Can my dog eat cat food?

Question

She has gone off her dog food. she wont finish off the whole tin anymore. i was thinking maybe because its been hot here in australia over summer... but i think its more like she is sick of the taste of it... (cant really blame her, it smells awful, ant begin to imagine what it tastes like!!!)
she is losing a bit of weight.
she seems to enjoy the cats food though..... is it ok to feed her tinned cat food?
and yes, i have tried a variety of dog foods but the cat food seems to keep her happy.

Answer 1

Yes I guess so, I'm not sure though.. I fed my dog cat food for a little while... I mean they resort to eating their own poo sometimes... just don't feed them chocolate.

Answer 2

It's not good to feed any dog catfood its to rich for them I know this because I had a dog that was the same way and my dogs vet. said not to feed her cat food because a cats motabalisim is much higher than a dogs you could end up killing you'r dog.shure would hate for that to happen. try purina dog chow or pedigre, Iams, bennifull if that don't work try some differant types of can dog food just remember when a dog gets hungry they will eat p.s. NO PEOPLE FOOD THAT CAN BE JUST AS BAD IF NOT WORSE THAN CAT FOOD. HOPE THIS IS SOME HELP best regards [e-mail]

Answer 3

Unfortunately it is OK to give a cat, dog food, but not the other way around. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they only need meat sources to be healthy and to have a balanced diet. They get all the main 5 ingredients they need in meat. Dogs on the other hand are omnivores and need a variety just like humans. So a dog can have couple of cat meals here and there but not as sole diet, you will make him sick

In the vet surgery we get dogs to eat cat food if they are off of there food as it is sometimes the only way we can get them to eat after sickness. So then and only then would i recommend it.

If your dog is losing weight and seems not quiet right take him to the vet this is not normal behaviour.

Answer 4

It shouldnt hurt your dog to eat cat food but the thing is dog food has all the nutrients a dog needs and likewise with cat food. So your dog isnt getting what it needs from the cat food. That may be like you eating junk food all the time. can you trick your dog and mix the food? If not maybe vitamins for dogs may help. Id ask a vet.

Answer 5

Dogs shouldn't eat cat food. Cat food has way too much protien and can harm dogs kidneys. It also has too much fat and can cause dogs to develope colitis.Our pets need quality pet food. Read the ingredients list and learn what the stuff on there is and what it does (or does not do) to/for our pets. A quick pet food 101. If the pet food contains corn/corn products or by products it is a poor quality food. Do not pay attention to advertising, they all say there food is great. Corn is a filler that can trigger skin problems. (allergies, skin problems, itching and excessive shedding) By products is anything from an animal not fit for human consumption, including cancerous tissue. Quality foods have meat as the first ingredient. California Natural, Solid Gold, Innova and Merrick are a few of the best brands available. If you want to learn more check out: http://www.sagekeep.com/petfood.htm www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359& more=1 http://animalark.eapps.com/animal/PetFoods.nsf/$$PetFoodsByRating?OpenForm

Answer 6

I wouldn't feed a dog cat food, there is certain oils and other things (that I can't think of at the moment) that are only for the cats and not good for the dogs. Give your dog a bowl full of dog biscuits, it will eat when it gets hungry, feed it dog tins every 4 days they will be thankful for something different every now and then and give it bones with meat often. we have a couple of dogs, they are very healthy eating this way and perfect weight. Good luck mate.

Answer 7

Yeah, its not ideal, but look at what they eat in nature. THey eat pretty much the same thing. Most of the stuff in dog and cat food are the same. The formula maybe tweeked with more vitamin here and less of this there, but this is for optimal health of the dog and cat. Try not to feed the catfood exclusively. I doubt the stuff in either cat or dog food is actually the best thing for the animals. THere are a lot of vegetable materials in them.
THey naturally eat raw meat. Mostly the innards too. My belief is that the dogs crave for certain foods, because it needs something missing in its diet. Next time you see the vet, mention it to him. Take it with a grain of salt if he sells dog food. Try mixing some dog food with the catfood, to make sure he gets a good mix of vitamins.

Answer 8

No,I'm afraid it isn't.Cats and dogs have completely different nutritional requirements.I daresay a diet of chocolate would keep her happy too but it wouldn't be good for her either.
I'm not sure if you've tried leaving her dog food down long enough.You see my dog will leave his food if he thinks there's a chance of him getting something off our dinner table.When he finds there isn't he grudgingly reverts back to his bowl and finishes what he has.
If you've tried a variety of dog foods and she seriously has rejected them then try giving her fresh,cooked food supplemented with dog biscuits/mixer.She will likely eat cooked chicken with rice,fish,mince,stewing beef and these can be alternated so as to make her diet more interesting.From time to time she can have a little offal-kidney/heart/liver and the cost needn't be too prohibitive.This would be a better option than cat food

Answer 9

Her eating nothing but cat food would be like a snot nosed kid eating nothing but ice cream and candies! It's completely un-healthy for dogs because thier bodies work in a very different way than a cats does. I think you should try making her eat nothing but her dog food but, if she still refuses for long... take her to the vet!

Answer 10

Well, I guess it won't hurt her...I mean, she has to eat something, right? I would try mixing a bit of doggie kibble in the cat food, though. Oh, and dogs eating cat food sometimes get really awlful gas! Good luck!

Answer 11

Of course your dog can eat cat food, dogs can & will eat any and everything. The question is should he & that is big NO.Call any vet or humane society see what they say.