dog food

Does anyone believe in giving dogs left over human food (healthy food) instead of dry/ tinned dog food?  Dogs in other countries eat this way all the time.

[kerryv1022]

My Dad always used to say that his dogs were given table scraps and it never did them any harm, however we don't give our dog table scraps exculsively. She gets the odd thing maybe a little cheese, or some pork or beef, but we have her on a dry food recommended by the vet. This food helps keep her teeth clean.

[Fourpaws]

I sometimes give my dogs chicken. I have notice that if I give my boxer any red meat, she'll have gas and diarhea (diarrhea) the next day. I just think it depends on the dog. My dog's all have sensitive tummies. So I usually avoid it, they do fine on dry food and occasional dog cookies.

[ginger899]

There's nothing wrong with giving dogs certain kinds of "human food" But as dogs are easily poisoned by even the most innocuous of human foods, that is a minefield! They can't eat onions, or anything cooked with onions. They can't eat avocadoes, for example, they can't eat grapes......raisins.....the list is quite long. We would have to know ALL the foods they can and can't eat to be safe.
Plus, they have different dietary requirements from humans. Dog food is manufactured with all those needs met. Of course it is better to give a very high-quality food with no additives, preservatives,by-products etc, rather than a cheap store-bought one. Best way to find a good one is to do some thorough research online, and find a food you trust.
Not feeding them what they really need in their diet could cause certain levels of malnutrition.

I give my dog things like rice, or potatoes (or sweet potatoes) cabbage, carrots, chicken as long as it is boiled not deep fryed and certainly not seasoned. Fish (de-boned and unseasoned) is fine. Any meat so long as it is not fatty (which can cause pancreatitis) - would be fine. The sauces and seasonings we use in cooking are not suitable for dogs' digestion, and could even be actively toxic to them. So keep it plain.

[ginger899]

I'll just add....that I do give her those "human foods" occasionally in addition to her regular dried dog food, (not instead of it) -which I found after a lot of careful research to find the healthiest dog food I could.

[lindapalm]

Ginger899, what type of dog food do you give your dog, we want to switch and don't know what brand to choose?

[ginger899]

Healthy Paws Rabbit and brown rice mix for adult dogs. Now I am in England, and the manufacturer is in Liverpool England (They won an award a few years ago) The lady who started the business  worked as (I think) a vet tech. and knew it was time for a good holistic dog food, after she had seen the effects of bad food on dogs. So she started Healthy Paws. It's most likely grown now, but started as a small family run business.
I am not sure if they have a distributor in the US or Canada.... You could always email them to find out? I am sure shipping costs from UK will be a bit steep!

[lindapalm]

I'm going to look at our local pet store, but I've never seen that brand before.  We just lost an old dog, and our other one is eleven, and I'd like to make sure she's getting something  thats good for her.  It won't stop her from getting sick but at least I'll know we tried.