Some people think they’re doing their dogs a favor by giving them occasional table scraps. It’s hard to resist those big brown eyes and that adorable pink tongue hanging out, but giving dogs table scraps isn’t recommended for a number of reasons. Of course dogs like people food better than dog food, but it isn’t formulated for their specific needs. Dogs shouldn’t be fed table scraps, and here you’ll learn several reasons why table scraps should never be fed to dogs.
Intestinal Upset
Not all dogs can eat absolutely anything and not experience some sort of intestinal upset. Many dogs have sensitive stomachs, and my Shi-Tzu Zeus is no exception. I have never fed my dog table scraps, but last night my husband fed him about six pieces of buttered popcorn, and this morning I was faced with the consequences.
While at the bus stop with my daughter, my little Shi-Tzu lived up to his name. Upon coming back inside I discovered a few presents by the front door, but they weren’t the type of presents I wanted. He had literally Shi-Tzued all over the house, and I wondered how such a small dog could produce that much poop.
After cleaning up this disastrous mess that looked like it came from an animal much larger, I noticed another token by the back door. I thought I finally had the entire mess cleaned up, but as I was talking to my husband on the phone, I stepped in the last little present left by my sweet little Shi-Tzu. It blended in with my beautiful floral rug in the kitchen, and I stepped on this landmine he so tactfully deposited.
I attributed this pooping marathon to the popcorn he ate the night before. As I wiped the bottom of my bare foot with Oxy Clean and a paper towel, since I couldn’t reach anything else, I thanked my husband for sharing his late night snack with the dog.
Vitamins and Minerals
Table scraps might be nutritious for humans, depending on what they consist of, but dogs require a well balanced diet. You might think a few table scraps here and there won’t hurt, but they’re more detrimental to your dog’s health than you may realize. When dogs have had their fill of table scraps they won’t be inclined to eat their own food, and they won’t get the vitamins and minerals they require for optimum health. Once you’ve had a taste of filet mignon why would you want to go back to eating low-grade hamburger? The same is true for dogs. Once dogs have tasted food intended for humans, they won’t want to eat dog food.
Calories
A slice of cheese doesn’t seem like a big calorie-filled snack, and to a human it isn’t, but consider the size of a small dog compared to the size of a human. If your dog weighs 10 pounds, that slice of cheese is a huge snack for his little stomach, and it contains a lot of calories. A few table scraps might not contain many calories, but through the course of the day, table scraps can add up to more calories than you realize.
Begging
No one likes a dog drooling next to the dining room table, and table scraps encourage begging. My parent’s dog was fed occasional table scraps, and she would sit next to the table and bark during mealtime. Although she wasn’t a large dog, this behavior was extremely aggravating. Her high-pitched barks were loud, and they actually hurt my ears. I never understood how my family could ignore this dog. The begging and barking were annoying to say the least. If you don’t want a dog that begs, never feed your dog table scraps. He won’t miss what he’s never had.
Teeth
I adopted an American Eskimo dog when she was two years of age, and her teeth and gums were never really healthy. She didn’t have the desire to chew bones like most dogs, and although I had her teeth cleaned on a regular basis, the condition of her teeth eventually contributed to her death. My beloved dog succumbed to advanced kidney failure just before she would have turned 10, and I promised myself and my new dog that this would never happen again.
Table scraps aren’t healthy for dogs because they’re generally soft and stick to the teeth. Dogs require hard food and/or bones to help remove tartar along the gum line. Dog food is the only food dogs should be fed, and although you think you might be doing your dog a favor by giving him treats of table scraps, they can cause more serious problems than you ever thought possible. If you love your dog and want to spend many years together, avoid the temptation to feed him table scraps.
