Can I feed my dog human food?

We really don't recommend that you feed them human food. There are so many needs for dogs that you should feed them the particular lifestyle that they are in. And then they can be supplemented with some dog treats, for sure, but people food - even things like grapes that are healthy for us - can be very toxic to dogs.

So the best thing to do is just, across the board, say that you're not going to feed your dog people food. They'll be less likely to become overweight. They won't beg from the table so much. They will be healthier if you follow that recommendation.

I don't recommend it, but you can give them some human food. You might consider things like apples, green beans, and steamed carrots. Also, we sometimes recommend offering your pet boiled chicken and white rice if they have some GI upset. So there is sometimes a need or recommendation for it, but I wouldn't feed your dog the fat from your steak, a piece of bacon, chicken bones, or anything like that.

You can. I don't really have any problems with that. I am concerned about what food you're giving to your dog. The best way of saying this is that we know in our heart of hearts what's healthy, what's nutritionally appropriate for us, and what's improving the quality of our life. We know what's good for us, and that's fine if you want to give that to your dog. We'll talk about some more specifics. If you are sitting there with a bowl of popcorn, Cheetos, and pizza, and you think that's appropriate to give to your dog, no, it's simply not. Again, those foods are not nutritionally valuable or appropriate for your dog if you're going to be giving what we would consider snack food or junk food. End of story. So basically, yes, you can give them human food.

So let's say you've baked some chicken tonight. Great, that's fine. I don't have any problem with you giving that to your dog. I don't have any problem if you want to brown some ground beef and give that to your dog. Beautiful. If you want to give them some vegetables, you can. In fact, my favorite treat to give to dogs is vegetables. I am fine with anything from baby carrots to zucchini to cherry tomatoes. I would much prefer you give vegetables over fruit if you are going to give a treat. I will lean on treats for dogs a little bit. Honestly, if it comes in a box or a bag, I do not recommend it. It's much better nutritionally, calorie-wise, with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, to give some vegetables. You can make some zucchini sticks, cherry tomatoes, or baby carrots. Those are all appropriate to give to your dog. I don't have any problem with that. Getting to the question about giving dogs human food, just be intentional about it. If you're going to give human food, that's fine, but just ensure it's nutritionally appropriate for your pet as it would be for you.

The short answer to that is no, but the honest answer is we're probably going to anyway. Some foods that are okay to give dogs are carrots, apples, bananas, and broccoli if they'll eat them. There's quite a list of human foods that are safe to give, but I would say focus on moderation. It should not be taking up anywhere near the bulk of their regular diet intake of certified food. Whether you're just giving a couple of bites of it or an occasional treat, that is okay. The foods that you want to avoid at all costs would be things that are toxic to them, like raisins, onions, and garlic. However, there are other things to consider. Things like fried foods, high-fatty foods, sugary foods, and the dreaded chocolate. We have plenty of blog material and resources on our website if you want to dive deeper into what things to avoid feeding or what things are safe to feed. As always, you can always call our clinic if you have any specific questions because, I'm going to be honest, you'll get those cute puppy dog eyes looking at you, and you'll want to cave in. Not all of us can be perfect and not feed because, I mean, come on. You can't have that guy look up at you; you'll give him a snack. So make sure it's moderation, the right option of food, and that you're not doing it all the time.

Truthfully, in my opinion, it's okay, but it should be only a supplement to your pet's complete and balanced diet. It's really important that the diet is complete and balanced, and adding things from your table is a nice treat, but it's no substitute for that complete and balanced diet.

Human food can be a challenging thing to know what can be good or bad for your dog. All human food should be given in moderation if you're going to feed it. You need to consider the size of your dog and their calorie needs compared to ours. What you think may be a small amount of human food is actually a large amount that can cause a lot of issues. There are also certain human foods that need to be avoided at all costs.