Is people food sufficient for dogs?

Question

A dog recently came to my house, in spite of trying to find her owner, I haven't had any luck. She's an adorable Miniature Dachshund and I am trying to take care of her whether this ends up being her permanent home or not, until I find the owner. In the meantime, I have put out several different types of dogfood for her in the beginning and she wouldn't eat it, in fact "starved" for 2 days.I felt so bad for her, that I ended up giving her "real food." Good thing she's so tiny, and I can afford to give her scraps. My husband is worried that people food isn't as good for her as dogfood. I try to give her a well balanced diet with starch,meat and non-gassy veggies- if you know what I mean. Is that enough?

Answer 1

She's not eating because she's lost, or homesick, and in an unfamiliar area. Give her some boiled, boneless chicken and cooked rice. Then gradually add dog food to it. Good luck!

Answer 2

Dogs do get depressed...she is missing her people...Dogs do not STARVE in two days, get very hungry YES but not starve, some dogs actually FAST themselves when they are not hungry and do just fine. When she feels better and is very hungry she will eat.
Keep fresh water on hand at all times.
Was there no ID on her at all? It might be hidden from view.

Maybe a chip? It is implanted sub-dermal, under the skin, sometimes a tattoo?
Take her to a near by shelter and see if they can find the ID.
Tell them you want to care for the dog until the owners are found, in LA, California if you find a dog and no one claims it within a week then you do get to keep it.
Find out what the laws are in your town/state.
Usually some one with that kind of dog paid good money for it and would love to get her back.
ABOUT the food though...
People food you will find is OK if prepared safely for dogs.
AND choosing the right and SAFE foods for them.
Eggs and rice is good
Hard boil and egg mix it with rice and that should be good for a start.
You might want to stay with a limited menu to see first what she likes and second if any allergies come up they can be easier to eliminate.
Do not make YOUR food and hers together...but if you're having chicken then take a bit out for her that is not overly spices.
Chicken and rice is good too...
Carrots either cut into bite pieces raw that is good for CRUNCHY foods or slightly steamed.
You can add oils to it. NOT too much a few drops or 1 teaspoon.
SEE the FIRST SITE below for Potentially Toxic Foods:
SEE the second one below for : Human Foods that Poison Pets
Chocolate toxicity
Onion and garlic poisoning
The danger of macadamia nuts
Other potential dangers
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LOOK at the labels of many DOG FOODS...
Some of those in grocery stores and pet shops are more 'dangerous' than your homemade food!
MEAT-BY-PRODUCTS are Mystery meats...anything from all parts of the animal and whatever wanders into the grains like vermin such as RATS!
LOOK AGAIN at the labels to see that many foods WE eat are in there too!
Learn what is GOOD from the labels and take out the bad...
You can learn to feed healthy/SAFE food to the dog.
Because when you come down to it PEOPLE food IS IN dog food, it is prepared differnently...most of the time with less care of quality of what is in it than what is in ours.
The only thing that is really different IS that PET FOODS are not made as CLEANLY and SAFELY as HUMAN foods.
SEE Tina's ark not just to order BUT for the INFORMATION.
You can make pet food at home it would be better for your pets really!
It is what and how you make it that counts!

Answer 3

If the dog absolutely won't eat, then I would try boiled chicken with rice peas and carrots and a splash of chicken broth. This is what I feed my dog when he's sick...and also for his birthday (because he likes chicken so much.)

You can make this in advance and store it in the fridge for a couple of days...if you can afford to, take it to the vet and make sure not eating isn't a symptom of something else.

Sometimes dogs will get accustomed to one kind of food and then never eat anything else...but I'm sure that if you consistently put out the same thing it would eventually eat it...or try adding a splash of broth to dry food...hope this helps and good luck!!!!!!

Answer 4

I'd agree she's not eating because of emotional trauma, but if you research it and follow some guidelines, you can feed the dog human food. When I got my Yorkie mix, I took her to a vet clinic in Tallahassee, FL. They gave me a whole book on guidelines for feeding your dog and there was a whole section in that book about table food for dogs. You just have to know that certain foods dogs don't digest well, like grapes,raisins, chocolate and onions. These foods, as well as some others, can make the dog very, very sick. I'd ask a vet what to do.

Answer 5

a great answer by smileyfaceinspace. Sometimes dogs will not eat for several days, but eventually they will. when I adopted my last dog, we brought his old food, however, for the 1st few days he would not eat. So, we would give him a time limit and after a few days he learned. Your case is probably different w/ a distressed dog and I like what smileyfaceinspace said. GOOD LUCK

Answer 6

No...dog food is so much better for a dog since it is balanced and formulated specifically for their needs. A dog's make-up is so different than ours. They will not be as healthy if you feed him/her people food. There is a solution. They sell a gravy that in the pet store that is for dog's. It is nutritious for them and they love it. You put it over their own food and they love it. Try that first and it may just be the answer for you.

Answer 7

well you're doing a good deed and i think that if no one claims the dog its yours. while "human food" is much worse than the food made specifically for dogs i think if you know what foods to feed the little thing you are fine. for example, no chocolate, candy, cheese, milk, ect. and as far as starving, ovrfeeding is just as bad. i lost my first and only dog at 2 years old when my nan overfed him and he suffered from a deteriarated disc which caused paralization and many other things. this goes for dogs with especially long baks such as the cutie you have. good luck with her. ps turkey isnt good either

Answer 8

ok firstly you should call your local SPCA or dog pound and report finding her - if you dont know if you have one call a vet and they will tell you - failure to report finding a dog can have you be charged with THEFT so make sure you do report it - infact she may be tattooed or microchipped so if you take it to a vet they should be able to check this for free.....

ok people food is not good for dogs, especially table scraps are bad - if you wont eat it dont expect a dog to eat it, rice is ok chicken is also, but over all they really require all the minerals in PREMIUM dog food - small dogs are pickier eaters than big dogs often they perfer canned food on top of their dry and its not ususual for them to refuse food for a few days

Answer 9

people food is really bad for dogs, it can cause pancreatitis. The best thing to do is put out a bowl of dog food, when the dog gets hungry it will eat.

Answer 10

I don't think you'll have a problem if this is just a short term thing...it's definitely better for her to eat your food than nothing at all.If you plan on keeping her long term I would try and get her to eat dog food though.

Answer 11

No! People food is double the callorie intake for dogs. And Never Ever feed you dog chocolate. The caffine intake can kill them. If you want to lessen your dogs life span then go ahead.