Should My Dog Get People Food?
On dog food, human food, and dog treats
"I never let my dog have human food," is a comment I hear dog owners proudly proclaim fairly often. Recently an owner said this after I suggested they use some chicken or steak as training rewards. It always makes me cringe because meat is not a "human" food. It's food for every carnivore. Humans are not the only ones who eat animals.
Nor are humans the only ones who eat fruit or veggies. Wolves eat blueberries when in season. Maybe someone should stop them because berries are a "human" food!
Food is food. If it provides calories and nutrients, it's food. What we're looking at is food on a sliding scale of health for our dogs. One on end we have super healthy and nutrient dense (think fresh organ meats) and on the other end we have processed carbs and sugars (think Pup-Peroni dog treats). This is something people often get wrong. People think "dog” food or treats are healthy while "human" food is bad for dogs. But that’s not true at all. If I compare highly processed, junk-filled kibble to steak and berries, which is actually more healthy for dogs? It's not the kibble. Coming in a pretty package with a cute dog on the bag does not make it healthy for dogs.
If we look at what carnivores in the wild eat, it's mostly other animals (meat) and some eggs or fruits. Which is also what healthy people eat. It's just food. It's not specifically human or dog food. It's simply food for many species. Now certainly, some "human" food is not healthy for dogs. We can look at Kraft Mac and cheese or hot dogs and realize all that processed junk isn't giving our dogs a lot of nutrients, but it isn't for us either. It doesn't mean dogs can't eat it. It just means it isn't a real healthy option.
Food to NEVER feed your dog
Now, there are some foods that people eat that dogs should not. Their bodies do not process it well and it can be fatal for dogs, so while I generally say that “human” food is fine for dogs, there are some foods I don’t share with my dogs, including:
grapes and raisins (even small amounts can cause kidney failure and death)
onions (can cause anemia)
xylitol (an artificial sweetener that can be fatal to dogs, found in candy, gum, peanut butter, and a variety of sweet foods)
Dog food versus dog treats
This is a hangup for people as well. Here's the difference: food is required by AAFCO to have the bare minimum of nutrients that dogs need to stay alive. For instance, kibble will have added vitamins and minerals to meet these nutritional requirements. Treats don't have to meet any nutritional standard. Treats can legally be nothing more than rice, corn syrup, peas, and meat meal.
So they're both food. Your dog gets calories from both, maybe some nutrition from both, but if you feed your dog only "treats" for their entire life, they'll eventually develop nutritional deficiencies.
I want all the food that goes into my dog's body to be healthy, to be species-appropriate, and provide good nutrition to them. This means they get a lot of minimally processed meat (in a variety of forms) and some other real, whole foods. Training rewards might be cut up steak or freeze-dried rabbit or blueberries. I often use freeze-dried dog "food" for training rewards.
So don't get hung up on whether it's people food or dog food or dog treats - aim for healthy food that provides your dog nutrients and you're set.
