Is feeding dogs table scraps a bad thing?

I have outdoor farm dogs, I feed them normally with dog food, they are healthy and active. I will allow them to eat leftovers after I have finished, never at the table- always in a bowl outside. I don't feed them onions or chocolate.
Is this bad for the dogs in your opinion?

My dogs lived to 16 and 17 happily sharing our meals in addition to their dog food.

But ADD chocolate.

They love it.

Chocolate is a stimulant to dogs, they can die from it. Besides, they get hyper enough on their own!

They do not die from it.

Be serious.

the theobromines in chocolate are toxic to dogs. Granted they must eat about 1/16 of their body weight in it to die but it is not good for them Most dogs will have a tremor with moderate amounts.

Just after Christmas last year I spent a few hours on the phone with ASPCA Poison Control. I walked in the house to discover that my mother had left a basket of ``goodies'' where my cocker spaniel, Sheena, could reach it. I figured out immediately, from the wrappings, that she had consumed a large chocolate bar. I immediately called my local veterinary emergency clinic (it was a Sunday night) and they had me call ASPCA Poison Control. I had to find out, from the person who gave it to my mother, exactly what kind of chocolate bar it was. They know them all at poison control. They would have had me bring her to the Emergency Clinic where they would have induced vomiting, but my Sheena was prone to seizures, and they were afraid that this might bring one on. I had to watch her closely for 48 hours and got little sleep. At the very least, the sugar and fats in chocolate can cause pancreatitis. Symptoms of this are diarrhea and vomiting.:-(

FYI: the number for poison control is: 1-888-426-4435. Make a note of it. You may never know when you will need it. I was lucky.:-)

We don't feed it to him but if there is any chocolate out anywhere, our dog will find a way to eat it. He usually bounces around more and wants to go out more, which is really bad if I am home alone and this happened shortly before bedtime. I heard that chocolate in dogs is similiar to cocaine in humans. I don't know if this is true or if healthy or any dogs can overdose.

my dogs lived to 16 and 17 and got chocolate regularly.

I don't know where this hokum started that it's harmful to anyone, much less dogs.

It is not just the caffeine, but also the sugar and fats that can, at the very least, bring on pancreatitis. If my veterinarian takes this seriously, I think you should, as well. Some kinds are worse than others, but none is okay for dogs. I already knew this, but having spent the better part of a night on the phone with ASPCA Poison Control, I will never forget.:-(

Every holiday my veterinary clinic gives out bulletins explaining this and where to call if a dog accidently ingests chocolate.:-(

use it as a replacement to some of their food, and only do it occasionally if you can't be sure they'll be getting all their nutrients.

Also, watch out for corn and soy...and wheat in some cases.

I try to give them only the protein leftovers.

Our dog wants to eat everything that we eat. What foods are really bad for them even in small amounts? We have generally fed him small amounts of left overs and he eats everything. What shouldn't we give him?

He also says potatoes are fine. Chicken is the best, as long as you don't give them the skin, which is too high in fat, and the bones, which could shatter and kill them. I give my guys white meat chicken and liver, on occasion. They are also partial to a little steamed broccoli.:-)

As with all things, moderation is the key. NO chocolate, as you know! :)

for dogs as well as people.

And anything dogs don't like...they don't eat.

But it will kill them.

Dude.. here are some links about chocolate and dogs:

http://www.talktothevet.com/ARTICLES/DOGS/chocolatetoxic.HTM

The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and theophylline.

Toxic Levels

The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration.

On average,
Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz.
Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.
Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.

Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.

So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems.


Why tempt fate? Dogs love plenty of things that won't poison them, too.

It has the theobromine refined out of it. That's what we do (Hartz mountain brand). Dogs also like carob just as much. :)

And theobromine was exactly what the vet was concerned about at the ASPCA Poison Control Center! Fortunately, my Sheena was alright!:-)

Outdoor dogs probably eat worse things than table scraps.
:D

The only issue I'd be careful of is giving them something with lots of salt.

The big issue with feeding animals people food is that it makes them beggars.
I've found that for inside animals, feeding them people food, or even wet food, makes their poopy really nasty.

Other than that... you've pretty much described how everyone I knew who owned a dog, growing up, fed their dogs.

Mojo

so I got with the vet on what to do and not do.

Human food is hard on dogs. Sugar is hard to digest.
Some dogs have allergies to wheat and other grains.
So I give them solid gold-hundenflaken, a german brand
that is designed for this.

Chocolate in big quantities will kill a dog. We had a
pup get into chocolate and took him in. They said a
piece or two is not harmful. Lots is. Then again, sugar
is hard for dogs. I would suggest not giving any. Why
play with fire?

Good for dogs? Fresh veggies given as treats. My dogs
love carrots, corn, broccoli and almost any veggie,
hot or cold.

On Thanksgiving and Christmas, I give them a miniature
version of what we eat just for the holidays. They love
gravy.

I also give them an egg on their food once a month and
once a week drizzle some oil on it. Makes them shine and
they love it.

Dogs will eat ANYTHING. But not everything is good.

Chocolate is harmful, but veggies are great?? For carnivores??

Everything in moderation....same as for humans.

When I worked for a natural food grocercy store the woman who owned the "natural health and beauty/New Age" shop next door came in(imo, a psycho-nut job) who needed to buy some liver for her cat... ok, no prob.

Then she goes on about how the kitten wasn't very large and the vet recommended she feed it liver to help it grow.

Get this.
Because the *vegan diet wasn't working*!

Yes... carnivore kitten on a vegan diet.

The sad thing is the woman would argue tooth and nail about how it wasn't necessarily a bad thing because *she* was vegan and healthy as a horse!

Sheesh.

Mojo

A lot of the prey animals that canines consume are herbivores...and the stomach is considered a treat. Commercial dog foods now contain road kill, euthanized companion animals, and all the debris that is left after slaughter for human consumption....most of the huge meat packing companies also make pet food to take care of their clean-up problems. There contain preservatives that are suspected of causing cancer. Google the subject.

My Cairn Terrier was crazy about broccoli. In moderation, this ia a healthy and low-cal treat!:-)

on edit: carnivores? dogs can be vegetarian; cats cannot.:shrug:

My dog eats them.

Just something I read somewhere. Onions I think caused stomach trouble- not sure though.

In moderate quantity can cause hemolytic anemia, which means that the red blood cells burst and the blood loses its ability to carry oxygen. Not a good situation. Oh, and chocolate in large amounts can cause seizures. I have seen this and it can be fatal. So keep these treats to a minimum!

just be careful about things that are bad for them

and don't use your poor dog to clean up after your failure to finish your brussels sprouts. that is cruel

I haven't heard anything about onions being bad for them.

Some dogs like vegetables, others don't.

You should only give them boneless chicken though, and boned fish because the bones are tiny and even the big chicken bones will splinter and they can choke or hurt the pupdog's esophagus.

If you are feeding them good dog food, it is a whole and complete diet for them and it should be the bulk of their diet. But gee everybody wants something different once in a while. Avoid the junk food and just make it occasional and it's fine.

Don't ask.

Chocolate is bad for a dog. We had a death in the family and I made a chocolate dessert to take to the wake. I gave the dog the lick dish because we were going to leave him for a couple of days and because the deceased really loved the dog. I then took him to the vet for the weekend to babysit. Casey got so out of control in the pen that he ate Dr. Rick's horse thermometer which was hanging off of a peg outside the pen...Casey was a crazy dog, but not that crazy. We did do a blood test and the vet said his sugar count was abnormally high which resulted in the fit.
Also, don't feed them potatoes. They can't digest again the sugar. The kids were fooling around and make the dog mashed potatoes with gravy. If you could measure the poop that came out of him, (he is 100 lbs.)it exactly measured his weight. And he never made it out of the house to do his duty.