Feeding Your Dog Leftovers

By

TXBetty

Commercial dog food has not been around forever as far I know. I feed my dog people food quiet often and the types of food I feed him are probably much better for him that some of the dog foods. I have no idea what some of the ingredients are. Boiled chicken, boiled beef, liver, carrots, broccoli, rice, pasta, eggs, green beans, apple, oats. I don't see how anyone could say this is bad for a dog. Moderation like anything else.

By

lyonpridej

Please don't feed your dogs people food without checking with your vet first. My stepdad killed 2 of their dogs by feeding them people food. That was one of the biggest issues in his & my mom's marriage because she could not stop him. His excuse was always that when he was a kid,they'd never fed their dogs dog food,they got table scraps-of course his dogs never lived long either.

Muffin, a cockapoo, lived to the ripe age of 12. Her last several years(after my stepdad retired & was home all the time) was filled with intestinal problems & diarrhea because he thought it was ok to give the dogs anything he ate & fed them from the table.His diet consisted of fatty,fried meat, potatoes,gravy,bread,butter,etc. The vet tried to tell him that her problems was because of the things he was giving her, but he wouldn't listen-he LOVED HER, & that was how he showed it. He would cry when she was so sick they had to take her to the vet, but he would do it all over again!The only reason he stopped giving her chocolate was because she nearly died from it one time. The vet was really upset with him over it!

Audie was a sweet, beautiful Queensland who died an agonizing death, alone at the vets, from acute pancreatitis - brought on by the junk food he fed her, specifically hot dogs! Even after Muffin died, he continued to feed Audie everything he ate,on top of her top quality dog food. When she began having intestinal & stomach issues & having to go to the vets to be put on medication for pancreatitis, the vet gave him a severe lecture & told him he was going to kill her. He promised to stop & behaved himself whem my mom was around, by giving her only a few of the specific treats she was allowed-she seemed to get better. When nobody was watching, he gave her people food.
Then she started acting like she didn't feel well & would not eat or drink anything. My mom was worried & tried to coax her to eat a little cooked rice & hamburger,but she wouldn't touch it. Thinking maybe it was a little stomach upset, mom decided to watch her another day before taking her in to be checked. In the meantime,when she wasn't around, he coaxed & coaxed until he got Audie to eat a hot dog. Within hours she was deathly ill & in agony. She was so sick, they had to leave her at the vets for medication & IV. Mom went to see her every day & stayed with her as much as possible(she was a mama's baby). She seemed to do a little better, so one morning when my mom was sick, the vet's office told her not to worry about coming in,the dog was doing better & was comfortable. A couple of hours later she took a turn for the worse & died before my mom could get there. My mom has never forgiven herself & still can't talk about it.
When the vet did an autopsy to see what was wrong, he said he'd never seen seen a pancreas that looked as bad as her's did, he was horrified! Then when my stepdad admitted to giving her a hot dog, the vet said that he had killed her by giving it to her!

Of course he was devestated! He cried & cried over it. They missed her so much, my mom finally agreed to get another dog - thinking he'd finally learned his lesson. So they adopted 2 Queensland mixed puppies - and guess what? Yeah, he started feeding them from his plate, because they lay under his chair while he ate. He loved them & couldn't stand to tell them no. My mom was so upset, but what could she do? He ignored her & did what he wanted to.
This might sound mean, but fortunately for the dogs, when they were about a year old he died from colon cancer. The dogs are now on a healthy diet & will probably live to a good age.

Most vets will probably tell you it's ok to give your dog a very few certain vegetables as long as they are cooked slightly (raw veggies are not good for dogs), a little of some fruits, cooked rice, etc. Fatty foods are bad for them & processed foods with nitrates are the worst. Really, it is best to give your dog a good quality dog food & check with your vet about the people food.

By

xintexas

What you are doing is better than feeding them canned dog food for sure. I feed my dogs a high grade dog food too. Yes they do poop less and eat less and have less gas on that dry food. But everyone cannot afford Blue Buffalo it is one of the most expensive foods for dogs. I also give my dogs meat and chicken leftovers but in moderation (not everyday) and usually mix it in the dry dog food. If your dogs are getting plenty of exercise they shouldn't gain weight. It is the overfeeding and not exercising that makes pets fat.

All dog food manufactures are out to sell dog food and most of the time the recommended amount of food on the back of the package is too much food for our pampered pets. It is best to just give 1/2 cup less or more if they get a lot of treats and the dog gets next to none in exercise. If you are happy with their diet and the dogs are doing fine then for you there is nothing wrong with adding leftovers to their diets.

By

tiagirl11

Depending on what kind of food you feed your dogs is one of the biggest issues.People think they are dogs and will eat anything, but if they are part of your family feed them like they are family. If you are feeding a food that does not have a real meat not a by-product as your first ingredient your dog is not filling his/her tummy. So they are going to eat a lot more food. I use Blue Buffalo with my dogs (basset hound and a Sheltie/Whippet mix) both about 50 lbs and I go through a 15 lb bag about every 3 weeks. the first ingredient is a real meat, no corn, soy, wheat.

My dogs are in much better shape, my shltie mix is 10 years old I've rescued her 8 years ago. She is in a lot better condition inside and out. Eats less, sheds less and poops alot less. Give it a try, a friend has a lab mix and they were feeding 71/2 cups a day, with Blue Buffalo they are feeding 3 1/2 cups. Real meat does a body good! Still not sure? Go to bluebuffalo.com and check it out. I swear by the food and would not use anything less and I'm on a fixed budget.