[pudelgirl]

Is there any harm in feeding table food (that dogs can eat) as treats? I assume this was done regularly before commercial pet food. Our toy enjoys her “proper dog food meals” (kibble) as well as table food. Thanks!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I think it just depends on what the table food is. Steamed veggies? Sure. Lean meat that wasn't cooked with dangerous-to-dog ingredients like onions? Sure. I'd just recommend feeding it in their regular bowl, removed from your own dinner routine, so they don't develop annoying begging habits.

And also watch out for food allergies and intolerances. Feeding a wide variety of foods is great, and I believe it can actually reduce the chance of developing bad reactions to proteins, but it can also make identifying problematic foods very difficult (as I'm currently experiencing).

 

[Dechi]

Assuming the table food is appropriate for the dog, you need to deduct the additional calories from the dog’s regular kibble so it doesn’t gain weight. Most people will have a hard time doing that, so a lot of dogs being fed table scraps end up overweight, if not obese.

 

[Starvt]

I agree with the others, it's fine if done in a thoughtful manner. For a toy, it should be very small amounts and heavy on fruits/veggies/ lean meat. Not smothered in butter or sauces.
I have always had large breeds so I don't need to worry about amount as much but my dogs have always gotten bits of my kids leftovers with their dinner (so veggies and chewy pieces of meat mostly lol). Except my one dog that had a sensitive stomach, he couldn't tolerate most table food.

 

[lily cd re]

On the first visit to the vet with Lily as a baby dog my vet (a poodle person himself) told me never to feed table scraps and that I would never end up with a fat poodle. Although I do infrequently give table treats it is a rare and special occasion (like for finishing a title) and as a consequence Lily has always hovered right around 37 pounds (even when she was free fed). I think also by avoiding table scraps I know she is getting a nutritionally complete diet everyday.

For me the answer is no feeding from the table as the norm.

 

[fjm]

I never feed from the table (picnics are different), but my dogs do get human food. The rule is a tiny treat sized piece in the kitchen when we have finished eating. The important thing is to keep treats (not balanced) to a small percentage of overall diet (balanced), and to watch total calories. And be aware of how much you are feeding - I had a neighbour who swore she only gave her dog tiny bits of human food, even as I watched her feed more than half her own meal to the dog. My dogs adored her, and would wait by her chair until whole slices of meat - 20 times as much as they ever got at home - dropped into their mouths as she chatted, apparently oblivious of what she was doing! If in doubt weigh the food before giving it to the dog, and calculate the calories - it can be a salutary experience...

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Yes! Sooooo easy to overfeed, especially small dogs. A "tiny piece" of meat can equal an entire steak relative to their size. So important to be mindful.

I guess my approach is more to incorporate some whole foods, because I believe in their nutritional value and the importance of a varied diet.

 

[Skylar]

Watch the fat too. Things like skin on poultry, fatty cuts of meat or deep fried breaded food can add a lot of calories and can make your dog sick.

Never, ever feed during meals at the table. Its really annoying to have a dog begging at the table during a meal. If they never get a treat from someone at the table they will be content to snooze on their dog bed in the kitchen and not pester you or guests.

 

[lily cd re]

fjm like your dogs home cooked human food is the diet for my dogs, but I measure carefully and know their diet is nutritionally complete. It is very easy to overdo snacks and training rewards. I know someone with mpoos who feeds tablespoon size chunks of liverwurst. She would happily give those pieces to Lily too if I allowed it. Needless to say Lily adores her and her liverwurst filled pockets. The mpoos are both obese though weighing about what Lily weighs. She feeds them weight reducing kibble formulas and wonders why those kibbles don't result in weight loss. I sort of surprised these dogs don't have pancreatitis.

 

[fjm]

Yep - just like my neighbour! Weight reducing kibble, plus at least 400kcals a day of toast, chicken, lamb, beef, fish or whatever else she had cooked and found herself unable to eat. It was rather sad - poor woman was getting older and her dentures were not comfortable, but she still cooked the sort of meals she had eaten all her life - chops, steaks, joints etc. My suggestions that things like cottage pie or casseroles would taste just as good while being much easier to eat were ignored, and I watched my friend get thinner and thinner while her dog got fatter. It makes you realise why nutritionists say No Human Food - easier to enforce a total ban than have "small piece of fat free meat" interpreted as half a joint of beef!

 

[Dogs4Life]

Sometimes my dogs will get a boiled egg or even some chicken or beef, but that is very rare. When I do that, I cut back on their kibble. I agree with the others that you never feed a dog from the table. Ever. Unfortunately, I have family members that do not stick to that rule, and one of my dogs has turned into a beggar during meal time. It's very annoying. I would suggest not even having your dog near the table during meal time in case anything drops....that also can turn a dog into a beggar.

 

[pudelgirl]

Thanks for all your thoughtful replies! We don't feed from the table, we sometimes give her a table food/people food treat in her bowl after we eat, like chicken or fish. I'm not even sure how many calories our girl needs, but I feel her ribs and tummy when I bathe and brush her to make sure her weight is stable. I'm curious about peanut butter. I know many dog parents put peanut butter in Kongs. Does that risk pancreatitis? Or is it only animal fat?

 

[Skylar]

I would be very careful and limit peanut butter. It’s fat in general, whether animal or plant based.
.

 

[jojogal001]

I'm curious about peanut butter. I know many dog parents put peanut butter in Kongs. Does that risk pancreatitis? Or is it only animal fat?

I used to put peanut butter in Kongs, give a taste for a treat and some at other times, but I had to stop. My mini suddenly developed a problem with the fat at almost six years old. He got pancreatitis, twice in two weeks. Now he can’t tolerate much fat of any kind. I’ve had to put him on a very low fat food which affects the condition of his coat.

So be very careful of peanut butter. Seems like it takes its toll on their body and eventually catches up with them. Unfortunately, peanut butter is his favorite human food of all time. Poor guy.

 

[lily cd re]

Also watch out for reduced calorie PB which sometimes has xylitol in it. Xylitol is very dangerous to dogs.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

When we "stuff" Kongs with peanut butter, it's just the thinnest swipe to encourage investigation and chewing. But I know from personal experience how much peanut butter can add up.

If you do want to use it sometimes, it's worth measuring it at first to understand what a serving looks like. And by "serving" I mean calorically-appropriate dog-sized serving. It's not hard to do the math if you know how much your dog weighs and the calories in their daily kibble.

Folks who let their dogs "clean" the PB jar could easily be feeding a day's worth (or more) of calories, much of which comes from fat.