The big one is feeding raw food. I don't recommend it. You'll see a lot of stuff on the internet about how it's better and more natural for them. With commercial foods, we see dogs living longer and longer. These commercial pet food companies have worked hard to formulate balanced nutrition, so dogs thrive on it. The raw foods often harbor bacteria like salmonella, and the meats can have parasites and enzymes in them that can be harmful to the dog. So I don't recommend raw food because of diseases and deleterious things that it can transmit. If you're going to insist on feeding non-commercial dog food, I recommend that a nutritionist balance it and that you cook it. You're not hurting the nutritional value by cooking it.

It definitely can. Some dogs will eat and eat. We're sometimes better able to control what they eat than what we eat ourselves. I recommend measuring what they eat, whether you leave it out for them all day or time feed it. As long as you have a good grasp of what they're eating because if you want them to lose weight, for instance, the only way you can do that is by knowing how much they're eating and reducing it.

It can. It's all about calories. Four potato chips for them is like a bag for us, especially for smaller dogs. It can also facilitate pickiness, vomiting and diarrhea. I recommend that human food be kept to a minimum. If you do it, some vegetables like carrots and green beans are harmless and make the dog think they're getting some of your food. I won't condemn an occasional treat, but doggie formulated treats and kibble should be 95% of what they eat. People have difficulty with portion size. They'll give one hamburger, but dogs are really good at beating us down so next time they'll have two hamburgers.

Not necessarily. They're omnivorous, so they eat grass as part of their scavenging behavior. Some of them crave the fiber, but they're not equipped to deal with that grass as it isn't digestible for the dog, so they throw it up. Sometimes, when they're nauseated, they'll exhibit PICA behavior and eat things that they don't usually eat. Grass is a big one for that. If you're feeding good quality food, they're not missing anything.

I don't recommend supplements. The reason being that pet foods are balanced, and if we give supplements, we can cause an imbalance as far as nutritional supplements and vitamins go. If you're going to give a supplement to your cat, try some canned food, if you're not doing that already. It's like giving them water. A water fountain also encourages more water intake for cats. Then your Pounds treats are okay for good behavior and kitty cat enrichment. But, unless we've prescribed something, supplements aren't necessary if you have good quality cat food.

That canned food is not good for a cat. Canned food is good for enrichment and studies are showing cats do better with canned food added to their ration. At James, they used to say that dry food is better for their teeth, but most of the commercial pet foods disintegrate when any pressure is put on them. So there's doubt on whether they're benefiting the teeth unless they're prescription or certified food made for dental care. With dogs, we don't push canned food a lot, but with cats, we encourage it.

It's highly possible. You can free-choice feed, I don't have a problem with that, you just need to measure feed for each specific cat. It's hard to leave one bowl out for four cats because some will be thin and some won't.

Human food can make your cat overweight. Once again, it's all about calories. Also, cats are made for a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, so carbohydrates can add to obesity.

No, that's just natural cat behavior. They are hunters and tend not to have the scavenging ways as much as dogs do. It is a natural behavior for cats. They'll hunt bugs in your house, but that's just what cats do.

It depends on if your cat has a specific condition or disease that requires a prescription diet. Renal or kidney disease is very common in aging cats, so we put them on prescription diets for that. Those diets have, for instance, good quality and a bit less protein. It's not necessarily better but it is essential for cats with certain diseases.