Is it safe to feed my dog table scraps? What are the health risks?

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 you would feed your dog consistently the same dry dog food. Some dogs have a sensitive stomach and switching up food/offering table food can cause stomach upset (vomiting, diarrhea), or can lead to a picky eater. Also some human foods can be toxic to dogs (raisins, grapes, and garlic and onion are not recommended). I would try to stick to a consistent dry dog food for your dog, which will also provide a more complete and balanced source of nutrition.

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.

My guess is that you are not feeding Chowder enough dog food. Young pups I recommend feeding four times a day. If he's ravenous at a meal you are not feeding enough so gradually increase the amount until he's hungry but not starving at each meal. I adjust his feeding by how hungry he is not by any specific recommendation. I don't like to give human food as it's not balanced nutrition and it will encourage him to beg the rest of his life. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chowder.

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.

Hi there. If you're interested in preparing a home-cooked diet for Gizmo, I would recommend using a website like www.balanceit.com or www.petdiets.com to formulate appropriate recipes for him that are complete and balanced, to ensure that he's getting the nutrition he needs. :)

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Boo Valadez. I recommend discontinuing the majority of the table scraps and treats. This is typically a large source of calories for a small breed dog compared to what it would be for a human. You do not want treats to compromise more than 10% of the calories for the day. So this equates to less than 30 calories for him. I hope this information helps!