is human food bad for dogs?

Question

because my aunt and uncle used to feed there dog only human food left overs from dinner and the dog only lived to be 8

Answer 1

Dog food is better but it would be ok to feed your dog human food. Just no chocolate, onions, mushrooms, garlic, grapes, etc. There are lists of human foods that are toxic to dogs.

Answer 2

Cooked table scraps would not make up a balanced diet for dogs.
Dogs are scavengers and can survive on just about anything, but the question is how well??? Unlike humans they have short intestines which means they cannot process the cellulose in vegetables unless already completely crushed. They have a digestive system designed to cope with raw meat and bones, not foods high in starch/sugars. In the wild, a carnivore will first eat the stomach content of its prey. This will be the grasses, grains, fruits etc that the prey had been eating. It is not yet digested but in a mushed up form that the carnivore can then digest.
So whilst the odd table scrap won't harm, long term, not good at all.
BTW I totally disagree about not being able to feed garlic or onion to dogs. Having reared naturally for almost 30 years now, I can tell you my dogs are given raw garlic on almost a daily basis. YES the sulpherous content does mean it is poisonous, but studies done at a university in Japan show that extremely high quantities are needed before deleterious effects on the dog takes place. Garlic is a natural wormer and said sulpher will also keep fleas at bay. Frankly I would rather be using garlic to keep my dogs worm free than shoving real poisons down their throats.

Answer 3

Yes human food is bad for dogs. Especially chocolate it casues cancer! I only feed my 5 month old puppy table food for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter & her birthday she gets a steak!! My other dog was a 16yr old husky when she died in May, I fed her the same way but a lot more human food ( my husband would make 3 hambugers & give her 1/2 of everything they shared the plate she ate right from the table) but with my puppy we are not giving as much table food only for the holidays & she is not allowed by the table around dinner!! We only gave the puppy 2 pieces of turkey white & dark meet, a tablespoon of mashe potatoes, stuffing & 2 tablespoons of gravy!! We used to give 3 times that to my other dog (she has her own plate) as I said we are doing things differently this time!!

Answer 4

Well, dog food is made with added vitamins and minerals and protein just for the good health of dogs (which is why you shouldn't feed cat food (only) to dogs or dog food only to cats (etc.). Most human meals are balanced for human needs, not dogs. Dogs' nutritional needs are different from humans and if they don't get all the stuff they need to stay healthy, they become malnutritioned (but may look ok on the outside) and die.

Answer 5

To say that dog food is better than people food is an over-generalized and false statement. The reason being, many dog foods (Iams, Purina, Pedigree, and more) are absolute crap. They are made from diseased livestock, moldy grain, ingredients that were rejected by human food companies, and have been found to contain roadkill, euthanized pets, hair, hooves, bones, and chemicals that cause cancer. So most of the world is deluded into thinking that bag of dog food in the supermarket is this wonderful, healthy, nutritious food that is all their dog will ever need, and really, it'll probably make him die younger anyway.

Bear in mind, higher quality dog foods (Blue Buffalo, Nutro, Nature's Recipe, and more) do use better ingredients and are perfectly good food sources for your dog.

Next, you have to look at the human food being offered to the dog. Is plain, boiled chicken breast worse for a dog than roadkill and chemicals? I doubt it. Is a handful of French fries and a chocolate cookie worse for a dog than high-quality premium dog food? Yes, much worse.

If you feed your dog table food, it does not mean your dog cannot be healthy. Just make sure you're feeding "good" table food: real meat (steak, chicken, turkey, lamb), not fried meats, or heavily seasoned meats; vegetables, fruit, bread, etc.; but not french fries, candy, junk food, potato chips, etc. If it's healthy human food, it's just as good for your dog as it is for you. If it's unhealthy human food, it's just as bad for your dog as it is for you.

Answer 6

Human food is bad for dogs because dogs can't get the nutrients that they need to survive from it. Dogs are carnivores which means they need a lot of protein from meat. The human diet is mainly starches and sugars so not only are they malnourished but they have trouble digesting it.

Dogs can "survive" on people food but its not good for them at all.

Answer 7

Yes, a straight diet of human food is not good for animals. Their body is not used to the chemicals that are part of our natural diet. A little bit of human food augmenting their dogfood diet is okay, but it should be in moderation. Mostly broth from meats, etc. can be used to "flavor" food or as a treat. "Good" dog food (such as Science Diet, IAMS and Purina) may cost a bit more, but you will feed the dog less, they will poop less, and be healthier for longer than trying to get away "cheaply" by either feeding cheap dog food or human food.

Answer 8

Yes, it may kill them! If he happens to get something off the table, like a piece of chicken or something like that, it won't hurt them. But don't feed it to them. You absolutely can't feed them chocolate, onions, raisins, and few other things. You can look them up on google.com Hope this helps!

Answer 9

Yes it well kill them