Is it safe to feed my dog human food instead of store-bought kibble?

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.

This is a great question! It is possible to cook balanced meals for Phoebe, but it does take a little work. Please visit balanceit.com and https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control for information on balanced diets for dogs and what is safe for them to eat. Raw diets are not recommended by the AVMA due to the risk of transmission of food borne diseases to both pets and humans. Please see the following link for more information about this https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Raw-or-Undercooked-Animal-Source-Protein-in-Cat-and-Dog-Diets.aspx.

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.

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 difficult to make and feed a balanced home made diet. More often that not, the dog will develop a nutritional deficiency. This is especially true for puppies. Ideally, Murphy should be fed a good quality commercial puppy diet. Brands include ProPlan, Orijen, Canidae and Acana.

People food and veggies are fine as a treat in moderation, however Nala Jai should be on a balanced puppy diet at this point in time to help her grow and stay healthy. Several brands are available that are great such as Science Diet, Purina, Eukanuba, etc, and many offer puppy formulations specific to your dog's breed, age, and size. Fresh veggies such as a piece of carrot, broccoli or some lean chicken are all great as treats, but should be used in moderation and not as the primary diet.

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!