Dog Diets – Can My Dog Eat That? So often I get asked these questions. So I have compiled a little list to go by.
- Sunflower Seeds- If unsalted and removed from their shells, yes on occasion there is no reason why your dog cannot have a snack!
- Peanuts: Yes. Again unsalted and removed from their shells. Peanut butter is also just fine too! Make sure to not feed your dog chocolate covered peanuts, anything with chocolate should be avoided.
- Fruit Seeds (Watermelon, Honeydew, Cantaloupe): These are all just fine and safe too! The seeds will not cause your dog any harm.
- Seeds for Healthy Benefits: As long as your avoiding raisins, grapes, and macadamia nuts, which are toxic and harmful to dogs, any other snack is just great for your pooch. Just like in humans, nuts can be considered some of our superfood grains, it will be the same for your dog. Nuts are healthy snacks, far better than your over processed dog treats and contain wholesome ingredients.
- Just make sure to not overfeed your dog treats! Treats should only consume 10% of your dog’s daily diet.
- The No No’s: Again except for grapes, raisins, and macadamia nuts, everything else is just fine for your dog, just use good judgment and moderation.
- Nut Allergies: Some animals do have certain food allergies, but dogs do not experience nut allergies like people do. In fact, dogs who have severe allergies actually eat a lot of peanut butter as it is a good healthy source of fat, and does not cause allergy-related problems.
In your opinion, why do humans give their dogs human food so often?
I would actually have to differ and say that dogs should get more “human food”. What I see in my practice is owners feeding the wrong types of human foods, like pumpkin. Pumpkin fed in access leeches the nutrients and minerals out of the gut. Garlic is another one overfed on a daily basis and can also cause severe problems.
Feeding your dog a healthy balanced diet is just fine and a great replacement for commercially made dog food! It’s simple: 1/3 Protein, 1/3 Carbs, and 1/3 vegetables. Yes, I mean your green veggies and no they do not cause diarrhea or gas! A cup of broccoli almost has twice the amount of protein as a cup of steak! So it is fine to feed your dog “human food” but I would encourage you to think of food as food, not human food and not dog food. Dogs are 99.9% genetically identical to humans so in reality, their bodies do function very similar to our own. Feeding them chicken or turkey with some rice and vegetables is a wonderful healthy meal! Remember the grade of meat used for dog food is not the same to the grade of food used in human meat, it is much less.
Often times, for example, all the parts of a chicken a human can consume goes to one side of a rendering factory and the rest go to the dog food side. So ask yourself, if dog food companies paint those beautiful pictures of chicken breasts and turkey legs on bags of dog food, why does everyone think they can’t feed their dog the actual food displayed and said to be in those beautiful bags? Food is food and it is the single most important thing that defines your lifelong health, so it is something that should not be disregarded.