Dog owners: table scraps or no?

[Shredr]

My partner insists that if we feed Beckham (6 month Bullmastiff) scraps from the table, he'll expect it and beg more. Plus, he claims, it's best if he doesn't know what he's missing. And he won't get fat.

Well, the damn dog begs whenever we eat anyway. I always want to feed him, but I'm not allowed.

So my questions to dog owners: do you feed your dog human food? Do you think a little piece of steak or chicken breast every now and then hurts? Will he really beg MORE if he knows what he's missing? Will it upset his stomach or make him fat?

Thanks.

[seemunkee]

1. Not at the table.

We feed her scraps in her bowl, but she is not allowed anything to be fed at the table.

[Shredr]

2. That's a good point.

So she gets human food, just in her normal food area?

Smart.

[Richardo]

4. I would not overdo it on the human food.

Nutrition requirements are WAY different, and some foods may be toxic.

Human food is bad enough for humans in a lot of cases :)

[Shredr]

23. Really? What may be toxic for dogs?

[Richardo]

26. Chocolate, for example - also see the ham story below.

:scared:

[China_cat]

30. That's what we do, too.

(4 dogs, 3 of them large enough to take your plate away from you)

Our vet said table scraps are ok up to 10% of their total food volume with the following exceptions:

NO ONIONS (causes Heinz body anemia...fatal)
NO chocolate. You could get lucky and not have a problem but why take the chance.
NO highly spiced foods
NO highly salted foods.

If your dogs are prone to really smelly gas, you will want some table scraps in the form of yogurt, cottage cheese or buttermilk to counteract the need for a respirator mask.

[evlbstrd]

3. I give mine beef bones and scraps.

And I put them in her bowl.

[auburngrad82]

5. Our vet says he's never had anything good come from table scraps

If he sees a dog about table scraps, it's always something bad, ie upset stomach, gastric torsion, etc.

The safe thing is to not feed them table scraps. That being said, we do occasionally give our dogs table scraps, but in moderation and never at the table.

[Nite Owl]

6. Ours get it occasionally

And only after they finish their food and we have finished eating. Pack rule says the top dogs (us) eat first.

[Liberalynn]

11. I feed my dog

some table scraps but am careful to avoid those things like chocolate, onions, or other things that I know will make a dog ill.

She's mad about chicken and turkey though. I thought she was going to try and climb in the oven last thanksgiving when my sister went to check the turkey. I had to nearly drag her out of the kitchen so she wouldn't burn herself, the dog not my sister of course. ;)

We also feed the dog after we've eaten but she has developed this weird habit. I have to sit in the room with her while she eats or she will not eat. She will follow me to what ever room I am in and leave her food untouched, unless I personally go sit in the room with her food dish. She even waits until my butt is physically in the chair before she will touch it.

Not sure why she started this or how to break her of it, but I don't think it is a good thing, especcially if I go on vacation or heaven forbid have to go in a hospital.

My Mom said I shouldn't go sit with her and she will get hungry enough to eat on her own, but I tried that and the dog still let it sit there all day, and I don't want her to go hungry.

[yewberry]

14. Don't encourage this.

If "cold turkey" doesn't work, try baby steps. Move her food bowl a foot or two away from your spot every day until eventually it's around a corner or far enough away from you that you're not part of the equation.

She'll get used to it and you won't have to worry about her eating.

Good luck!

[Liberalynn]

37. Thank you

I tried this today. I put a little of our meat in her food, waited until she started eating then gradually backed out of the room. She stayed and when I went to check after she came back in the living room, I saw the dish empty.

Maybe we can get to the point where I just fix her food and then leave the room right away.

Thanks again.

[yewberry]

42. Yay! Glad to hear it.

We had a foster dog with the same habit--by the time he arrived at our home, he wouldn't eat unless someone sat on the floor next to him for the duration of his meal. (His people had been unwittingly reinforcing this pattern by reassuring him and cooing over him in their worry over his "lack of interest in food." Why wouldn't he escalate the behavior? He was being rewarded with more and more attention as he stepped it up!)

Good luck!

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. My Youngest Dog

developed pancreatitis and went into secondary renal failure after my three year old nephew slipped him some of the Christmas ham and turkey under the table a few years back - an act that was unobserved by the adults and contrary to their instructions. Doggie nearly died and ended up spending about a week in doggie hospital taking IV fluids to flush his kidneys. He was an 8 pound 5 month old puppy at the time. It didn't take much to make him very sick. He is doing very well now but he will have to eat either a highly restricted diet or prescription dog food for the remainder of his life.

I admit to sneaking him people food from time to time - and sometimes even cooking for him. But I don't ever give him people food without considering its nutritional and fat content - especially the phosphorous, protein and potassium content. Dogs, like people, need to eat a balanced diet.

Incidentally, while my dogs love meat they also are quite fond of healthier fare including raw apple, banana, carrots and cabbage.

Edit to add: My vet has actually given me several recipes to cook for my two dogs. All of them included vegetables, carbohydrates and protein. And, yes, the dogs prefer the homecooked food. As do I.

[Book Lover]

8. It's the only thing to feed a family animal

What do you think people fed their dogs before "dog food" was invented? We fed our dog chicken and rice his whole life, and it was cheaper than the dry crap and healthier for the animal.

[jilln]

9. Absolutely, yes

The idea that there is anything natural about feeding a dog nothing but commercial dog food, no matter how complete the particular brand, is a myth created by dog food companies, and fairly recently too.

My dogs do eat dog food but I also regularly make them other food or share mine with them. We are all vegetarian and they LOVE tofu, peanut butter, broccoli, canned carrots, all kinds of grains, etc. My vet says he doesn't know what exactly I do but that they are in GREAT shape (ages 8 - 10) and to keep doing it.

I do think the other posters are correct though in that if you don't want them to beg at the table, only feed them in their bowls. Mine beg but when I tell them no, they understand and leave me alone. Sometimes I say yes.

[calico1]

18. Wasn't it after WWII that commercial pet food became

popular? If we are having steak or chicken I might save a last bite for her. I always get lean meat. On weekends I often cook for my pooch. What do people think dog food is made of anyway? The thing is to not overfeed them anything and to not give them things that are bad for them.

[jilln]

20. yeah i think so

and what do people think dogs eat in the wild or when they get out of the yard? That's FAR worse than anything they might have in their kitchens!

As far as I know, chocolate is the only real danger. Some people say onions too. And obviously anything with an excess of fat, salt, overly processed, etc. is not a good idea but I don't have those things in the house anyway. My dogs are fine with spicy food but I don't give it to them just in case. I give them some and then add spices to mine.

[liontamer]

10. no

it creates bad behavior, plus if you season your food with a lot of spices it can upset their tummies.

[yewberry]

12. He will expect it and he will beg more.

We very rarely give the doglet table scraps and we never allow him to beg while we're eating. Of course, our little guy has a pretty sensitive stomach and unusual foods tend to lead to less-than-glorious poop.

Moby has a place he sits (away from the table) while we eat...he's pretty good about it.

Also, feeding him occasionally from your plate will have exactly the same results (if not more) as feeding him regularly from your plate.

[trackfan]

13. Yes. It makes them happy.

Our dog loves everything we love. His favorites are steak, chops, pasta and pancakes. The cats like little pieces of meat.

[mvd]

15. Depends on the food

All my dogs have been overweight, and table scraps are a big part of that. Because I try to walk my dog at least once a day. I personally can't resist giving Reba tastes of "the good stuff." But find out what foods disagree with your dog. My dog has had bowel problems after eating fatty stuff.

[youthere]

16. We don't feed table scraps as a rule...

our dog seems to have an especially sensitive stomach, and throws up at the drop of a hat, so table scraps are a definite no no. I do however, occasionally give her little tidbits of "safe" things like boiled chicken but never from the table.
I don't know if this helps with the begging...we make ours go in the kennel while we are eating. Good luck.

[DemGirl7]

17. I don't...

Heck my dog is on Diet dog food, because he's a little bit overweight, so he gets no human food, unless it's something like veggies, or sometimes I have to put a tiny bit of peanut butter on his pills, because he spits them out, and the vet told me to do it. And bread doesn't work wrapped around the pill, because he eats the bread and spits the pill out.

[China_cat]

33. Try a hot dog

Not the whole thing, just enough of it to stick the pill in. I've only got one dog that doesn't work on (his downfall is cream cheese). They love seeing the pill bottle come out because it means they get what they really love.

[Shell Beau]

19. I feed my dogs certain table scraps, but I always

put it in their food bowls. I know a lot of people don't feed scraps to their dogs, but as long as the food isn't bad for them, I have no problem with it.

[BikeWriter]

21. I have always fed table scraps, BUT, I have also...

demanded the dogs proper place during meals was lying in the living room floor. It is people food until you decide it is dog food. It is not his decision!

[miss_kitty]

22. no. It's a good way to end up with a fat unhealthy dog

which will cost you a ton in vet bills and possibly drastically shorten your best friend's life.

Crate him during mealtime. He needs to be trained not to bug you during meals. JMHO

PS: a lean chicken scrap, in his bowl, every now and again isn't going to kill him. But if you want to give him treats, do good healthy dog treats or garlic mashed potatotes (No butter or cream) cooked carrots or pureed raw carrots or he might like carrot sticks.

[Shredr]

27. I guess it makes the most sense to just never start feeding him scraps

He just looks so sad when he can't have any. And I'm a sucker for that sad face.

[miss_kitty]

36. I know-I am too

I am really lucky with Stell. She was raised scrounging for garbage and handouts, yet I can sit next to her on the sofa with any kind of food and she lays next to me, sleeping. She will turn it on at my brother's house, especially with the SIL. Because they are weak, and she knows it! :D

I would suggest you train cutie pie bullmastiff face (I know-one of 12 lb Stella's playmates is a Bullmastiff) to not beg, and reward him with treats for being a good boy after you are done with your meal. It may take awhile for him to comply, but you will be having a large strong dog on your hands when he reaches adulthood-it's best to have the behavioural issues dealt with before then!

:hi:

[leftofthedial]

24. yes, but not from the table

[Scout]

25. NO!

especially not at the table

I never fed my dog any people food. She got her dog food and doggie treats. She never even really associated people food with something she could eat. Then one day I took her to a picnic with me ... left her with friends briefly while I went up to get my plate of food. I came back and they had been feeding her THEIR table scraps. They let their kid feed her part of a corn cob!

We have had mild problems with begging ever since.

If you are feeding them a good dog food, they don't need any other nutrition, and some people foods are actually bad for them.

[trof]

28. Oh heck yes.

We had 4 German Shepherds.
One at a time, not all at once.
;-)
I know this will raise a lot of hackles, but I figured they were part of the family and not in boot camp. We'd toss them a tasty morsel from time to time.

The only rule was the nose could NOT touch the table.
When that happened they were banished to another room until our meal was over.
They are damned smart dogs, and it didn't take them long to learn the rule.

We had one big male who would sit there and look up at you with his big pleading brown eyes and his nose just this > < far from the edge of the table (but NOT TOUCHING!) and then (if you didn't give him a bite quick enough) start to salivate until he had ROPES hanging down from his jowls. Poor old guy.

Most of the time they just settled in under the table unless we were having beef or chicken. They never were much on pasta.

Mind you, these were "extra" treats, and not the day-to-day diet.

[movie_girl99]

29. we used to feed our boxer table scraps

but he had terrible gas and would always eat grass. we stopped and while he still has occasional gas he rarely wants to eat grass.

[Touchdown]

31. As a guest of dog owners...

The biggest pet(pun) peeve of mine is when their dogs watch me eat. Dogs gravitate to strangers, because they think they can get away with the vulture acting, that their masters are tired of. I wish I could yell "GO AWAY!", but he/she's not my dog, and I'm in somebody else's house, so I keep quiet, or if I say something , then I get a little..."Shep. No." like that old bat in Airplane when the dog attacked that airline worker coming to pick Cpt. Kramer up. It's not the dog's fault he wasn't taught discipline and boundaries, it's the owners and it pisses me off!:grr:

[LisaM]

32. Don't do it. I had to have a giant stone removed from my dog

after feeding her table scraps for years. That dog (and her brother) also had skin problems, and I never connected the two.

The only thing my dogs get are a tiny bit of egg once a week.

[wideopen]

34. every day. My dogs have a job

they clean up all food the kids drop on the floor. I have fed my dogs from the table for 30 years and not once has my vet ever said it was a problem. Apparently non- human food people don't know that dog food is a waste product of human food. As far as the begging thing goes, if you train your dogs to do what you say it doesn't matter, just tell them to go lay down at dinnertime, no problem.

[WeRQ4U]

35. Nope. My dog has a sensitive stomach. Plus, I hate begging at the table.

And no, I don't let them eat them away from the table either.

[noonwitch]

38. Occasionally, I give Katie some scraps

I give her a small end piece if I get a sub, or let her lick the bowl after I've eaten ice cream. If she won't come in from the back yard, I usually use lunchmeat (turkey) to bribe her back in.

She gets plenty of excercise, so I don't worry too much about negatively affecting her health.

[henslee]

39. Scraps? My dog is real old and I sit there and pretend to prepare the

scraps special for her, mixing it and making a huge deal. When I am done, I put them in her bowl, hardly giving her any scraps at all and often mixing it in with her healthy food, all the while talking to her about how lucky she is to get these wonderful scraps! She eats the whole drama up and eats the food up too. IT IS THE SOCIAL ASPECT OF GETTING SCRAPS THAT IS A BIG PART OF THE WHOLE SCRAPS THING. I have the happiest dog in the world.

[PollyH]

40. Table Scraps

Well, I do feed mine some human food but try not to give them anything while we are eating. I don't see anything wrong with a little roast chicken, turkey or hamburger. The one thing I do, however, is give them baby food mixed with their regular food. The baby food is usually organic and mostly vegetables -- green beans, peas, carrots, etc. I also give them baby food fruits, organic. If you buy Beechnut or one of the organic brands the ingredients state only the vegetable/fruit plus water. Beechnut is great for not putting a lot of additives into the food.

I agree with those who say, "what did dogs and cats eat before commercial dog/cat food?" My guess is that they pretty much ate what humans left over. Besides I am often concerned about what is really in commercial dog/cat food. What is wrong with a nice roast chicken or plain old hamburger and white rice???

[Mizmoon]

41. The longest living, happiest dog I ever knew ate nothing but table scraps

She lived to be 20-years-old. She was fat but beautiful and very happy.

I don't think they ever brought her to the vet once, actually. Never even had a rabies shot. I'm not advocating this, just mentioning it.

[crispini]

43. Why does everyone care so much about whether or not they beg at the table?

My parents always fed ours tiny little scraps from the table, usually towards the end of the meal. It's more for fun, and they enjoy it so much. If people come over for dinner the dogs are usually shut in another room anyway.