CHENNAI: We all want to show our pets how much we love them and help them to feel more like family. So we slip them a little treat off our plate. But in the case of feeding our dog or cat ‘table food,’ we might be doing more harm than good to them.
While the food we are sharing with our pet may not technically be considered harmful to its health, it is slowly causing adverse side-effects — physically and behaviourally. Believe it or not, our pets have us trained pretty well. We pet them when they nudge us and give them treats when they whine.
When we start to feed our pets from our plates and not in their own food bowl, or food that is anything other than their normal dog food, we start to introduce bad habits that can be difficult to break. Dogs will begin to beg for food while we eat, cook or snack. They will whine, sit and stare, jump up, run around, anything to get your attention in hopes of getting you to drop a yummy morsel of food. This will actually reinforce their bad behaviour.
Dogs, like children, will realise that if they do X (whine, cry, beg), human will do Y (feed me, drop food, etc). Breaking this behaviour can be extremely difficult and time-consuming; it is best to never start it in the first place.
Not only are we setting up our pets to behave badly, we are introducing the possibility of eating toxic foods, as well as an increase in daily calories. Anything containing sugar and salt is a complete no no for dogs. Chocolate/coffee/soft drinks/avocado/foods containing Xylitol found in chewing gums n mints / grapes, raisin, dry fruits, nuts / yeast dough/ onion can be fatal for your pooch. Don’t empty your leftover food into your dog’s bowl. The junk food that is bad for us humans is also bad for our dogs. Cooked bones, especially chicken bones, can cause choking or intestinal tearing.
All our food contains salt and sugar and many ingredients like onion that are extremely harmful for dogs. Breads and biscuits, though not toxic for dogs, have no nutritional value and will add to weight gain. The spices, salt and sugar or preservatives in these can cause hair fall and skin issues. Similarly, most dogs being lactose intolerant, milk and its byproducts should not be encouraged. At best, highly diluted curd and buttermilk will be fine for settling their tummies. Paneer and cheese should be limited to occasional treats. With ice cream, whip up sugar free ice-cream with the help of easy recipes from the internet. The human variety is loaded with sugar, and hence, not at all recommended for animals. Share too many of your delicious foods and your dog may become a picky eater and not want to eat its own food, especially if they know there may be something better on the menu.
Again, this behaviour can be difficult to break and can even cause adverse physical side effects if the dog does not eat for long periods of time or is not receiving the appropriate nutrition. To avoid future problems, it’s best to keep your pooch strictly on his own specific dog diet.
Dogs that are kept at an optimum weight are less likely to have joint, bone, ligament, or mobility issues, and are less likely to develop heart disease, breathing issues, decreased liver function, and many other health problems. Just like humans, maintaining a healthy weight helps ensure a dog’s overall health.
Kibbles are never a good alternative to home-cooked food. Though kibbles have huge market support behind them, most brands available easily are far from ideal for our companions and definitely not for long term daily feeding.
A balanced home cooked food is best option for your little pooch. Most protein, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables (with few exceptions) are safe for dogs. Though meat is the mainstay of a good canine diet, veggies and an occasional taste of fruit are also healthy. Also, you can explore a raw diet for your dog. But overall, it is not healthy to give table scraps or leftovers to dogs. It will most likely lead to persistent health and behavioural issues.