# Human food vs dog food



## alex.49.98 (Dec 17, 2011)

Hi everybody,
I guess this kind of questions were asked many times but still what do you think - is it really bad if a dog eats human food most of the time. Is it going to reflect negatively on the dog's health in the short or long run? What if the dog regularly recieves suggeted vitamins and eats special dog's treats?


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

depends on what you mean by "human food". a properly prepared raw or homecooked diet is extremly healthy for dogs.


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## Active Dog (Jan 18, 2010)

Table scraps and potato chips are not healthy for dogs, yes a lot of people give them as an occasional treat but as a regular diet no it will negatively effect your dogs health. Might I also add that most huskies (as I see you have a husky in your counter) do not do well with human food. Not only are the more prone to allergies (because their diet was so heavily based on meats until more heavily popularized) but they also retain their food easier. A husky does not need to eat as much as an average dog before they gain weight. This is because they must sustain themselves off the amount of food a musher can carry on the sled. Most huskies now a days are overweight because they are being fed too much. My vet was very adamant to tell me he didn't need to gain anymore weight and I agreed.


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## Dekka (Mar 20, 2010)

If the diet of human food is rich in meats, and raw bones as well as some organ meats you might be ok. Your dog could likely handle (but wouldn't need) cooked veggies.

But IME people don't eat enough meat to make this feasible.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Here is a way to feed a dog mostly human food and have it be a balanced diet. See the link on the left about emergency food.
http://www.naturaldogfood.com/

Max needs a lot more protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and some B vitamins per pound than I do. Giving him the same food I eat wouldn't work well but I could give him more meat and less of the other stuff plus some stuff I don't want to eat - liver, and do a pretty good job of nourishing him.

I have always given the dogs bits of this and that from my plate. Just don't overdo it and watch out for the dangerous foods and it is fine as long as the dog also eats its special dog meals whatever they might be.


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## DustyCrockett (Sep 24, 2011)

If you prepared healthy, balanced meals every day, not vegetarian, but not micro-wave pre-processed package food-like substances either, your dog would thrive on your leftovers, and probably do lots better than most of the stuff our dogs are eating today.

I wonder how many generations of healthy, happy dogs were raised like that, before the food processors figured out how to package and sell the wasteage that used to get thrown out of food processing plant. Must be hundreds of thousands.


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## Sybille (Oct 5, 2011)

Be also aware of salt, sugar, spices, too much fat etc that is normally found in human meals!


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

DustyCrockett said:


> If you prepared healthy, balanced meals every day, not vegetarian, but not micro-wave pre-processed package food-like substances either, your dog would thrive on your leftovers, and probably do lots better than most of the stuff our dogs are eating today.
> 
> I wonder how many generations of healthy, happy dogs were raised like that, before the food processors figured out how to package and sell the wasteage that used to get thrown out of food processing plant. Must be hundreds of thousands.



Disclaimer: I do not and am not suggesting doing this: I can attest to a 12 pound terrier mix I had 55 years ago who never had a morsel of dog food in his life. We had a garden and he ate fresh veggies, meat that was cooked with vegetable oil or olive oil. He ate fish. He loved spaghetti. He ate rice, potatoes, noodles, ... anything human cooked. All these foods were home cooked. He may have been an exception to the rules. He also had garlic, ... because 55 years ago it was thought that garlic kept a dog from getting worms. He tolerated tomatoes,....etc. He did not have processed foods or canned foods. He had fresh fruit also from time to time ... and he also has some sweets which were really a no-no,... including little licks of chocolate candy. Much of this was not known about 55 years ago I believe. He would also sneak over to the nearest tavern and lick the whiskey bottles. 

He lived to be 17 years old. However he did have a stroke at the age of 14. He probably had high cholesterol.

I firmly believe and it is my own honest opinion that a dog could survive on human food if cooked properly and with no preservatives added ... along with the knowledge today of toxins left out of the diet.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Oddly most spices and herbs are just as good for dogs as they are for people. Who knew? Nutmeg is the only one I know about that dogs and people should not overindulge in. Ginger is good for upset tummies and black pepper and turmeric are good for various conditions.

Fat is extremely good for dogs but you must know your dog and introduce it slowly to the diet. Don't dump all of the roast turkey skin into the dog bowl unless you hate your dog and want to spend a bunch of money on vet bills! Pancreatitis is extremely painful and costs a lot of money to treat not to mention can be deadly. Put a thumbnail sized bit of that skin in the bowl for a medium sized dog first time!

I suspect all the salt we humans eat is more from processed and prepared foods than home cooked. If you cook your own food you probably don't use as much. I adore onions and garlic so my spaghetti sauce and stews aren't okay for dogs but I could easily put some meat and veggies to the side for the dog and just make 2 lots of stew. Yesterday we had bok choy and chicken stir fry for dinner. Max could have had all of it before the sauce was made plus some rice. If that was all he was getting then I could have added an egg or canned fish and/or a bite of liver and a sprinkle of powdered egg shell or bone meal for calcium. The salt in that meal was in the sauce and the little bit of garlic is fine occasionally.

Most people know dogs shouldn't have chocolate but macadamia nuts is another very dangerous food I never heard about until quite recently. Grapes is another food dogs shouldn't have ever. For most of the rest if it is okay for people it is okay for dogs, just consider the serving and quality of the food. Never offer moldy or spoiled food or waste you couldn't eat yourself if processed like in a stock. Carrot peelings are great, avocado pits and peels are poisonous.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

Depends on the human food. I do let my dogs have occasional bites as treats only. I tend to let them have bits of cheese, meat (unseasoned/unmarinated), occasional veggies, a chip that falls to the floor. It is the exception though. I keep healthy, low cal treats around for them as my diet is not healthy for them. 
Some human food is okay, some is excellent for them and most is not good at all for them.


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

I feed my dogs a LOT of human food... I am more of a waste not kind of person... any left over meat or boneless chicken pork...etc. from dinner goes to the dogs... they are not fed from the table and they know to wait by their dish. I refrain from giving them anything sugary, certain vegetables, processed/boxed foods...etc. Mind you I have a very big dog so what's a small portion to us may be a huge portion to other animals on the board. We do not feed our dogs dog treats, etc... just marrow bones, raw bones and kibble.


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

Giving your dog "human food" occasionally won't kill them, but why give your dog something it cannot even benefit from?
Dogs are CARNIVORES, not OMNIVORES, believe it or not. Don't let vets and the dog food companies fool you. 
Sure, dogs ARE very adaptable, but just because they can survive on an omnivorous diet does not mean it is the best diet for them.

Dogs (and cats) are equipped with powerful jaw muscles and neck muscles that assist in pulling down prey and chewing meat, bone, and hide. Their jaws hinge open widely, allowing them to gulp large chunks of meat and bone. Their skulls are heavy, and are shaped to prevent lateral movement of the lower jaw when captured prey struggles (the mandibular fossa is deep and C-shaped); this shape permits only an up-and-down crushing motion, whereas herbivores and omnivores have flatter mandibular fossa that allows for the lateral motion necessary to grind plant matter.

Dogs and have the internal anatomy and physiology of a carnivore. They have a highly elastic stomach designed to hold large quantities of meat, bone, organs, and hide. Their stomachs are simple, with an undeveloped caecum. They have a relatively short foregut and a short, smooth, unsacculated colon. This means food passes through quickly. Vegetable and plant matter, however, needs time to sit and ferment. This equates to longer, sacculated colons, larger and longer small intestines, and occasionally the presence of a caecum. Dogs have none of these, but have the shorter foregut and hindgut consistent with carnivorous animals. This explains why plant matter comes out the same way it came in; there was no time for it to be broken down and digested (among other things).

Dogs do not normally produce the necessary enzymes in their saliva (amylase, for example) to start the break-down of carbohydrates and starches; amylase in saliva is something omnivorous and herbivorous animals possess, but not carnivorous animals. This places the burden entirely on the pancreas, forcing it to produce large amounts of amylase to deal with the starch, cellulose, and carbohydrates in plant matter. Thus, feeding dogs as though they were omnivores taxes the pancreas and places extra strain on it, as it must work harder for the dog to digest the starchy, carbohydrate-filled food instead of just producing normal amounts of the enzymes needed to digest proteins and fats (which, when fed raw, begin to "self-digest" when the cells are crushed through chewing and tearing and their enzymes are released).

Nor do dogs have the kinds of friendly bacteria that break down cellulose and starch for them. As a result, most of the nutrients contained in plant matter—even preprocessed plant matter—are unavailable to dogs. This is why dog food manufacturers have to add such high amounts of synthetic vitamins and minerals (the fact that cooking destroys all the vitamins and minerals and thus creates the need for supplementation aside) to their dog foods. If a dog can only digest 40-60% of its grain-based food, then it will only be receiving 40-60% (ideally!) of the vitamins and minerals it needs. To compensate for this, the manufacturer must add a higher concentration of vitamins and minerals than the dog actually needs.

This translates to a simple fact: everything about a dog or cat's body design says they were designed for a carnivorous, hunting lifestyle geared toward killing prey. However, humans have done some major tinkering with this body design (resulting in varying sizes and conformations), but we have done nothing to change the internal anatomy and physiology of our carnivorous canines.

[http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html]


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

Did you copy and paste that?

And who's saying that ALL human food is bad for animals? I believe every inch of meat in my freezer is good for my dogs even though I consider it my "human food".


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

I don't quite understand what you're getting at, but here is something worth reading.

[http://feline-nutrition.org/features/a-brief-history-of-commercial-pet-food]
Mind you this applies to dogs as well.


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

Or was it this one? http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id51.html

I can go on and on...

What I'm getting at is...... if you don't know what YOU'RE talking about, don't dispute the topic. Taking someone else's opinion or research is useless to us...

And for the record, you have no idea what this person is feeding their dog and considering it "human food"... we're not talking about boxes of cereal and bags of chips...


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> Or was it this one? http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id51.html
> 
> I can go on and on...
> 
> ...


For the record, I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Way to sound pretentious...

Also, just because I "copy and paste" something[which EVERYONE has done and STILL does] doesn't mean I don't have a comprehensive grasp on this "topic".

It simply means that I'm not going to sit here and try to "formulate some collaboration" on this information in order to "impress" those reading it.

I've read COUNTLESS books, articles, websites, forums, testimonies, etc. on this topic.

I also never said "I knew what they fed their dog." I was simply offering some advice. Whether they care to further their research on it is up to them.

And whether you care to hear it or not isn't. It's a FORUM.

One last thing. Human beings learn through books, articles, documentaries, "experts", etc.

Hm. Seems all these things are merely OPINIONS and RESEARCH done by someone OTHER than yourself.

Don't be so hypocritical. And don't be so quick to judge. It makes you look arrogant.


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

FANTASTIC...... Now tell us in your own words why human food is bad... and maybe give suggestions on what human food would be acceptable (and if better consumed raw or cooked)... and which ones are prohibited.


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> FANTASTIC...... Now tell us in your own words why human food is bad... and maybe give suggestions on what human food would be acceptable (and if better consumed raw or cooked)... and which ones are prohibited.


Gladly. I like a "challenge". Haha.

Some foods that we label "human food", were once fed to dogs LONG ago. Before kibble was even invented.

Dogs are carnivores. Open up your dogs mouth. Their teeth are designed to shred and tear their "prey". 
There are no flat, omnivorous molars like you and I have, only sharp teeth.
A dogs jaw moves in an up-and-down crushing motion. They do not grind their food "side-to-side" like omnivores do.

Dogs also have a sort fore-gut that is consistent with carnivores.
Food passes quickly through the dog, therefore, they cannot digest plant material. Plant material needs time to sit and ferment.

Dogs are very adaptable. And are opportunistic. 

Can they live on kibble? Sure, they are scavengers just like their ancestors the wolf. But is it an ideal diet? No.

With this being said, I personally believe that feeding any type of fruit or vegetable is unnecessary to a dogs diet. 
[With the exception of fresh tripe.]

With "human food" feeding whole, fresh raw meat in a "prey model" style is best. With much variety[not too quickly, of course].

I believe that home-cooked food for dogs is MUCH healthier than ANY kibble. As long as it's done properly and balanced accurately.

Anyways, you're not too off about where I "plagiarized" my information. 

Yes, I used http://rawfed.com/myths/.

Why? Because in my personal opinion it is written in such a comprehensive and articulate way that I didn't see any reason to change anything around. Including words.

If people are copying information and making other websites with the same information it's undoubtedly for the SAME reason I did. 
Because it's just fine the way that it is. -.0


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> Like this...... you took parts of you entire post from this....
> 
> http://www.naturalcanines.com/gpage2new.html
> 
> That website ALSO believes that vaccines kill dogs... immune systems are the best route for preventative care. Do you believe this as well? Are you going to quote them on this too???


And yes. I do believe that vaccines kill dogs.

It is my personal opinion and belief. You don't have to agree, but you also don't have to presume your beliefs are superior to mine.

We are ALL human. We are ALL equal. The same goes for our personal opinions and beliefs.


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

Kérstan said:


> Gladly. I like a "challenge". Haha.
> 
> Some foods that we label "human food", were once fed to dogs LONG ago. Before kibble was even invented.
> 
> ...


You are saying that home cooked food is BETTER THAN KIBBLE.... but you have never backed up your post why human food is bad? I don't feed my kids kibble... I do feed them chicken, rice, beef, eggs... same things I feed my dogs. So why is the chicken, rice, beef and eggs bad for my dogs? Because it's human food? Any protein in my house doesn't get thrown out, it goes to my pets. Is that bad because it was intended for my human companions? My dogs are not fed processed human food, nor are they fed most grains or vegetables. I do not feed my wheaten most allergen possibles. I don't understand how you're shunning for someone who's asking about human food because you're pro raw diet when many foods that humans consumed are part of this diet... the only difference is, they're cooked.


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> You are saying that home cooked food is BETTER THAN KIBBLE.... but you have never backed up your post why human food is bad? I don't feed my kids kibble... I do feed them chicken, rice, beef, eggs... same things I feed my dogs. So why is the chicken, rice, beef and eggs bad for my dogs? Because it's human food? Any protein in my house doesn't get thrown out, it goes to my pets. Is that bad because it was intended for my human companions? My dogs are not fed processed human food, nor are they fed most grains or vegetables. I do not feed my wheaten most allergen possibles. I don't understand how you're shunning for someone who's asking about human food because you're pro raw diet when many foods that humans consumed are part of this diet... the only difference is, they're cooked.


I never said you feed your children kibble.

And who am I "shunning"? 

This thread is called "Human food vs Dog food". Obviously a discussion of opinions on which "food" we considered "better" or "healthier".

To me, feeding your dogs rice in unnecessary. Rice is a grain. Indigestible to the canine[http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html]. Cooking food destroys the enzymes and cannot be utilized by the dog. This is why I don't prefer home cooked to raw, but I do prefer home cooked to kibble.

Kibble is full of cheap fillers, by-products, euthanized pets, etc.


I didn't come here stating that my opinion was "right". I just simply stated it.

You decided to take it further by making some fallacious assumptions.

Well, it ends now. I'm not going to argue over something so trivial.

It's YOUR dogs. You're going to feed them, care for them, train them, etc. how YOU want. How YOU see "fit".

And I will do the same with mine. 

Have a delightful night.


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

Wouldn't that technically mean human food IS better than dog food (which is generally kibble).... since turkey, chicken, red meat, fish...etc are all considered human food in the western hemisphere?


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> Link doesn't work...... try again.
> 
> And what I asked was... did you type that out. Or did you COPY and PASTE it... because if you COPIED and PASTED it... you should ref the source.


He did ref the source, the link is at the bottom.


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Kérstan said:


> kibble is full of cheap fillers, by-products, *euthanized pets*, etc.


This seems like it is a bit of a stretch. I mean, I know that many dog foods are not top notch, but I find it hard to believe that there are places that are still doing this...any record of companies that are (this is out of curiosity--if you state it, I want to know where you have read it/heard it...that is the English major in me--sources....and more than one...)

I know that horse used to be used a lot...but I was not aware that euthanized pets were being used in kibble.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

theyogachick said:


> This seems like it is a bit of a stretch. I mean, I know that many dog foods are not top notch, but I find it hard to believe that there are places that are still doing this...any record of companies that are (this is out of curiosity--if you state it, I want to know where you have read it/heard it...that is the English major in me--sources....and more than one...)
> 
> I know that horse used to be used a lot...but I was not aware that euthanized pets were being used in kibble.


Actually there are some processing plants that pick up Euthed animals and process them into the "meat by-Products" found in pet food. It's really not that far of a stretch.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

cshellenberger said:


> Actually there are some processing plants that pick up Euthed animals and process them into the "meat by-Products" found in pet food. It's really not that far of a stretch.


Which processing plants do that? I keep hearing that this happens but I've never had anyone be able to give specifics.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Actually, I think it's the "meat and bone meal", not "meat by-products". Meat and bone meal comes from the rendering plant, but I think meat by-products still come from the slaughterhouse. All the larger shelters I know of have their own incinerators so they don't send the dead pets to the rendering plant, and it seems like the smaller shelters send the bodies to the landfill, from what I've heard. But I do know for a fact that the rendering truck will pick up roadkill (including cats and dogs) and chemically euthanized horses and livestock, so those probably do end up in the meat and bone meal. They did find traces of euth solution in some pet foods. . .I'll see if I can find that story and whether they mention which brands or ingredients.


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Which processing plants do that? I keep hearing that this happens but I've never had anyone be able to give specifics.


Me, too! That is why I asked. I knew to avoid "by products" because that is everything that is left, but I didn't know for sure about the animal usage. Looking more to educate myself than anything else here.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

This link says that the FDA did find sodium pentobarbital in pet foods, but no dog/cat DNA: http://www.animalarkshelter.org/ani...enForm&Photo=8F0F7B72890632FC86256B7B005E97FE

They have a clicky to look at the actual FDA report, but I don't know if it works because I don't have Word on my phone.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

theyogachick said:


> Me, too! That is why I asked. I knew to avoid "by products" because that is everything that is left, but I didn't know for sure about the animal usage. Looking more to educate myself than anything else here.


Yea, me too. Although honestly as long as there the "D's" or whatever aren't in there, the concepts of by-products don't really bother me. 

I'd also like to see the claims that corn and grains are indigestible for dogs backed up, but I've wished for those to be backed up for years and this is bringing me perilously close to breaking my vow not to discuss dog food on the internet anymore. (AGAIN )


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> Wouldn't that technically mean human food IS better than dog food (which is generally kibble).... since turkey, chicken, red meat, fish...etc are all considered human food in the western hemisphere?


Let me explain in more depth. Fruits and veggies are unnecessary to a carnivorous dog.

Meats, such as you listed are BEST raw. 

Now, feeding them cooked is BETTER than kibble, but NOT better than raw.

The main reason I don't like people to feed their dogs "human food" is because generally that consist of sugary sweets, chips, just about anything the owner eats, the dog does as well.

Also, when home cooking these meats for your dog, most people over season it and add things to it that is unhealthy for dogs.

That's all I am saying. I realize I wasn't wording it correctly. And I do apologize for that.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

sassafras said:


> I'd also like to see the claims that corn and grains are indigestible for dogs backed up, but I've wished for those to be backed up for years and this is bringing me perilously close to breaking my vow not to discuss dog food on the internet anymore. (AGAIN )


Me too. My inner researcher comes out when people start quoting websites that are not scientific and do not present the topic in an unbiased manner.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

It's so difficult to have solid research. Really, almost everything I've seen is going to be biased. Hills, Royal Canin, etc, all have lots of reasons why corn is good. Champion produced a very nice White Paper that favored raw and "biologically appropriate" food. But both are clearly biased. So who knows.

Here are some links that I did find interesting: 

http://www.preciouspets.org/truth.htm
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359
http://www.rense.com/general70/dead.htm
http://petlane.hubpages.com/hub/The-Disguisting-Truth-About-Dog-Food

Honestly, I see just as many GI problems, and other issues from raw fed dogs as kibble fed dogs. I DON'T really think it's alright or normal for dogs to be experiencing things such as bloody diarrhea, watery poop, vomitting up bones, and things of the like. I see people ALL the time saying "oh, that's normal when beginning raw, or feeding raw!" 

If I had the time, energy and a bit more money, I think I'd really like to homecook for Jackson - not raw, but cook meats, veggies, and balance it out for him. But alas, I hardly cook for myself and simply don't have the energy. 

So I try to go with what I feel works best for my dog.


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## DustyCrockett (Sep 24, 2011)

Serious question, that's been bugging me for awhile:

You see a lot of sources saying how you shouldn't feed corn to dogs because they don't digest it thoroughly. I know from personal experience that I digest cornbread differently from corn. Dog food isn't corn, it's got corn as an ingredient. That means fat, vitamins A & C, iron and whatever else is in corn. Does the canine body really know or care that those nutrients came from corn?

"Meat" from the rendering plant -- same question -- does the body really care where it came from? I know my dogs pretty well, and I'm pretty sure they couldn't care less one way or the other.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Lol, Jackson ate a few pieces of corn that dropped off my plate one day. The next day I picked up his poop and there were all the corn kernels in it! LOL. But I see what you are saying. By the time it's in processed dog food, I do wonder how unbeneficial it is, etc. I guess it's more that I find it unnecessary than harmful.


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## JulieK1967 (May 29, 2011)

sassafras said:


> Yea, me too. Although honestly as long as there the "D's" or whatever aren't in there, the concepts of by-products don't really bother me.
> 
> I'd also like to see the claims that corn and grains are indigestible for dogs backed up, but I've wished for those to be backed up for years and this is bringing me perilously close to breaking my vow not to discuss dog food on the internet anymore. (AGAIN )


I really think there is a lot of validity to the claim that dogs don't digest veggies/grains. It's anecdotal but seeing is believing. A few weeks ago my vet suggested a mixture of boiled chicken breast and peas to settle a diarrhea issue that Molly had. I was really surprised to see how much undigested pea matter I saw in her poop following these meals. They were coming out almost whole on the other end. So I started mashing them. Same thing. I've also noticed that grass that she may ingest is rarely digested. She ate a clump a while back and then had diarrhea and that clump came out the other end undigested. I'm not a scientist or a canine nutritionist but that seems to point to a difficulty in digestion. Why else her system digest the chicken and not the peas?


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

JulieK1967 said:


> I really think there is a lot of validity to the claim that dogs don't digest veggies/grains. It's anecdotal but seeing is believing. A few weeks ago my vet suggested a mixture of boiled chicken breast and peas to settle a diarrhea issue that Molly had. I was really surprised to see how much undigested pea matter I saw in her poop following these meals. They were coming out almost whole on the other end. So I started mashing them. Same thing. I've also noticed that grass that she may ingest is rarely digested. She ate a clump a while back and then had diarrhea and that clump came out the other end undigested. I'm not a scientist or a canine nutritionist but that seems to point to a difficulty in digestion. Why else her system digest the chicken and not the peas?


Exactly. Seeing IS believing. No matter what "side" your on, it's always biased in some way or another.

I just use common sense. 

Dogs have the internal anatomy and physiology of a carnivore.


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## Kérstan (Dec 18, 2011)

Jacksons Mom said:


> Honestly, I see just as many GI problems, and other issues from raw fed dogs as kibble fed dogs. I DON'T really think it's alright or normal for dogs to be experiencing things such as bloody diarrhea, watery poop, vomitting up bones, and things of the like. I see people ALL the time saying "oh, that's normal when beginning raw, or feeding raw!"


And 9 times out of 10, if a dog is experiencing "bloody diarrhea, watery poop, vomitting up bones, etc." something is being done wrong whilst feeding raw.

Bloody diarrhea:

With these "claims" you've heard, was the blood bright red? Or dark/blackish? If it's the latter, that is actually usually a sign of something seriously wrong with the dog that requires an emergency trip to the vet.

I'm going to presume the blood was fairly bright red. That really indicates a bowel or intestine that is irritated. And that can have several causes:

-Often it's grains in the food (too much fibre), and sometimes it's bits of bone if you're feeding a raw diet[which, any responsible raw feeder KNOWS to feed adequately sized raw, MEATY bones] . 

-Allergies are occassionally another cause. Colitis is probably more frequent. 

The bottom line on it all though, is that the problem is caused by irritation to the lining of the intestine, bowel or colon. And it actually is usually not a major issue. 

Usually people give the dog a bland diet for a few days to allow things to repair, and that is often the end of it.
Then they return to the normal diet with no issues.

Watery poop:

It is VERY vital that you start off slowly when transitioning/feeding raw.
The biggest mistake most people make is to add too much variety too soon.
Also, if the watery poo continues, it is most likely because the dog is not receiving enough bone matter. Feed more bone.

Vomiting:

Carnivores in general readily vomit food. Depending on whether or not the occurrences are severe or not or frequent, there is really no need for immediate concern.

Usually vomiting occurs because the diet is too rich too soon[same goes for diarrhea] and because people that have been feeding their dogs kibble for such a long time that their dogs system is not running up to par.

It takes a couple of days or so for some dogs to adjust and get their system running back up to par.


Maybe read this thorough rebuttal:

-http://rawfed.com/myths/rebuttal.html


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## karrot (Dec 20, 2011)

When I think of Human food I think of processed food or food that is cooked with salts, added ingredients and sauces. That's something I refuse to feed my puppy. I was waiting at a vet clinic and they had some flip cards that had some facts like one potato chip is equal to 2 burgers (or something like that). Now, I'm not too entirely sure if that is true but it is something to think about. I don't like feeding Karrot greasy junk because I feel as if he will become a brat and whine and beg at the dinner table if we don't give him anything (personal preference & opinion).
however, IF I had the time and money to cook homemade meals I definitely would. From what many have been saying, that is the healthiest. 
Here is a video that discusses best to worst dog foods! Hope this helps
http://youtu.be/I5ZeNLUEHKY


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## PyroWinner (Dec 20, 2011)

alex.49.98 said:


> Hi everybody,
> I guess this kind of questions were asked many times but still what do you think - is it really bad if a dog eats human food most of the time. Is it going to reflect negatively on the dog's health in the short or long run? What if the dog regularly recieves suggeted vitamins and eats special dog's treats?


Well I'd say that once in a while isn't bad at all. Of course, if you give to yoru dogs fries and hamburger, maybe you're to not give him that. A good steack is always good in my opinion


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