What foods do you feed your dog? Do you know if the food is good or bad for your pet? What if the food you give your dog is slowly killing them or doing damage?
I write this article today due to the amount of comments I get or see on our Raw Food for Dogs Facebook page. I see our followers talking about foods they give there pets, or some people are asking should they be giving their pets certain foods. I always say, google is a free tool, use it to look up if a certain food is good or bad for your pet and make a logical decision.
There are many items I see in our comments that people are given to their dogs which they should not be given and I address a few of these here. I also like the video I have attached below by this vet. Check it out.
We all love our dogs. We want the best for them; to keep them happy, healthy and safe. Some things are simple; keeping the dog safe from cars, visiting a vet when it is ill; but other things can be more complicated.
Knowing what to feed your dog can be quite confusing.
The advice given to humans with certain foods is not suitable for dogs, and following human healthy eating guidelines with a dog can make the dog very unhealthy or even prove to be fatal.
Now if you are confused about switching your dog to raw food in general, we created a comprehensive guide to raw food which covers:
- The best method to switch depending on your dog’s age, health and prior exposure to raw food
- The best methods to switch your dog to raw food
- Example recipes and preparation instructions
You can access the Complete Guide To Switch Your Dog To A Raw Diet eBook here or click on the image below:
Vegetables and fruits are great, always healthy, right? No! Not for dogs! You mustn’t give your dog:
• raisins
• grapes
• rhubarb
• sultanas
• garlic
• mushrooms
It is hard to imagine how something as humble as an onion can be harmful, but onion toxicity can kill. It’s not just raw onion, either. Onion fried or cooked in a meal is still toxic. Absolutely no onions in any form for your pooch!
Certain mushrooms are poisonous to dogs, and it very hard to know which is which, so it makes sense to avoid them.
Garlic is very toxic to dogs. It should never be given to them.
Rhubarb, yes, I’ve seen this given, can be very damaging for dogs, both the leaves and the stalks. If you grow it, keep it away from your dog. Most dogs quite like grapes, raisins and sultanas and they are small so you might think they would be a good training aid, but they are also toxic to dogs. That would make a terrible training session!
It is fairly well known that chocolate is poisonous to dogs. Some pet shops sell chocolate specifically designed for dogs, which is fine as the poisonous theobromine is removed, although these should be fed sparingly.
Peanut butter is often used in dog training, inside hollow toys as a boredom buster. It is great because it is strongly scented, but it contains a lot of fat and sugar. Some owners have been using sugar-free peanut butter, which contains xylitol, which is very poisonous to dogs. The sugar is bad but the xylitol is much worse! There are pastes designed for dogs that do the same job, they are much safer.
Some human foods are safe for dogs. Plain cooked chicken, eggs, small amounts of cheese (dogs recognise smell more than taste, so a tiny amount is enough), carrots (these are very good for dogs) and apple slices are all fine for dogs. It’s important to remember that a lot of these foods are fattening for dogs and if you give them regularly your dog will gain weight, which is very bad for them.
If you are unsure whether a food is safe, don’t give it to your dog. Pet shops sell plenty of dog safe foods, and learning all about a raw food diets for your pet too you can be confident that they will be safe. If you give your dog any foods between meals make sure the dog isn’t getting too many calories.
Now that you know which foods are safe, you can get on with enjoying your dog!
For further reading http://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat
[kad_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxzU-mtx8og” ]
