Feeding Your Pet Table Food

Post date: Mar 31, 2014 7:14:50 PM

Sure, you can give your pet the same food you eat but keep in mind some of the food you eat is high in calories and/or to high in protein and can lead to your pet being overweight, kidney failure, diabetes, heart failure, arthritis, etc. Human food,unless you’re sticking to vegetables, fruit and whole grains, is best kept to a minimum.

Dogs are not true carnivores. In nature when a wild dog (wolf, coyote, fox) kills the first thing they eat is the internal organs of the herbivore they just killed. They also eat corn out of the fields.

Cats are true carnivores and require more animal protein than dogs. Not getting enough animal protein in their diet puts them at risk for taurine deficiency.

How does our food stack up with their smaller bodies?

1 hamburger / burrito = approximately 500-600 calories. That’s enough calories for a non-active 40#dog in one day without eating any dog food. 1 Hamburger is not a very balanced diet and does not have enough fiber to be satisfying.

For a 20# dog dog- 1 ounce of cheddar is equal to 2 ½ hamburger sand 1 hot dog is equal to 3 hamburgers. That will pack on the pounds in a hurry. For a cat that same ounce of cheddar is equal to 3 ½ hamburgers.

That non-active 20# dog only needs about 366 calories a day or about 1 ½ to 2 cups of Science Diet Adult dog food

A non-active adult cat (10# average) only needs about 218 calories a day or about ½ cup of Science Diet Feline Adult cat food.

Any extra human food treats will only add fat.

Human Foods to Avoid- Grapes, Raisins, Onions, Garlic and Chocolate. Never give over the counter pain or prescription medications without talking with your veterinarian.

Always check your food bag for feeding instructions. If you need assistance or more information, please contact us at 308-345-3270.