Hi there

I was just wondering what the general thoughts of giving our little ones table scraps is...? Who is for and against it, and why? I cant see a problem with it, so long as they dont get fat and they eat their healthy dog food first... anyone disagree?

:-)

Im not sure. I know that after we eat i give the leftovers to my dogs...but we eat super healthy (we try!) so after dinner my doggies like to get the leftover steamed veg. They love carrots and cauliflower and butternut etc I avoid giving them to fatty bits of meat and if I do I limit it to a small piece each, especially if they have eaten already which generally they have.

Remember, an underweight dog is cruel...but an obese dog is also cruelty in it's own way. over feeding them is not always the best thing. Mine have a daily allowance and it's done by weight determined by their own body weight. But no, a few tidbits here and there wont hurt if you ask me some people only feed their dogs their leftovers and that's not good at all.

We also mix some of the left over meat pieces with their pellets. Just dont feed them directly from the table!!! They will beg from all your guests and become naughty!!!

I think as long as you balance what you are giving them it should be ok!!! We rather add it to their bowls than giving it to them just like that and then still feeding a full meal!

I always give my yorkie kids table scraps - as long as it's nothing too spicy or rich

Human quality food is much better than pet quality, so table scraps can be okay. Like the others mentioned, don't give them anything too rich or spicy (no added salt/pepper or other spices) and try not to teach them to beg for food. It becomes very irritating very quickly.

I just want to add that you should be very careful not to feed your dog anything that is poisonous to him, but not to humans. Too much garlic can be harmful, as can a little bit of onion. Grapes and raisins are also poisonous to dogs. And remember that dogs can't digest fruits and vegetables on their own - lightly steamed is the best way to go

Puddin' has a pretty eclectic diet. We do feed her from the table, but she does not beg because she has been taught that she only get tidbits when she sits quietly and waits for them. We were travelling recently and stopped for lunch at a Wimpy's that not only allowed her inside, it let her sit at the table. She did not touch the cut up piece of meat I ordered for her, even though it was sitting in a plate right in front of her nose. She waited for me to give it to her one bite at a time.

As far as what to give her: never bones, never lots of fat meat, never chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins or grapes. She does eat spicy food, she loves curry, but rich foods are out. She may get one taste of something rich, but never more. She treats the dinner table like hors d'oeuvres. Once Hubby and I start clearing up, she knows the meal is over, so she runs to her bowl and fills up on that.

Where we sometimes have a problem with her is that she will suddenly decide she doesn't like her pellets and stops eating. She did this a couple of months ago and I ended up having to put her back on the puppy pellets. She eats them happily and just won't touch the adult food. I've tried waiting her out, but she's more stubborn then I am. When she starts losing weight because she won't eat, that's the limit for me, so I put her back on the puppy food. She has done this with both Hills and with Royal Canin, so I am not sure what the problem is because she loves the Royal Canin Yorkie Junior, but went off the adult food after only a couple of months. She is not, however, getting fat on it...she seems to eat what she needs but no more.

But table food? As long as the fat content isn't high and there are no forbidden foods in it, I don't see why not.

Sweetviolet, you might want to switch her to a higher quality food than RC and Hill's. Many members had problems with getting their yorkies to eat those foods, including myself. Check out the Diet and Longevity section for more information about the better foods: Orijen, Acana and BARF. I don't think substituting a less-than-optimal diet with table scraps is a good idea.

Marilize, availability is a problem for me. I can no longer drive (eyesight problems) so I depend on Hubby for transport. I have been in dozens of pet stores in the time I have been in Joburg and have seen nothing but RC, Hills, Eukanuba and the other standard brands. I have literally not even SEEN the brands you mentioned. Joburg is BIG and my husband is not keen on running a tank of petrol through the SUV hunting down some obscure pet food that Puddin might not even eat. As it is, he sighs eloquently each time I fork out R105 for a bag of RC. If she was a big dog and ate a lot, I am sure the sighs would be even bigger!

My vet recommends the RC and says as long as she is not getting fat, she can eat the puppy food. We don't supplement with the table food per se, but she does get tidbits from the table. Again, no objection from the vet, who actually likes the idea of giving her veg from the table (we usually eat steamed veggies). I noticed that when she went on the RC adult, we started having issues with her coat but now that she is back on the junior, her coat is shiny and strong again.

For now, she is doing fine on this diet but if that changes, I'll be looking into alternatives.

Orijen and Acana are only in Cape Town and you have to order and have it sent to you. Im hoping in time they expand their base because my dogs love it! And BARF I have the same problem here in Durban, we just cant get it unless it's sent to us and I dont like the idea of sending fresh food via post!!!!!!

If I had to feed RC again I would also use the puppy one simply because i think it has more nutrients in it than the adult one. and they prefer it like you say! But it's hell of pricey for what you get. remember, the vets promote the brand that sponsors them!!!! they will tell you RC is best if thats their sponsor.

right now times are tough and they get Nutriphase from Pick n Pay which our vets say is the best supermarket dog food you can buy if that is what you need to do. In my opinion it has the same make up as all the others and they are all pretty much the same. Just no Alpo or the likes!!!! PLEASE! YUK!

Combined with that I make sure my dogs get steamed veg every night (I just add in extra to our dinner for them) they love carrots and cauliflower and beans! They hate rice which is great because it has no benefits for them really in my opinion. and I buy a monthly supply of chicken mince, chicken breast, chicken livers, lamb, kidneys, chicken necks etc and they have a change of flavour! I try and make sure they can have a warm meal at night every night. Taylor has finally put on a little bit of weight and Trigger has slimmed down to the perfect weight and they are both shiny and full of energy

I know what you mean about the vets and their sponsors, but this vet is heavily into homeopathic remedies and carries 3 or 4 brands of food, including RC and Hills. I don't think she has a lot to gain by recommending one food over another, since she carries multiple brands.

Puddin likes the puppy food and she free feeds. So far, she hasn't gotten even a little chubby. She was thin when we put her back on it and her hair was dull and fragile. Since going back to the puppy chow (she is on her 3rd bag since the change) she's filled back out, her hair has thickened up and gotten back its shine. As long as she will eat this stuff and doesn't pork up, we'll keep her on it unless the vet says otherwise.

One thing I noticed is that when she off a particular food, she tends to vomit a vellow slime liquid first thing in the morning. This never happens when she's on this puppy formula. Someone told me it was caused by an empty stomach...I don't know how true that is, but once she was back on a food that she ate with gusto (especially if it is flavoured with Mama fingers and hand fed!) we aren''t seeing the yellow vomit any more.

I have one of those Russell Hobbs steamers and I make veggies in one chamber and baby potatoes in another (diabetics in the house!) and Puddin happily munches down any of those that I give her. I keep basmati rice and frozen chicken breasts on hand for those days when she's not feeling well (rare now that she is past puppyhood) to make her chicken and rice. Mostly, however, she gets her "starters" at the dinner table, then heads off to her bowl to finish filling up!

I get what you're saying! I completely understand the fact that these foods aren't readily available in your area. I actively waited for the good foods to become available and until they did, I homecooked. The thing about RC and Hill's is that the ingredients are useless. You are filling a carnivore up with useless grains and not enough protein (because it's too expensive for those companies). I read one review of RC's food and I want to gag every time I think about what is IN that food.

Anyway, that's just me!! I'm very finicky about what my dogs eat and I don't mind putting in the effort to make sure that they eat the best I can afford. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I didn't. And I'm really trying to make sure that they don't get cancers later on (a BIG issue with commercial foods).

Orijen and Acana will soon be available in your areas. They are focusing on the Cape Town area at the moment and soon, they will be everywhere. I hope that you can one day find these foods at a vet shop or at your vet.

thanks for the advice ladies. im very happy that i dont need to feel terrible about table scraps (like the lady at the vetshop made me feel) These foods that that you can get delivered...are they a lot more expensive?

I'm against that act! I'm mad at people who feed their dog scraps as if they were pigs. Dogs have dignity which needs to be respected.

I am in 2 minds here! I agree, people should NEVER JUST feed scraps. The dogs that were on our farm years ago would get plain putu to eat only which is wrong but they ate what the people ate and that was it. Dogs need a balanced diet. that is why mine get such a variety. Saying that thought, they get our "scraps" or leftovers after dinner because they eat the same steamed veg etc as us. BUT!!!!! they still get their kibble daily and I cook them meat or raw food every day or 2 as well. which isnt scraps one thing is for sure, my dogs only get my leftover steamed veg...the rest is spicy, imagine their poor little mouths!

I consider scraps as treats... if you have a child, most people allow their children a treat after their dinner is finished/ate all their veg etc. same principal with dogs. Im sure many people here give their pets a treat every now and then, doggy biscuits, biltong, even doggy bday cake. so as long as it is balanced, dog is healthy and happy and above all, being a happy dog, thats the highest form of dignity (for me anyway).

all things in moderation

As a rule I don't give table scraps unless we are have a braai and then they get their own piece of wors on the fire.

Marilize I would love to switch to a better quality food but where I live we don't even have Hill's yet................ So when we will get the others is anybodies guess.

Kirsten I agree! after my dinner I want a chocolate or a biscuit and I see no harm in giving them a tidbit here or there my table scraps are very healthy adn they dont ever get spicy or fatty pieces of anything. Generally my dogs are eating a warm meaty meal most nights and i often add the veggies etc in after i eat. I try and feed them at the same time as we eat or just after to avoid them begging for mine!

good point TaylorWoods (is your name Taylor?)

by the way, this time next week I'll be picking up my baby! SOOO excited!

No, my name is Kristin Taylor is my baby girl and "woods" is her nickname! lol! pronounced "wOOOOOOODs"! ha ha! My name was created before Trigger came into my life and I have never changed it. So he is a little left out!

One week to go