With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many dog owners are facing a dilemma. Should you feed your dog table scraps? This can be a hard choice for dog owners to make. On one hand, there’s no doubt in your mind that Fido would love to sink his teeth into that delicious looking turkey and there are always plenty of leftovers that you just hate to throw away. On the other hand, you know it’s not always a good idea to feed your dog table scraps, so what should you do?
Whether or not to feed dogs table scraps has been under controversy for many years. Some say its fine and people have been doing it for years. Others say do not do it under any circumstance. Just because people have been doing something for a long time, doesn’t mean it’s good for your pet. We have learned a lot about man’s best friend through the years and we now know that some human foods can actually be deadly for dogs.
Whether or not to feed your dog table scraps will depend on a variety of different factors. For example, it will depend on what type of dog you have. Is Fido a big lab or a small Chihuahua? It makes a difference. Has he ever eaten table scraps before? If not, it could upset his stomach. How old is your dog? Very young puppies and older dogs might have a hard time digesting human food.
Here are a few more things that will help you determine if giving table scraps to your dog is a good idea or a definite no.
Have You Done Your Research?
It’s vital that you do your research before you feed your dog from the table. Dogs don’t digest foods the way people do and you have to be careful what you feed them. Many different foods can make your dog sick and some can even be fatal. After doing your research and learning which foods is bad for your dog, you then have to read the ingredients on everything new you plan to feed her before giving it to her.
This is necessary to make sure the food does not include any of the ingredients that could be harmful for your dog. If you’re still not clear on what’s safe and what’s not, it’s best to research it more before feeding your dog from the table.
Who Will Be Feeding Your Dog?
If you’ve done your research and you’re confident you know which foods are safe for your dog, you then need to decide who will be feeding him. This is very important because if everyone in the house is feeding him table scraps, Fido might start packing on the pounds. Human food is very fattening. Too much of it can cause your pet to become obese. For this reason, you need to monitor the amount he consumes, which is hard to do when different people are feeding him.
Whether or not to feed your dog table scraps is a big decision that you should not take lightly. This will affect the health and well-being of your pet, so consider everything before making your decision.
Lisa Mason is a content marketing specialist writing for Doggie Clothesline and a dog owner and lover herself. Doggie Clothesline has a great selection of feeding supplies and other accessories for every occasion.