What is good human food for dogs?

I know there are some people out there who do not give their dogs any human food. There are others out there who give their dogs every table scrap possible. I am just wondering what human food is actually good for dogs. I know that white rice and frozen vegetables can be an extra supplement if your dog just needs a little bit more. What are some other good ideas?

 

I am one of the means ones who doesn't give their dog people food. She loves her own food and has three different treat varieties. I don't think she needs anything more.

I do give her vegetables as treats every day. These are good for them and don't add many calories to their diet. Misha loves steamed baby carrots, broccoli, and peas. I eat vegetables for lunch, so she gets her baby carrot then. You would think I'd given her the best prize in the world. LOL

A lot of foods are too fatty or have too much sugar. I'd stay away from processed foods. Unsweetened plain yogurt has been recommended by my veterinarian for digestive health. I gave it to Sierra the last two years of her life. She loved it.

 

Well some people do give their dogs raw meat or bones. As you said giving them vegetables and rice can also be good. I do know for a fact one food that humans eat that dogs should definitely stay away from and that is chocolate, but I'm sure that isn't any news to anyone here.

 

Where I live, dogs, for generations, have learned to eat left-overs. So rice and curry is a very common meal for dogs here. Also left-over chicken, bones and all. I think it's a matter of adaptation. I haven't heard of any dogs here dying from choking on a chicken bone yet.

 

I don't share my food with Homer, I think it wouldn't be good for him. From time to time I give him some rice - but only as a treat, he loves it. He also gets a lot of vegetables, but he eats them raw - cooked vegetables are for me because I add salt to them.

 

I keep hearing raw meat like raw beef, or lamb is good for dogs. So I suspect its good for them cooked too. Just no added spices or salt or pepper.

 

Chicken (without spices, just boiled or baked) and rice is good especially if the dog has an upset stomach. Also, pumpkin (without spices) is good for their digestion, so if the dog has intestinal issues you might want to give them a spoonful that (but too much can cause diarrhea)

 

I haven't tried giving any raw meat to my dogs.

There was a time when I cooked specifically for them. I bought frozen beef which was half the price of local beef. Then I minced the beef and cooked it into a stew with potatoes and onions. Also a bit of salt. After that I mixed the cooked beef with rice. My dogs loved it. I cooked using clean food and clean utensils so I ate it, too.

So was I eating dog food or were my dogs eating human food?

 

Carrots and green vegetables seem to be pretty good for your dog. But with carrots I hear you should grind it up fine in a food processor. Because dogs can't digest a whole carrot. If they eat large chunks of carrot it will come out the same shape as it went in.

If you give your dog a whole carrot though it won't hurt it. Some people recommend giving your dog a carrot over chew toys. The dog will gnaw at a carrot instead and it even helps their teeth.

 

Meat, rice and bananas are all good for dogs. Carrots are also good for dogs. Plain yogurt is also great from a dogs digestive track.

 

I have posted about this before, but I'll show it again:

http://www.quirkycookery.com/2011/11/how-to-make-your-own-dog-food.html

That's all the homemade dog food research that I compiled into a single mega-post. If you scroll down, you'll see sections specifically on meats, veggies, etc, that are both good and bad for your dog.

 

Totally bookmarking this page. Thanks, I think this will come in handy! I'm sort of making it a "thing" to compile possible recipes but I'm no expert so I can't say what is better than others. I should probably ask my veterinarian but people usually say they won't know either and that they are paid to promote commercial dog food.

 

I don't know if they are paid to promote commercial dog food. I do know they tend to make a profit off of dog food they sell in their clinics, though. And everybody has a preference really.

I've been meaning to put up some specific recipes and just haven't yet. Maybe I should.

 

Right now I'm feeding my dog pedigree but I'm working toward switching him to something more healthy. But apparently some of the healthier dog foods cost more because of the ingredients so these days I try to reach a half way point by mixing egg with his food or boiled chicken. I wonder what is normally considered the best commercial food anyway?

 

That's a good way to compromise. Consider mixing in some vegetables from time to time, too.

I have no idea on that one. It seems that everybody has a different opinion of which is "the best."

 

Most people say the best commercial dog food is a food that is one meat and one grain, and no filler. We feed my dog Wellness.

 

Well technically, *grain* is a filler, so..... Be careful with that reasoning, too. Meat and vegetable would be more nutritional than one with a grain. Grain is generally used to stretch the food farther and make it more economical, but it doesn't really add any nutrition. I still use it when I make food, too. I assume that with fillers you mean non-food items or chemicals, etc, too, but just be careful what you read when it comes to calling only certain things 'fillers'.

 

I try not to share my food with Rafa because he's so small and I'm afraid that it'll affect him the wrong way, but as I like with 5 other people, I can't say that he doesn't receive any human food from time to time. I don't think that it's a good idea to give your dog human food unless it's a bit of meat here and there. I'm not sure if each breed is different, but I do know that my dog cannot eat rice without throwing up. Every dog is different, just as we are, but human food can be dangerous to them if you're unaware of what can cause them harm. My advice would be to visit your dogs vet and consult with them to see what would be okay to give your dog. My vet has told me not to give my dog anything dairy or rice - I know that I can give him bananas from time to time though, and he loves them. The thing to keep in mind is that, feeding your dog is like feeding your baby, you need to be careful with what you give them because it could be harmful to their much smaller bodies.

 

Anything with high sodium content, fat content and artificial additives are definitely something we should never give our dogs. So goes chocolate and the likes.

Meat is good. We also love feeding our dogs raw vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers. Sometimes, I give them cooked potatoes and peas with ground pork as a home made increment to their dog food diet.

Fruits such as apples (even mangoes) and the likes can be given in moderation. I've noticed that dogs like the crunchy stuff.

 

No, whole grains aren't always fillers, they can bring good things to your diet such as fiber. You have to know which grains your are looking for. But yes I see your point.