We love our dogs, they’re members of our family. So, we take the time to buy them quality dog food, but sometimes we also feed them human food. The temptation is too great not to, our dogs will beg for scraps from the table. But remember a dog’s digestive tract isn’t the same as ours, and they have different nutritional needs. It’s important to know which are safe human foods for dogs along with what are toxic foods for dogs:
1. Safe human foods for dogs
The following are some foods that are not only safe for dogs to consume, but could be beneficial for them as well:
- Carrots: Help to clean a dog’s teeth and provide vitamin A.
- Apples: A good source of fiber and vitamins such as A and C.
- Dairy Products: Dairy items such as cheese and yogurt are safe for dogs to consume in small quantities.
- Seafood: Fish, like salmon, provides a good source for protein for dogs. Fatty cuts of fish are also rich in omega fatty acids, which helps aid a dog’s immune system and provides a healthy coat.
- Poultry: Chicken and turkey are good for a dog to consume, but only when they are not seasoned and in moderation.
- Beef: Beef is a commonly used ingredient in dog food, so it is safe, but the leaner the better, and like with poultry dogs should consume in moderation.
- Green Beans and corn: Both vegetables in an unseasoned form provide dogs with healthy vitamins.
2. Toxic foods for dogs
Above are some key foods we feed our dogs that are safe and even beneficial. However, there are some foods we consume on a regular basis that dogs should never be fed, and that may even be toxic to canines:
- Chocolate and coffee: Both of these have products not only contain caffeine, but chemicals known as methylxanthines which are extremely toxic to dogs. As for the products on the market that are chocolate dog snacks these are made of a widely used chocolate substitute that doesn’t have caffeine or these harmful chemicals.
- Grapes: Be it the grape on the vine or raisins these are highly toxic for dogs and should be avoided.
- Cherries: Surprisingly cherries contain small traces of cyanide in them which makes these harmful for pets. Plus there is the center pit that could be a choking hazard.
- Citrus fruits: Although some fruits such as bananas, watermelon and blueberries are safe for dogs to have all citrus fruits such as oranges should be avoided due to the fact that citric acid can be detrimental to a dog’s nervous system.
- Ice cream: This is one of the exceptions to the dairy rule due to the amount of sugar found in the product.
- Raw meat: Dogs shouldn’t be given raw meat because of the possibility of salmonella and other disease-causing bacteria that could exist in this product, so always make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked before feeding it to dogs.
