Human food for dogs

I was told by a dog lover friend before that feeding dog with human food like rice with viand instead of dog food has effects on their growth. Something like they won't grow their natural height. They will be shorter or smaller. If you’re feeding you dog human food, do you get that same effect on your dog?

 

I have not experienced having pure bred dog and local dogs are really shorter/smaller kind of breeds. And so I could not compare them being fed with human foods to those bigger breed dogs eating dog foods. So I think it could be really depends on the breed and if well fed.

 

Humans and dogs have different nutritional requirements. It really depends on what you are feeding the dog--if you feed mostly carbohydrates (rice, bread, potatoes, etc.), then your dog will not thrive because these are quick energy foods and will not support growth. It's also likely that the dog's bones will be weak and possibly stunted. A puppy can grow normally on a human-quality meat-based diet, but it still needs other foods to supplement the meat: it needs calcium (bone meal is best or raw egg shells) and a minimum of carbs of some kind--plus human food should not be heavily seasoned. Some foods should be avoided entirely, like raw onions, grapes, and raisins. I wouldn't recommend an all-human food diet for a dog, but it can be done.

 

Good grief! Now that you mention it, I think those carbs in bread and rice is causing rheumatoid to my old dog. There were occasion when he can’t get up or he could stand in one place for so long without moving. I though it must be due to old age that’s giving him difficulty even to simply walk but I guess it’s also cause by those meal that he prefer to eat. Thing is, my old dog knows what he wants, so much he would rather suffer than take what he don’t like. He’s as hardheaded as the bone he can’t chew.

 

Rheumatoid arthritis is not because of the carbohydrates, it is the protein rich foods which can cause this disease. However, giving foods rich in carbohydrates often as you have mentioned is not good for your dogs. Those excess sugar will be stored as fats making your dog unhealthy and overweight.

Maybe there is different reason why your dog is experiencing this kind of disease.

 

When my dogs are puppies, I feed them with specially-formulated dog food. When they grow up, they tend to eat what I do. In fact, they prefer to eat what I do. Since I do not plan on eating dog food, my dogs end up eating people food.

 

I don't feed my dogs anything that we eat. For one they are dachshunds and a human diet could cause them to be over weight and that would cause all kinds of health problems. I think that most humans don't eat the way that they should and that causes health problems so if you feed your dog an all human diet of what ever you are eating chances are they won't be healthy either.

 

I just don't see any good reason to feed dogs human food. Dog food is less expensive then human food, and dog food gives your dog the nutrients he needs. Also, if dogs eat foods they are not used to they will throw it up or have issues with their bowels. Stick to the food that was created for them..

 

I know many people think they shouldn't feed there dogs human food because of the so called diets dogs should receive. Well, I have not fed my dog commercially processed dog food in over 4yrs. She's 14yrs old and still runs around like she is a puppy. She is on a diet that my vet recommended because she has allergies. They are worse in the spring and summer months. She basically gets the following all stewed up in a crockpot for 6-8 hrs. Pork, beef or chicken. Then she also gets seasonal greens (mustard, dandelion, or collard), shitake or crimini mushrooms, barley, soup bones added and also organ meats such as hearts or livers.

 

What you are feeding your dog sounds very like what any human being would be eating. I think you hit the nail on the head when you pointed out the so-called diets for dogs. I rather suspect it's more of a marketing strategy than an actual assessment of canine needs.

 

I try not to feed my dogs human food after the oldest Coco started snapping when eating the human food I would give her. I would feed then certain foods that are ok for dogs like boiled egg, plain yogurt and peanut butter but not often. I have noticed when a dog eats a lot of human foods they will not want their dog food.

 

It definitely depends on the dog and the type of food. My aunt has been giving her dog rice mixed with hamburger meat due to an allergy sensitivity that the dog has. For some reason, it cannot eat dog food. However, you should be very careful to avoid certain types of food that are bad for a dogs digestive system such as grapes and turkey.

 

I've never given my Homer human food - not as regular food at least, I sometimes give him some rice or something like this as a treat. I heard that human food is unhealthy for dogs because it contains too much salt.

 

What about chicken? Bones or no bones, I hear boiling the chicken makes the bones soft and easier to chew. This lowers the chance of the chicken bone splintering and cutting the dog's intestine. I saw a recipe once that called for 1 whole chicken to be boiled along with vegetables like celery and carrot. And a cup of rice. Of course no seasoning to any of this.
Then the vegetables were minced in a food processor until they became a paste which was then all mixed up with the chicken and rice.

Is this a healthy recipe or is it lacking? The man who made the food also recommends grinding up egg shells.