Feeding a dog "people food"?

Question

My chihuahua is the pickiest dog ive ever known. She doesn't eat her dog food - the good kind like canned dinners with vegetables and gravy and everything! She just smells it and walks away and the food will stay there for days. My mom gives her human food and thats what shes been living on is people food for the past year. Sometimes she wont even eat real delicious chicken! I pretty much have to beg her to eat!! She does like food its just that she wont eat the same thing day after day. She seems very healthy to me but I wish she would eat what shes supposed to. What can I do?

Answer 1

Most 'human' food is far superior for the dog's health than any of the brands of kibble that you will find at the grocer's.
However, there are many food items that dogs metabolize differently than humans do, so it is easier to just say, "No people food" than to try to remember what they really shouldn't have..

Dogs Shouldn't Have:
Onions (in any form)
Added salt (most prepared foods are salted)
Nitrates, which is in most processed meats(causes brain damage in Chihuahuas)
Mono-sodium glutamate, which is in SO many of our food items.
Chocolate, or candy of any kind.
Raisins or grapes
Fruit seeds/pits, and most tree nuts are harmful.
Turkey fat/skin can be devastating, causing pancreas disease.
No cooked bones..
No corn or soy (found in most dog foods)
No fresh milk products, at all..
Nothing containing caffeine, such as coffee, cola or tea.
Nothing with excess fat, and ONLY low fat cheese
Easy on the organ meats (liver, etc) and easy on the cabbages and tomatoes.


SO, if one can remember all the "dont's" then you can create a healthy dog diet from 'human' food items.
I give my dogs small treats of safe 'human' food, daily, and feed a wholesome kibble

Answer 2

People food isnt necesarily the best thing for your dog on a day to day basis. She isnt getting the proper nutrients she needs living on people food. Their is a reason why animals have their food and humans have their own. Your dog may seem healthy to you but because of how long she has been eating human food and how often her insides arent healthy. She needs DOG FOOD. Keep the food out for her, when she is hungry enough she will eat it. Try different brands and different kinds. But I dont think you should feed her anymore human food. If you are then I suggest that you get the recipes off the internet that are for dogs but made from human food. Thats the only way the human food is good for her is if she is eating it from these recipes.

Answer 3

I have 2 Pomeranians and my little male is aweful like that too! He never ever eats DOG food! God forbid! The food has to be in little tiny peices- like chicken or roast beef people food- and if its too big- or has fat- or just doesnt appeal to him he will not eat it! He is 8 years old now and still is the same way! The only thing he will eat dog related is Pupperoni's and maybe a dog biscuit every so often if I break it up little for him!!!!! I know its not healthy for him- BUT it kills me to see him not eat! I think they hold out because they KNOW something better is coming along- they arent as stupid as we think they are! My female on the other hand will eat ANYTHING in sight!!!!!

Answer 4

Soak her food...mabye she doesn't realize she is allowed to eat it, especially if she picks up objects and you yell at her often. Don't give her anything else as a meal...she'll learn that if she doesn't eat, she WILL get delicious food. Be stubborn and leave the food out for a couple days, only serving broth as the other choice. you will be thankful...and most people can't make a human food diet for a dog, anyway.

Answer 5

Food should not be categorized as people food. The ingredients in kibble or canned is food condensed and chemically altered; but nonetheless food. Look at the labels.
People food if you have to call it that is definitely preferable to kibble or canned if done correctly. That is the key. It needs to be balanced for the dog's age, weight, and activity level. Your dog may not be eating dog food because it tastes bad...Nor should she or you eat the same thing day in and out. Variety provides the necessary vitamins, minerals and proteins needed. She is suppose to eat food...food should be defined as what is natural not what comes out of a manufacturing plant. Check what truly goes into "dog" food and you will never feed it again. I cook for my dog and he is healthier; fewer vet visits. But you should buy books to learn the proper methods.

Answer 6

You could take her to the vet for some recommendations on a kind of food that she likes and will stay with. But giving her people food is not the answer. At a pet store, you can buy sauce that you can put into the dog food to help her eat it. Or, you could put some Swanson chicken or beef broth to make her food taste better. The chicken or beef broth will not harm her because we have tried it on our dog and it dosen't harm her.

Answer 7

stop letting her decide what she is going to eat. a healthy dog will not starve itself. put down her bowl of food. if she doesn't eat it in 20 minutes, take it away. offer it again later that day. if she doesn't eat. too bad! she will not starve herself, and once she realizes being picky doesn't work, she will eat what shes given. it's instinct. it's going to be hard at first, because you've been giving her people food, but if you want her to be healthy and live a long life, you NEED to stop giving her people food. dogs don't get the right vitamins and nutrition if they are only eating scraps. i know you love her, but feeding her like that is going to kill her! also, the food will stay there for days?! that is disgusting! canned food will spoil if left out for a few hours, let alone days! if she doesn't eat it, chuck it!

Answer 8

It might sound wrong, but what you need to do is not feed her people food at all, not even a crumb. She will eventually eat her dog food. Also I bet her teeth are yellow too. Right. If they are then she needs her teeth cleaned by a doggy dentist/vet. And if her teeth are white then you don't have nothing to worry about. Anyway back to your question, don't feed her people food, what ever you do don't give up.

Answer 9

I don't personally think any animal should have people food,It totally messed up my dog he would continually beg when we ate dinner,It got to the point that we would have to eat in another room away from the dog.
My kids started feeding him people food behind my back,I moved away and finally broke him of the habit

Answer 10

If you think about it, it does not sound like it would be good for a dog to eat processed, unreconizable cubes of who-knows what. Dogs survived for thousands of years eating food that we now consider "people food". Do you think people in th 1600's were going to the grocery store to buy bags of dogfood? By giving your dog "people food" you are reducing the amount of "junk" in her diet. I would just check with your vet to make sure you are not giving anything to her that could be poisonous.