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But you're only human, and sometimes it's hard to resist your dog's sweet stare as he begs you with his eyes to share some of your delicious homo sapien cuisine. When you want to give him a treat from your table, do you know which "human" foods are safe to feed your pup?
To find the answer, we called upon Liz Palika, author of "The Ultimate Pet Food Guide," and animal nutritionist, Susan Lauten, PhD, of Pet Nutrition Consulting, to explain which fresh, frozen and canned foods people typically eat that are safe for dogs to consume too.
1. Melons: Watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew are all healthy options for your pooch. "My dogs will take me down over cantaloupe," says Lauten. "I am required to share the whole thing with them." Consult animal poison control before feeding your dogs any of the more exotic melons.
2. Sunflower seeds (shelled): Skip the salt if possible, or serve in moderation, recommends Lauten. "Remember, treats should not comprise more than 10 percent of your dog's daily calorie intake. If your dog gets 500 calories a day, 50 calories could come from treats."
3. Peanut butter: Peanuts don't appear to cause allergies in dogs like they do in people, says Lauten. "I have some highly food-sensitive dogs for whom peanut butter is a large part of their diet."
4. Berries (fresh and frozen): Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, huckleberries or raspberries -- all are good for your furry friend for the same reason they're good for humans: free-radical-fighting antioxidants. "A lot of dogs like them frozen," says Lauten.
5. Cooked chicken: Ran out of your dog's regular food? Whether boiled, baked, served rotisserie-style or grilled, this food is a healthy substitute. "Dogs will eat a freshly cooked chicken any way they can get it," says Lauten.
Healthy dogs can handle cooking oils and seasonings. Just be sure to avoid adding onion or too much garlic. If you're concerned, non-salt seasonings can be used, but that matters more for the human eater than the dog, explains Lauten. Scrambled eggs, hamburger, rice, pasta and/or oatmeal can serve as meal replacements in a pinch, adds Lauten.
6. Cheese: This is a safe snack for dogs, but just like humans, they can experience lactose intolerance, so monitor your dog's reaction. "Many families use a dollop of cottage cheese with every meal," says Lauten. To avoid overfeeding, consider giving your dog low- or reduced-fat dairy products.
7. Bananas: "My dogs love bananas and I share mine with them regularly," says Lauten. "All fruits have phytonutrients and required nutrients. They are good for all of us. If the foods are healthy for me, they are more apt to be healthy for the dog," says Palika.
8. Apple slices: Lauten recommends serving your pup seedless, organic apple slices, because apple seeds naturally contain cyanide. Citrus fruits such as oranges are good too, but leave off the rinds; they contain many oils and could be too strong for a dog's digestive system.
9. Baby carrots: Fresh, crunchy vegetables are good for your dog's teeth, says Lauten. Plus, it's a bit easier not to overfeed with veggies. "If you're giving your dog vegetables, you can give a lot more in volume," because these are low-calorie foods.
10. Green beans: Because this veggie fills dogs up, weight-management programs often include green beans, usually canned with no salt added, says Lauten. "An entire can of green beans contains 70 calories. What a bargain, and filling too!"
Of course every dog is different and you and your vet know best if he or she has any food sensitivities, weight issues or other health concerns that should guide your dog's diet. It is always a good idea to check with your pet's doctor if you are planning on changing what your dog eats. Also keep in mind that it is best to introduce new foods to your dog slowly. You don't want your pooch to get gas, bloating, soft stools or other digestive problems.
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Three years ago, my oldest dog (then a 10-year-old terrier mix) came down suddenly with an acute case auto-immune hemolytic anemia. She hadn't been exposed to any of the usual "suspects" - no recent vaccinations; no topical applications of flea or tick preventatives. Shadow was one of the lucky ones (as was I); she fully recovered ($7,000, four blood transfusions and many months later).
Now, I am psycho about what she and my other dogs eat. Any and all information about what is/is not healthy for them is treated with Biblical certainty. So, Dick, keep your uninformed opinions to yourself and leave the advice-giving to those in the know.
Hi Dick (don't be one),
Its great your mut or breed does not get sick on the stuff you give him. But most dogs would. So even though your trying to prove your more knowledgeable then the article, many would find this article useful. As omnivores or not, people do wonder "is this cheese my dog just ate bad for him?" I certainly didn't know cheese is harmless because of the dairy. Also note they don't exactly state its great for their health. My dog doesn't even like anything on this list but chicken And as for your point on the obvious listing of chicken or not, The list is not targeting to inform you the 10 foods you didnt know dogs can eat! It's listing the 10 relatively safe foods they can! There's a difference brightness!
hi Dick,
It's great that you are so informed about what to feed your dog! We publish articles like Mary's for the many people who have questions about how to care for their pets. If you have suggestions for articles you'd like to see, please let us know.
tks - Chrissy at Paw Nation
i never knew about the water melon ,i will try that thanks, and dick was a dick
Paul, my Cocker just loved watermelon when she was alive. Every morning I would share most of my fruit with Molly. I would cut up some apple or pear. I would add either watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew. I would throw in her favorite all time fruit banana and put a dab of peanut butter on the side of the bowl. I would place this next to her dry dog food and she would go and gobble up the fruit first.
Another thing I would do is boil up chicken. Mix it with rice. Add some veggies and maybe a little cheese and she would go nuts tearing through that mixture.
My little girl lived 13 1/2 years and was never fat. She always weighed about what a Cocker her size should have weighed. These were the only people foods I use to give her. She loved it.
How about some info on what human food is safe for Cats?
Thanks.
Dick,
How sad that you felt the need to comment on the article in such a negative and insulting manner. Your dog may have tolerated the grapes fine, but I know of other dogs where it has caused a very serious reaction. I think it is great the Paw nation provides this kind of information and despite the fact that I have had dogs all my life, I learned a couple things in this article. So while you can draw on your experience with your dog, this article and the supporting references are drawing on experiences with hundreds of dogs.
to Chrissy at Paw Nation- keep up the good work and I suspect that the vast majority of your readers appreciate the information that you provide.
It is true, every dog is different, I had a dog who ate chocolate (minimal amounts) who tolerated it just fine. Another dog we had thought he was going to help unwrap Christmas presents late at night, and found some chocolate. Well you can imagine the holiday trip to the vet was expensive (but well worth it). We keep those gifts up high now. Shotgun was okay, but he did worry us abit. So after reading Mary's sound column, my advice is common sence, know your animals before you throw something in their dish. Shotgun's favorite was corn on the cob. He couldn't wait for his summertime treat(careful they don't eat the whole cob, Shotgun will if given a chance. So my fellow dog lovers, know your dog and test them with small increments of any treat before going "dog wild".
My two poodles will eat anything but I am carefull about salty stuff I understand that it is bad for the kidneys and liver. Besides Emma is old and over weight so I watch what is given to her they do love raw carrots and cheese small am'ts of cheese at that. But they would eat anything if I let them.
Hello, I found the comment about the melon great! We were lucky to get a shelter puppy, that was a border collie. She was wonderful and loving. We had her for 16 years and she passed in 2008. Watermelon at picnics and cucumbers, you had BETTER SHARE! She was my leg buddy when I made salads, had to have a bite of cucumber, tomatoe, carrot, nothing else because I didn't figure she should have it. She also knew when I would make pasta sauce, that was a hoot, I'll tell you. She would stay right next to me, while I cooked the sauce from scratch. She knew she would be getting her dinner dish filled with homemade spaghetti and sauce. Hers would have to sit and cool while we ate and she stared. Stll have memories of giving her a strand with a little sauce clinging to it and having her slurp it and then slapping her white fur with red sauce. Bath time came after spaghetti time. Thanks for giving me a smile for the day.
Nice, sweet comment on a loving memory. Thank you. It reminded me of our goofy Rosco who would trade in a steak for peanut butter!
My dogs eat everything we eat and always have -- for the last 43 years. They live to be 16 to 18 years old and are for the most part healthy and happy. When we prepare our meal, we prepare two smaller plates for the dogs. They literally eat everything we eat, meats, veggies, fruits, dairy products, desserts, etc. etc. My vets/assistants/new personnel would occasionally tell me it isn't good to feed dogs human foods and I just say, "But my dogs live to be 18 years old!" He/she would say, "Well, you do have a point!" I personally can't imagine feeding a dog only dog food!!! I do have dry dog food down for them all the time, but they don't eat it much, only as a snack. They prefer meat and veggies and mac and cheese!
It is only by dumb luck that your poor pets have lived as long as they have. Any good quality dog food(most are NOT found in the local grocery store) is formulated to give your pet a perfect balance of nutrition. When you feed only human food to your pets, how in the world do you know they are getting the vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy? They have different needs than humans,and I suspect that there WERE problems that you never addressed. You just won't mention it. My sister fed her two Bichons table scraps every day WITH their dog food. One developed kidney stones and needed surgery. The other is now diabetic and needs twice daily insulin injections. So don't brag that your dogs lived long lives despite your stupidity. Shame on you for not caring enough about your pets to give them proper,balanced nutrition. Either that or you are just too cheap to want to spend money on dog food. I feel sorry for your pets.
Gawd, Karen...nice much lately? She said she also gave her dogs dog food also. I just love nasty judgemental people. I haven't had a dog that hasn't been fed people food, and they all lived happy, healthy lives. They always had regular dog food in their dishes, but if there was a few table scraps left over, they got those too. My last dog that passed away was 15 years old, which is pretty old for a Siberian Husky. She loved mashed potatoes and gravy.
My goodness Karen, such a negative and totally uninformed post. I wish the health and vitality of my dogs on all the dogs on planet earth. They are in excellent health, fit, active, happy, content and they are NEVER, EVER sick. They go to the vet for regular checkups and occasionally only if they get injured or sick. And I can assure you that none of the visits that become necessary relate to what they eat. To the contrary, they go rarely because of their diet. I think it is inhumane to feed a dog any kind of dog food exclusively.... store bought or otherwise. To me it shows laziness. Most people are just not willing to put forth the effort or the expense to properly feed a dog, something that I willingly do daily. My dogs have a healthy, home cooked, nutritious meal every single day of their lives and if one only feeds one's dog dog food, that just isn't the case. You don't have a right to say you feel sorry for my dogs and by doing so you only point out how uninformed you are about the entire situation. You don't know me, you don't know my dogs and if you did, you would never, ever say what you said. I feel very sorry for you feeling the need to be so negative in a place where negativity isn't warranted. But maybe that's what you use the Internet for? I use it for fun and to be informed, not to slam people that you don't even know.
Yes, and I'm going to jump on the band wagon here. Karen you really sound ill informed about dog nutrition. I'm sure after years of conditioning by marketing schemes put forth by greedy pet food companies that you are confident that they have your pet's nutrition in mind.
You're wrong. Those businesses think only of their bottom lines. To save money, pet food companies generally make your pet's food out of the 4 D's of the factory farming industry which is cows that are dead, dying, downed or diseased.
Not only that but they go around a pick up euthanized domestic animals (that's right, dead dogs and cats) from local pounds and render them to put into your pet's food. And when they render them, EVERYTHING is included, be it dog collars, hair, and the poisons used to euthanize them in the first place.
And because of how very gross and unpaletable all these ingredient are, the companies then spray a coat of flavorful chemicals on the food to entice pets to eat it.
So, please, do a little research before you condemn someone else's practices.
This article is funny...I have 3 dogs, all different breeds...they eat chocolate, ice cream, spagetthi, pizza ...pretty much whatever we have for dinner...they do not like fruit or veges. This idea that chocolate is so taboo...my Akita, Harley ate a whole 10 pak of Reese Peanut Butter cups when he was a pup..We left him alone and he went to town...Didnt die, throw up or get sick. I am tired of articles telling us what to eat and what not to eat. I love my dogs they get dog food, treat and people food and are doing fine.
I- you only got lucky w the chocolate. It was milk chocolate,and that chocolate peanut butter candy is mostly the peanut-sugar filling. IF that was a 85% dark chocolate bar the dog could have died from theobromine poisoning.
Signs/symptoms- restlessness, hyperexcitability, hyperirritability, increased heart rate, diarrhea, vomiting, increased urination, muscle tremors.
I have given my dog lots of people food, but why take chances? I love my fuzzy girl!
If you loved your dogs,you wouldn't be doing what you are doing. Loving your dogs means NOT feeding them junk that will contribute to obesity just like humans. It's obvious you have never read ONE article regarding chocolate and dogs. Why don't you show your dogs how much you love them and feed them a whole package of DARK chocolate? You're an idiot,and if I were you I wouldn't say anything else. Your ignorance has already been sadly and completely revealed.
Yeah, it'll be hilarious when one of your dogs dies from eating all that crap they're not supposed to. It happens every day, and when your luck turns I hope it'll change your mind about how you treat them.