is it okay for a dog to eat cat food?

Question

our vet told me that my dog should eat cat food because she is prone to ear infections. i was told by another vet awhile ago that eating cat food is dangerous for a dog because it has too much protein and can ruin a dogs kidneys. who is right? what should I do?

Answer 1

Do not feed cat food. Feed a good quality dog food. Some allergy diets are helpful with ear problems. You must get the infection cleared up first and ask your vet about which diet is good (forget the one who advised cat food!!)

Answer 2

Well there is a reason to why dog food is called dog food and cat food is called cat food. If a dog eats cat food its not going to harm them, but a dog should not be given cat food for a diet. I would stick with dog food, and try something that has Omega 3 and other natural vitamins and minerals. Also you might want to find a new vet and see what they think could stop ear infections.

Answer 3

Believe the second vet!!! Sorry but the first one is full of BS. Cat food doesn't contain the proper nutrtion for dogs. It can cause health problems.
If your dog is getting frequent ear infections it likely is caused by the food being fed but not because it is dog food. I would venture to guess that you are feeding a low quality supermarket type food such as IAMS/Eukanuba, Pedigree, Purina, Science Diet, etc ones loaded with cheap fillers that cause allergies and other issues. Cronic ear infections are most often caused by high allergens in foods. Corn, wheat & soy are very high allergens.
Switch to a good quality food such as Canidae, Wellness, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Solid Gold, Blue Buffalo just to name a few.

**** dogs are NOT omnivores..they are carnivores******

Answer 4

I would go with the 2nd vets opinion. Cat food is made for cats. Buy science diet or some vet approved brand of healthy dog food. We wouldn't eat cat food, why feed your dog cat food too.

Answer 5

Technically no....but if you have both a cat and dog....sometimes the dog will eat the cat food and vice versa.

Do not put your dog on a cat food diet....cat food has vitamins and minerals that cats can safely use and then remove from their systems.

Dogs need different types of vitamins and minerals.

Find a different vet.

As far as being prone to ear infections..just weekly gently clean your dogs ears....best is hydrogen peroxide and a cotton ball.

**DOGS ARE NOT OMNIVORES!!! THEY ARE CARNIVORES!!

Various mammals which are omnivores..
* Pigs
* Bears
* Many primates, including Humans
* Some rodents, including mice, rats, squirrels, and chipmunks
* Opossums
* Raccoons
* Foxes

Answer 6

I presented this question to my Vet as we took our Boston Terrier in for her first check up after purchasing her.

The Vet said that it would not hurt the dog, but it has different vitamin and fat content. If you have a dog and cat do not worried about what kind of food they are eating.

We seperate the cat food and dog food to different locations and that seems to work well for us.

Answer 7

It's ok for dogs to eat cat food but not for cats to eat dog food. But only as extras would not make it their main food. Often give a slow eater some cat food on their complete as mixed with some warm water it encourages to get the food down.

Answer 8

Cat food is not formulated for a dogs nutritional needs. If your dog has allergies look for a dog food with little to no grains in the ingredients.

Answer 9

I have been a vet for 7 years and cat food is not bad at all do not worry at all

Answer 10

The second vet is. Cat food is made for carnivores and dogs are omnivors. They need more veggies than meat. It can cause kidney failure and fatty liver disease. Don't go back to the first vet. It makes me wonder where he got his license.