Human food / scraps and cod liver oil

cyberbob

Tracey04 wrote: »

Can you give dogs just food that you have had for tea, not meaning rubbish stuff but if I cooked mince and onion or a roast
Do you give them veggies and potatoes
Do I have to add biscuits to this or is biscuits a separate meal

Norbertsmum wrote:

Apart from that they pretty much eat anything (including onions!)

As others have said onions are toxic to dogs just because your dog eats them doesn't mean its good for them. Dogs can develop Haemolytic Anaemeia from onions it doesn't matter if they are cooked or not. The exact amount that can cause problems is pretty variable with reports of dogs having problems with amounts as small as half an onion. As it's unknown in my mind it's really not worth the risk.

GillM wrote: »

All our food scraps go in the dog's dinner - not that we leave much! Usually bits of fat, gravy, over-baked pizza crusts, veg

I'm very much anti giving dogs Human food as it can encourage begging of your food at meals. Dog food is for dogs and human food is for humans. Also giving animals the fat off cooked meat etc isn't really healthy as too much fat can trigger Canine Pancreatitis.

Also to add Grapes and raisins are also poisonousness to dogs

GillM

My dogs have never begged at the table because I don't allow them to. What has feeding them 'human' food got to do with it? Food scraps are scraped into a plastic container then added to the next appropriate meal

GillM

chris_n_tj wrote: »

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=1030

Theres some good info on this site.

Chris n TJX

Useful to know - although I'd never envisaged feeding my dogs marijuana, string or tobacco! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Raggs_2

My dog regularly gets scraps. Including things with onions and garlic in. And some even better things, since my OH works in the stock department for a grocers (lots of meat cutoffs, end of stock etc).

As stated, they can cause problems with the blood, so if you know your dog is eating onion regularly, just check his gums are still nice and pink. Onion is less toxic than garlic, and generally a large amount of garlic needs to be eaten (more than you'd put in the entire meal). Obviously dogs can be more susceptible, and smaller dogs will be more vulnerable (usually) than larger dogs.

I never give my dog cooked bones, since they do not digest as easily and are more brittle thus shatter into pointed shards, perfect for perforating intestines (why is there no word for intestines that begins with "p"?).

As for stranger things, my dog ate a large amount of sponge (cushion filler type stuff), and from now on is referred to as "the dog who ate sponge" whenever we take him to the vet (it all came out one end or the other in the end).

aliasojo

Bear in mind a lot of our food has high salt levels (especially gravy). Allowing them scraps now and then wont kill them but our food really isn't suitable for their digestive systems full time. Thing is, you cant see the potential damage.....

Excessive salt intake may lead to increased blood pressure and aggravate the signs of heart disease. Also, most dogs with kidney disease already suffer from hypertension. Particularly when dogs are older these conditions may already be present without owners being aware of it.

EmptyPockets

We will give our dogs the occasional tit-bit of human food - never straight from our plates, and never while we are actually eating our meal. Anything saved for them - i.e meet or vegetables - will be added to their own supper. We certainly never give them anything containing onions or garlic, and I very rarely use any salt when cooking. They don't get things like bread, biscuits or cake, because as far as I am aware, dogs cannot digest refined sugar, which those foods are full of.

Giving scraps of human food does encourage begging, because the dog quickly associates the sight and smell of things we eat with the things he later finds in his own bowl. Begging for human food isn't really an issue for us though, as when we sit down to eat a meal, both dogs go into their crates and nine times out of ten will just go to sleep until we're done.

hethmar

I add a squirt of Kronch salmon oil to my boys' food every day.

undaunted

GillM wrote: »

Useful to know - although I'd never envisaged feeding my dogs marijuana, string or tobacco! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Amazingly some people apparently used to use tobacco for trying to treat worms

The odd scrap of onion you'd probably get away with but I wouldn't take the risk if I were you. Some dogs may have intolerances to some things (including beef) but unless you see an obvious problem most dogs will love your scraps

Cod liver oil is fine regardless of whether spoon or capsule (can be helpful to both coat & joints) based. You can just add it to food as the easiest way to give it. Some people suggest salmon oil instead, worry about the amount of vitamin A in cod liver oil etc, though cod liver oil comes in different varieties. The higher EPA / DHA (just look at the label & it will tell you what it is) content versions are best for joint health & it seems to me that bottled forms are often higher than a lot of the capsules.

If it's joints you are concerned about see http://www.seven-seas.com/jointcare/product-range/ for cod liver oil & alternatives

If coat etc you can go to the healthzone link from there & look up cod liver oil / other rlevant products

Jules22

i feed raw meat, veg, fruit, fish and raw meaty bones( not in one go) i do avoid grapes,raisins and onions.

Commercial dog food can do more harm than good as it contains less meat but more cereals which dogs cant digest.

My 2 do get table scraps and have never scrounged from the table, not even from the baby!

Research what dog food you feed and you will be surprised.

sleepystar1975

I am really careful over what I feed Dog #1 (we've been his slaves for 12 years now), but Dog 2 (age 2, been with us 2 weeks now)is a cheeky so-and-so. As he's a Dalmatian, and the breed is prone to kidney troubles, we only feed careful measured amounts of the food the vet recommended. Yet he's a naughty thief, he has even pulled the last of DD's homegrown carrots (DD is 5, and had her own little fruit and veg garden set up), he chewed them up, fluffy green bits and all, tonight he managed to flip the lid on the kitchen bin and steal the potato peeling (I will have to learn he can open that now), and if the guinea pig sprays his food from his bowl to outside his hutch Dog 2 will hoover that up. He has also taken a liking to trying to eat DD's soft toys...hence the reason she has been warned to keep her bedroom floor clear!

He is fully wormed, so it's not hunger (there is dry food left in his bowl at bedtime)...he's just a cheeky wee thief, and makes a mockery of me treating him "textbook", I may as well open the bin lid and say "help yourself" than buy the expensive food the vet said to keep him on, or just give him the "keeping a Damatian" books to eat! Dog #1 is a mongrel (lab/collie and sooooo gorgeous) and is far more discerning over what he eats!