more about it? A little piece of liver never killed anybody and I don’t think it will.
Alyssa says
When I say people food, it should be obvious that I am not including small pieces of dehydrated liver. I do not know how many people eat dehydrated liver. As for the people who make their own dog food, this article is not aimed for your type. Believe it or not, not everyone has a firm grip on what is or isn’t healthy for their pets. This article is aimed at them. So for one to say “this is so dumb” is extremely off base and rude. The article wasn’t meant for you, so have a little more respect. I still thank everyone for taking the time to read. And no, I do not work for a dog food company, haha that one made me laugh.
Alyssa