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.

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.

I agree with Lisa. I’m learning more and more about a holistic meal plan. I’ve been giving my dog chicken on top of her hard dog food in the hopes of taking the hard food away eventually and adding rice and other “human” food. Are there any long or short-term affects to feeding my dog chicken? Gosh, now it seems like such a silly question, but you never know. Thank you,