do you feed your dog people food

[scarlett]

hey,

i am just curious how many of you feed your dog left overs?and do you think its safe?

marylyn

[Pam]

Bella gets several slices of my hubby's apple each day (that's what he eats for breakfast :rolleyes: ). She also get a few slices of my banana in the morning. :) I use carrots for treats alternately with her doggie treats. Oh and occasionally when we have pizza she will get a crust or two to nibble on. Other than that, it's strictly dog food for my girl. ;)

[primabella]

we've decided to not give mickey any people food (like, meat and stuff) but we have given him some cheese. i plan to put apples and little fruits in his kong when he gets more teeth ;)

[sandragonfly]

I exetreme dislike see any animals eating human food, it just is one of my pet peeves... Due to the experiences of my friends'...got killed, had to remove stomach, vomits, and all..I wouldn't want to take this risk on my pets..or anyone else's. I know there are some dogs who can survive human's food...But that's why Dog Food was invented!

[K8Ydid290]

I don't feed my dog people food (often) because she has a sencitive stomache, but I do think it is ok for some dogs to eat people food. :) But every once and a while we give her some left overs, her tummy is more stronger because she is older. :D

[neko1]

Originally posted by Gina's Ark Inc.
I exetreme dislike see any animals eating human food, it just is one of my pet peeves... Due to the experiences of my friends'...got killed, had to remove stomach, vomits, and all..I wouldn't want to take this risk on my pets..or anyone else's. I know there are some dogs who can survive human's food...But that's why Dog Food was invented!

I agree

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Besides peanut butter, apples, and other fruits, nope!:) ;)

[wolfsoul]

timber is fed on a full diet of ppl food :)
i dont like dog food (except leathers) cuz it is made up of the meat and grain that didnt pass the exam for human consumption...so in other words, they r eating rotten stuff....
Ann M. Martin is an author and she explains in her book that there are even zoo animals and other cats or dogs in dry food (i dont know if i belive this but it is enough to turn me off of the stuff)
Also, the main ingredient in most dog foods is corn flour...corn flour is horrible for dogs...it causes them to get fat and most dogs are allergic to it...
there are too many chemical preservatives and by-products...
most dog food contains chicken heads, chicken feet, fish heads, duck heads and feet, feathers, hide and intestines...
everything listed here is associated with skin problems, allergies, dental diseases, poor health, and degenerative organ dysfunction...
did u know that because of the crap that is found in alot of dog foods, that the average dog consumes 26 pounds of preservatives a year?
:eek:

[wolf_Q]

Gina's Ark Inc.....what do you think is in dog food? Dog food is made from products that are also put into human food (well, maybe not the bi-products and crap that's in the cheap food). What happened to your friend's dog?

wolfsoul, you should read the ingredient labels on dog food. The ingredient that is the largest amount is first on the label. If you buy the higher quality food, it will not have corn flour as the first ingredient (or even *as* an ingredient in some cases) and not all dog foods contain bi-products.

Probably the best dog food you can get is California Natural/Innova..I think. I haven't tried it personally, as there's no places close enough that sell it. I feed Nebo Nutro Natural Choice...which has meat as the first ingredient, and doesn't contain bi-products. He has a gorgeous, healthy coat, is not over-weight, and is in good health.

There are many people who feed their dogs a full diet of people food, but you have to be careful that your dog gets the right nutrients, etc. It's not something I have the time or money to do for my dog at this time.

I don't think feeding small amounts of people food is bad. I think actually, if you fed your dog a small piece of chicken vs. some processed dog treat, it'd be much healthier for the dog. Nebo gets only tiny bits and tastes of human food as a treat...such as veggies, fruit, meat, cheese, etc. Obviously, there's many "human foods" that dogs should not eat at all (chocolate, raisins, etc.)

[Cincy'sMom]

We feed out dogs people food. We don't give them "scraps" ie things that wewold not eat, but bites of our own dinner...we also use cheese, chicken and similar things for treats while training. You get a dog in a room with 10-15 other dogs and thing they want a bone? You have to something smellier and bettr to keep their attention, esp. as puppies.

I also feed my dogs "human' food inthe form of dog biscuit that I make myself, with ingredients like wheat flour, oatmeal, fruit, garlic, chesse, etc ( not all in the same bone). Doesn't have the artifical coloring/other additives dog trats have 9although they soemtimes get those too!)

There are some foods that are not good for dogs, onions, chocolate, grapes/raisins, but that does not make all "human" food bad.

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by wolf_Q


wolfsoul, you should read the ingredient labels on dog food. The ingredient that is the largest amount is first on the label. If you buy the higher quality food, it will not have corn flour as the first ingredient (or even *as* an ingredient in some cases) and not all dog foods contain bi-products.


i know that the first one listed means that there is more of that in it than anything else, but it doesnt matter to me, cuz timber doesnt get dogfood. my other dog leather does cuz shes at my dads house, but the food she gets is really good stuff (my other dogs get yucky dog food cuz the dont have allergies and cancer lik leather does)...doesnt have any corn flour and the only preservatives are vitamins c and e...i wrote about it in one of my other posts...ill copy it down here, its great stuff, it just costs so much and i still think the food i eat is better than any "dog food"


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by luckies4me
Oh and dog food does not cost $60 dollars. If you can't afford a good brand of low protein/low fat kibble they need to have a good quality lab block.......or sorry to say this but I don't think your rats are leading a very healthy life. They are most likely missing out on a lot of nutrients they need as well as getting more than they need from a few.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


regular dog food doesnt cost that much...but this is specially formulated dog food made by pets first....it has no corn flour and are preserved naturally with vitamins C and E that do not have the adverse affects that can occur from synthetic preservatives...and after insistent research, they say it also doesnt cause allergic reactions in pets, so it is mostly used with pets that have allergy problems, like my dog leather. She also has cancer, so this food is really good for her, and im not lieing when i say it costs 60 dollars...all of their products match the standards of AAFCO, and contain no animal bi products...it has high digestibility and great palatability...the meat is human grade, so its pretty much what we eat every day...it has a perfect balance of omega protiens that keep the fur healthy and shiny...
ooh! wait, i was just looking at the website and i see they lowered their price to 50 dollars! i belive it is a great deal for such great dog food that helped leather so much, even after her surgery. if u dont believe me, read it here:
http://pets1st.ca/PF/Pets1st.asp?ProdId=501

if i HAD to give my dog any kind of dog food in the entire world, it would definatly be this kind, but i still like natural food better.

[tomkatzid]

I knew onions and chocolate. But why no grapes/raisins:confused:

I cooked for Tonee (RB) and Shep-ee (RB) the last part of their lives And they loved it. They ate yogert, noodles, rice, beef, chicken and veggies.

Ashlee and Nina eat carrots, bananas, apples and oops, grapes.

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by tomkatzid
I knew onions and chocolate. But why no grapes/raisins:confused:

I cooked for Tonee (RB) and Shep-ee (RB) the last part of their lives And they loved it. They ate yogert, noodles, rice, beef, chicken and veggies.

Ashlee and Nina eat carrots, bananas, apples and oops, grapes.
grapes and raisins are only toxic when eaten in large quantities, and ive even read about vets giving their dogs grapes, so i dont believe that its something to worry about if youve given ur dogs some grapes b4...
grapes cause gastrointestinal symptom, like vomiting and diahhrea and signs of kidney failure..
i read that grapes are healthy as long as they r part of a balanced diet? a vet said this but i dont know if that is true
i also read that a dog needs to eat 2 pounds of grapes for them to be fatal...

[tomkatzid]

Wow, I found this on a search. So I think we will just stick to the other fruits and veggies.


Grape and raisin poisonings in Dogs

Recently, there was a letter in the AVMA Journal from Dr. Gwaltney-Brant and
others at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center discussing grape and raisin
poisoning in dogs. Apparently, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when
ingested in large quantities.

The grapes and raisins came from varied sources, including being eaten off
the vine directly. The dogs exhibited gastrointestinal signs including
vomiting and diarrhea and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of
severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion of the grapes
or raisins. The amount of grapes eaten varied between 9oz. and 2 lbs., which
worked out to be between 0.41 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight. Two dogs died
directly from the toxicity, three were euthanized due to poor response to
treatment and five dogs lived. Due to the severity of the signs and the
potential for death, the veterinarians as the poison control center advocate
aggressive treatment for any dogs suggested of ingesting excessive amounts of
grapes or raisins, including inducing vomiting, stomach lavage (stomach pumping)
and administration of activated charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy
for at least 48 hours or as indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney
damage.


I have fed my dogs a few grapes every now and then for years, so I don't think there
is a need to panic if a dog eats three or four grapes but if the whole bunch is missing
from the table one day, it would be good to think about watching for any signs of a
toxic reaction.

Michael Richards, DVM
6/5/2001

[wolfsoul]

wow thats like what i read, only twisted to make grapes sound better lol :confused:

[Brie]

I replied no to this, because when I think of people food, I think of the processed, cooked, seasoned, processed table scraps people feed from the dinner table.

I do think BARF diets are the way to go! If you have time and can afford to cook your dogs food more power to you.

I wanna give everybody a website that talks in dept about dog foods and what's in them. READ THIS:

http://home.attbi.com/~mstraus/dogfeeding.html


Go! Natural (this is the food I'm currently giving my Boston)
top ingredients:
Low Ash Chicken Meal, Human Grade Chicken, Whole Brown Rice, Whole White Rice, Hulless Barley, Sunflower Oil, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols (vit. E), citric acid (vit. C) and Rosemary extract), West Coast Salmon Meal, Dried Whole Potatoes, Rice Bran, Natural Chicken Flavour, Dried Whole Apples, Dried Whole Carrots, Ground Flax, Bee Pollen, Dried Whole Garlic, Ginger, Dried Alfalfa, Dried Whole Egg Beta Carotene, Cranberries, Kelp, Yucca Shidegera, Glucosamine, Chondrotin Sulphate

Pedigree
top ingredients:
GROUND YELLOW CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA/BHT), WHEAT MILL RUN, NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOR, RICE, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CARAMEL COLOR, WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT GLUTEN, VEGETABLE OIL (sorry about the all caps, that how it was when I copied it from their website)



Which would you eat???

[tomkatzid]

Brie,
top ingredients:
Low Ash Chicken Meal, Human Grade Chicken, Whole Brown Rice, Whole White Rice, Hulless Barley, Sunflower Oil, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols (vit. E), citric acid (vit. C) Here is a site that was posted on PT about bloat, when you ad water to dry food that has vit C in it. We ad water to the girls food, a little. I forgot to look at our food and see if it had C in it. Still don't know if I agree or disagree with the idea of raised dishes. We are still using ours.
http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm#Prevention

[Brie]

So, I agree with vitamin C.
First it's one of the few ingredients that is in a non-chemically preserved food (BHA/BHT is chemical and has been known to cause cancer in animals)
http://www.beowulfs.com/magazine/label.htm

WHAT ARE PRESERVATIVES?
        "The average dog consumes 26 pounds of preservatives each year!" (Anderson, John "The Poisons in Pet Food", Alternative Medicine, May 1998)   Have you ever wondered how the bag of dog food you buy at the store is marked to last as long as the next two inspections on your car?   This is due to the miracle of preservatives.   They have been closely linked with a laundry list of problems ranging from cancer to severe birth defects in litters.  The main preservatives used in dog food are BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin.   BHA and BHT have been shown to cause liver and kidney failure and in high doses have been implicated as carcinogens.   Ethoxyquin in one form is used to prevent the break down of rubber, another form is used as an insecticide for apples, and the "food grade" form is used to preserve dog food.   It is banned in Europe, blamed for skin, reproductive, and nerve problems.   You may wonder why, given all the dangers to our animals, manufacturers would use chemical preservatives?   That's easy; they give pet foods the shelf life of approximately two years and are much cheaper than natural preservatives such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Rosemary.   The most widely used argument for the use of BHA and BHT are that they are found in human foods as well. (Humans had the sense to avoid Ethoxyquin)   This point is invalid with animals, however, because animals eat the same diet twice a day for years.   Humans vary their diets, reducing how much they consume and are therefore at a lower a risk.   Be aware that some manufacturers will say they use Vitamins to preserve their food, but that food still has an extended shelf life.   The chemical preservatives are not added by the manufacturer, but rather the ingredients are pre-treated with the chemicals.   If the manufacturer did not specifically add the "ingredient", they do not have to list it.   This is another loophole for manufacturers and just as unhealthy for your animal.   Make sure to check yourself.   A truly natural food will have a shelf life of one year or less.

This is a sample of one of many articles written on the side effects of BHA/BHT

Dogs naturally produce their own vitamin C, but, they may not be getting enough: http://ighawaii.com/naturally/newsletter/lpvc.html
I never seen any negative effects of vitamin C. So, I see nothing wrong with supplementing it a little in their food, especially being so far down on the list of ingredients, it's not a huge amount.

I also believe NO DOG should be eating in a bowl where their head is much lower than even with ther shoulders... This creates stress on the back and neck. Do you eat bent over with your head down??

[Brie]

So, I can't find any info to back up this person's theory of vitamin C causing bloat. I mean it's not like you're giving your dog an orange or lemon...


Many animals make their own ascorbic acid; they typically have much higher concentrations in their body than humans do. The common sugar, glucose, can be converted to ascorbic acid through a series of 4 steps, each requiring its associated enzyme. The final step involves the conversion of a molecule called gulonolactone to ascorbic acid. Unlike most animals, humans do not have the enzyme to effect this conversion and thus are dependent upon obtaining ascorbic acid through diet. http://www.el-dorado.ca.us/~tstout/articles/vitc.shtml


If you are going to maximize the efficiency of vitamin C (metabolizing it) and use other nutrients essential to joint care, flavonoids have to be present in your pet’s body. There are hundreds of them and they are found in nearly every food you can think of. Fruits, vegetables and grains contain large amounts and that is the reason we recommend ample amounts of these in your pet’s diet.
http://www.arthritis-glucosamine.net/pet-arthritis-chronicle/aug02.html

more positive:
http://www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/belfield.html
http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/DogsDonLie.htm
http://members.aol.com/abywood/www/vit_c.htm
http://www.cyberpet.com/cyberdog/articles/health/vitc.htm
http://www.cm-d.com/buckeye/tech_manual/8_21.html
http://www.petsmart.com/articles/article_7050.shtml
http://www.skansen.com/nutrition/VitC.htm
http://www.mineralconnection.com/whypetvit.htm
http://samw.home.attbi.com/dachback/ester_c.htm
http://samw.home.attbi.com/dachback/ester_c.htm
http://www.5webdogs.com/dog_jointhealth%20.htm

negative:
http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/013.html

I searched the web and the only article I could find talking about the dangers of vitamin C is this one listed above, but, my lists of positive articles in support of vitamin C could go on much longer than this.

And if you're still concerned one the articles posted by the bloat link was about bloat being largely caused by lack of pro-biotic enzymes... go get a acidophilus supplement. http://www.pet-authority.com/prod01.htm That's the "good" bateria found in yogurt everyone is talking about.

I give my dog Vetbasis Healthy Breath & Body, it contains acidophilus and I have a gassy little dog, let me tell you :::whewwwww::: Since he's started on this product, the gas is gone. www.vetbasis.com

So for now, I think this peron is trying to scary all of you. Even the one article I did find on vitamin C being bad, didn't even mention bloat. Maybe you can find something.

What food are you feeding, I can tell you if it contains vitamin C or not.

[Brie]

and going back and re-reading your post


when you ad water to dry food that has vit C in it.

well, don't add water to the food if bloat a concern for you. That just doesn't make since to me. Why do something if it gives you cause for concern.:confused: :confused:

[tomkatzid]

The whole dog food thing is a concern to us. Like some one else posted, one day something is good, the next day it is bad. Just hard to know what is the right thing to do. We go along thinking we are doing the best we can and someone writes a study on adding water to dog food is bad, raised dishes are bad, dog food is bad, home cooking is bad, what to do:confused: :confused: :confused: Same thing for people I guess, what was good for us yesterday is bad for us today. Thanks for all the sites, I will read all I can tonight.

[tomkatzid]

I looked and it has C. I think most do, because they need it. We feed, Nutro Natural Choice Chicken for Ashlee and for Nina Nutro Natural Choice Lite. After this bag we will put Nina on Ashlee's kind too. We did feed Wellness, which sound so good, but they pooped more on it and we thought maybe their bodies weren't using enough of it:confused: Not sure on that though. What do you think?

[Brie]

it's all a matter of who and what you believe.

To each his own.

As if it's not obivous I care about what my dog eats... if I won't eat it, neither will my dog. We only drink filtered water, we have air filters running in our house all day... if it's not good enough for me it's not good enough for him.

Have you heard of the Whole Dog Journal? I think their magazine is something that you would greatly appreciated. They are a magazine that does not allow advertising, so none of their articles are ever sponsored or in favor of. Every year they put out an article of the Top 10 Best Dog Foods, Top Canned Foods, Top Raw Foods... the retail aspect of the pet food industry largely basis the higher end foods they have on the shelf based on their reports. When I spoke with someone who works there and asked her if a food was not on the list for a second year in a row was now bad, she told me it's not becuase it's bad now, it's that there's so many new foods on the market that they only have room to review those ones. She said they'd never not recommend a food that was ever on their list.

Thier articles cover everything from toys to leashes to veterinary insurance to nutrition information to health information to supplements, to behavior and training...etc

It's really worth the $20 for a year subscription.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000066HV6/qid%3D1045800342/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-9112743-8222244

Awesome magazine.

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

There is also a Whole Cat Journal
http://www.wholecat.com/

This is their article on vitamin C http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/pub/1_7/features/5309-1.html You can only read the first paragraph unless you order the whole thing for $10.00... ::grrr::

[tomkatzid]

OK, I just signed up for the Whole Dog Journal. It won't come for several weeks yet. I can't wait;) I checked with the library and they didn't have it. Thanks for the link, I really saved a lot buying it from amazon.

[Brie]

We did feed Wellness, which sound so good, but they pooped more on it and we thought maybe their bodies weren't using enough of it Not sure on that though. What do you think?

This is a common problem that people are having switching to Wellness. Not sure why, it's a great food. I've seen tremendous health improvements from dogs who were doing grocery store foods switching to Wellness.

Something that I tend to tell my customers when they ask which is the BEST dog food available, it's not about which is best, it's about what's best for your dog. You look through the ingredients, take out all the crap filers and you're still left with tons of foods to choose from... Find something in your price range (1), find something your dog likes (2)
Keep trying something until you find something you like, but, to see the benefits of any new diet change, I always encourage my customers to give it one month to start noticing any change in stool, coat, breath, energy, etc... (of course, if the dog just refuses to eat it, try something else)
I rotate my foods every three or four months, and my first step in elimating foods: if it has lamb in it I won't feed it. It makes my dogs gas far worse than it normally is. But, lamb, maybe just the thing your dogs need...

This leads into my other thought about why (possibly) Wellness wasn't you best option... Since you were feeding a lamb formula (most Nutros are) before and switched to Wellness chicken, the dogs digestive track could just be very not liking the protein source switch. Dunno. But, If you switched them to Wellness chicken before, I'd say try switching to Wellness lamb (if you're up for a couple week experiement) Or even try another food that's lamb based, like Natural Balance or Sensible Choice Lamb and Rice (<--this might be a good start for you, it's a step up from Nutro because it's eliminates corn from the food.)

Just some thoughts.

[Jessica12345]

I do sometimes with jordan, because he got a few when he was younger. Now he ALWAYS begs. He only gets like a few cheezits or chips here and there
;)


We havnt given jewls ANY people food. It great too, because she doesnt even care its there.

I wish we had done that with jordan though.

[tikeyas_mom]

I feed my dogs...

Bread, apple, carrots, cookies (no chocolate), I feed them peaces of chicken and beef. lol I get in soo much touble when I do it though :rolleyes:

[gkristian]

the only humen food i give Foxy is blened vegtabels.

[CathyBogart]

There needs to be an option for "I'm weak.....the dog gets more people food than I do" *chuckles* I have been known to come home from school and cook uptow chicken breasts with rice and split the food with Star. We both enjoy it, and my vet tells me that it seems to be improving her coat. ^_^

[Dakota's Mommy]

We do, but it's rare! They did get some on Thanksgiving and I believe on Christmas. Other than that, it's just a little here and there. I think they get cheese and peanut butter more than anything.