Firstly my apologies to whoever typed in the question about whether or not Dogs can eat grape jelly and white bread in to a search engine and ended up showing up in my stats software that I use to see just what people type in to arrive here. It is not that I want to single you out or anything but let’s be honest about this, it is not a question that you do not know the answer to.
I know we all look for all manner of answers to questions on the Internet and those relating to “the best Dog food” are certainly a common search query. The dangerous food for Dogs post I wrote here on the Dog Blog is probably the reason that particular search ended here but it has me worried.
What do you think the answer may be?
What I wonder is how many other searches are there going on on a daily basis about what people can or cannot feed to their Dogs. Sure, some things need to be verified as we may inadvertently feed them something that is unsuitable but the question remains:
Why would you WANT to feed Jam, or Jelly in the US and white bread to your Dog? There is absolutely no need to do this and it is the feeding of excessive human food scraps that means so many of the Dog population is now just as overweight as their human companions.
We owe a duty to our Dogs to only feed the the best Dog food, or at least a balanced diet. I am not saying it needs to be expensive, I only feed our Dogs a very basic Dog food that is very inexpensive, but what I DO NOT do, ever ever ever, is feed them while I am eating, give them scraps from the table, encourage them to beg because it is cute or anything other than feed them leftovers that go in their meal and then only give them decent food for the most part.
There is nothing wrong with giving them small amounts of food that is not nutritious but you must be sensible about it. You should never have an overweight Dog unless it has a pre-existing medical condition. Not a medical condition because you gave them Diabetes because of the junk you feed to them. The situation is getting out of hand and more and more Dogs are needing pet meds because we over feed them and give them food that is in no way a part of a natural diet for them.
So, why would you want to basically give your Dog a sandwich. The only reason the question should be asked is if it stole it from you and I do hope that was the reason why the question was asked. Fat Dogs are becoming all to prevalent and it is very easy to stop this occurring. It is a simple matter to simply reduce food if your Dog is looking a little on the porky side, and this combined with adequate exercise should mean that your pet will be in fine form and live a lot longer.
Now, I wonder whether they can eat peanut butter AND jelly on white bread?
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I only feed my dogs with their own food. It’s safer that way because most human food can cause damage to their digestive system. I also never give them left-over human food for the same reason that it can be bad for their health and it is not a good way to discipline a dog.
Kate,
Some very good advice and it is certainly a good idea to never let Dogs get in to the habit of begging.
Eating Jelly is strange for a dog! Dogs, although they are carnivores, will eat grass/wheat to help with digestion so the bread part is not so strange!
I’ve always believed dogs should, as a normal routine, have their own food and treats of their own. I was talking to someone at thedog training school last week about christmas and she brought up feeding chocolate to dos which I said was a definite no no. No doubt other things are equally as bad and it’s not worth taking the chance.
Grapes are poisonous to dogs.
Dogs are also omnivorous.
While I do agree that feeding table scraps and human treats like chocolate and “junk food” to dogs is terribly bad — and any dog owner who does so is being terribly irresponsible — it’s not necessarily a bad thing to feed dogs “human food” as long as that food is prepared so that it is nutritionally balanced for and beneficial to the dog (usually under the supervision of a canine nutritionist and/or veterinarian). In fact, I argue that human grade food (the stuff you and I buy in the store) is nutrionally superior to the stuff you find in commercial dog food, and that our canine friends are much better off eating it rather than commercial dog food.
And yes, I own a dog that can not eat commercial dog food. I have probably tried over 50 different types, brands and recipes, under the guidance of my vet, to try and help my female husky with a mysterious digestive issue. My friend has a German Shephard that also cannot eat commercial dog foods, due to allergies. My mother’s dog vomits when he eats commercial food, and over a year’s worth of veterinary tests haven’t turned up anything conclusive as to “why”. All three of us have to cook “people” food for our dogs, who are all doing better on people food than they’ve ever done on any commercial dog food in their lives, expensive “good quality” brands or not.
Of course, the people food we make them is safe and nutritionally balanced for dogs, and there are certain foods (like grapes and onions and nuts, etc) that we of course avoid, but in general, the reason dog food is dog food is that a good deal of what goes into making it is not fit for human consumption. If that’s the case, what harmful effects is it having on our dogs, then?
After having done over 3 years of research on commercial canine foods, having talked to a dozen or so animal nutritionists at major veterinarian universities, and having discussed my Husky’s digestive disorder with over a dozen veterinarian internal medicine specialists, I can fully assure you that a diet of “people food” created and balanced for the needs of your dog is FAR superior in terms of health and longevity for your pet than anything you can buy them in a can or a bag. It costs me the same amount to feed my dog high quality chicken breast, brown rice, eggs, cottage cheese, various vegetables and vitamin supplemnents than it does to feed her the equivalent in a commercial dog food, and the result is that she needs to eat less (no fillers, so it’s easier on her digestive system including liver and kidneys), gets more out of it nutrionally, and is more healthy and vibrant. The sad reality is that very few owners want to take the time (or have the time) to prepare meals for their dogs and so dog food is a far easier choice; it’s much faster, and in the case of lower quality foods, it’s cheaper.
While your dog may be able to handle commercial dog food in it’s “good” years, once your pet ages, it is common to see health issues related to their commercial pet food diet later on in their lives, particularly cancers, gallbladder and pancreas diseases, kidney failure and liver failure. If you truly love your dog, educate yourself on exactly what goes into commercial diets, how that food is harvested and processed, how the food is actually manufactured (if you read how an “economy” kibble is made, you probably wouldn’t be able to watch your dog eat it), how it is digested/processed by your dog, and then decide how well that stacks up versus a balanced “people food” diet.
My vet believes my dog’s digestive system was ruined by a “good quality” commercial diet that was too high in fat and protein, and though I know she is not a typical case, I will not chance that happening again with any dog I own in the future. I cook for my dog, and I will for any future dogs I own, too.