Is it safe to feed my dog human food like rice or table scraps?

Feeding from the table can make your puppy fat, and also there are several human foods that are toxic to dogs. Some dogs fed from the table begun to refuse to eat their regular dog food, which is nutritionally balanced for them (while table food is not). I would suggest following the advice of your vet for the best outcome for your puppy.

It is not recommended to feed Gizmo table scraps. When feeding a dog table scraps they can develop intestinal issues, pancreatitis or even more prone to obesity. I recommend sticking with one type of puppy food until Gizmo is a year old. Once he is a year old I would recommend gradually transitioning him to an adult food. If you really wanted to do a homecooked diet for Gizmo then I would recommend a veterinary nutritionist at petdiets.com where they can formulate a diet that has all the nutrients Gizmo needs. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach! Good question and one that gets a lot of owners into trouble. It definitely could harm to feed some human food depending on the particular pet, what is fed, and of course how much. I would advise staying away from feeding human food to your cat. Many foods can cause GI upset and other problems including toxicity. Please read the following article regarding common foods that are toxic to dogs and cats. https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-common-foods-that-are-toxic-to-dogs-and-cats/ The best advice is to feed a well-balanced diet which is designated as complete for the particular life stage of your cat (kitten, adult cat, etc). I would advise talking with your local veterinarian about this topic also. Good luck and great question.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Gaea. I do not recommend feeding her table scraps instead of dog food. Being a growing puppy, she has very specific nutritional needs to support her growth and development. If her diet is not properly balanced, it can lead to health problems for her. If you are interested in home cooking for her though, I recommend seeking the advice of a veterinary nutritionist at www.balanceit.com. You can have a diet formulated specific for her needs as an artic breed puppy. I hope this information helps!

Ideally, a high-quality commercially-prepared diet should make up 90% of a dog’s diet, with nutritious treats making up no more than that last 10%. Commercially-prepared foods are formulated to provide proper balances of vitamins and minerals, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Nutritional deficiencies or imbalances can lead to a host of health conditions. There are some dogs or pet parents who prefer home cooked diets over the commercially available options. In these cases, the recipe for the home cooked food must be carefully balanced to account for any lacking nutrients, and are best formulated by specialists in veterinary nutrition. Examples of such recipes can be found at www.balanceit.com. However, occasional treats of people foods, such as boiled white meat chicken, cooked sweet potatoes, turkey, green beans, or carrots are perfectly fine!

I would recommend only feeding a well rounded dog food. There is not really any reason to feed human foods. Dogs can actually be very sensitive to lactose. If you have to give human food green beans, peas and sweet potatoes in very small amount can be tried.

A poor balanced diet can decrease their life span and lead to secondary health problems such as poor dental disease and GI upset A well balanced commercial diet is best as it is balanced appropriately. You can give plain boiled chicken or cooked salmon in small quantities as something special and this will not harm her