Safe Foods to Feed your Dog

Lily

What Your Dog Can Eat

Although most vets do not recommend your dog to eat regular food, some vets will tell you that it is okay - as long as your dog is eating a well balanced diet. What this means is that he should his vegetables and his protein.

Some meats which are okay for dogs to eat include chicken, turkey and even beef. It is preferable for them to eat beef in steak form because they have a hard time digesting ground beef, but it really does depend on your dog.

Some dogs should not eat cheese or dairy products because it may cause them to have diarrhea, but this is not the case with all dogs. You should avoid giving ice cream to your dog, but if you feel the need to, it is important to make sure that you stick to vanilla.

The best way to find out what your dog can and cannot eat is to test it out, unless it is one of the foods which was listed above. Much like every person, every dog is different. While some things may bother certain dogs, other things may be fine. If you notice that your dog has unusual symptoms when eating a particular food, you might want to consider removing that food from his diet.

A well-designed dog food gives your pet all the nutrients it needs for an active and healthy life. But that doesn't mean you can't sometimes give your dog human food as a special treat -- as long as portions are limited, and the foods are cooked, pure, and not fatty or heavily seasoned

Safe: Some Fresh Fruits

Slices of apples, oranges, bananas, and watermelon make tasty treats for your dog. Be sure to remove any seeds first, though. Seeds, stems, and leaves can cause serious problems

Safe: Some Vegetables

Your dog can have a healthy snack of carrot sticks, green beans, cucumber slices, or zucchini slices. Even a plain baked potato is OK. Be sure, though, not to let your dog eat any raw potatoes or any potato plants it might have access to in your garden.

Safe: Cooked White Rice and Pasta

Dogs may enjoy plain white rice or pasta after it's cooked. And, a serving of plain white rice with some boiled chicken can sometimes provide welcome relief from gastrointestinal upset.

I prefer to give my dogs only dog food and shop at a pet store that specializes in natural dog food. Most of the products rated the same as for human consumption.  This way I don't have to worry about the brands which have been on the recall list or the food and treats coming out of China (which many of which have been deemed to be dangerous).

My favorite pet store is the Holistic Hound

Holistic Hound is a natural pet store located in Berkeley, California. It is owned and operated by Heidi Hill, and her ten year old Siberian husky, Pearl.

"Our mission is to help improve the health, wellness and longevity of dogs and cats.  We provide ongoing support to our clients through consultations, inspiring on-site classes/talks, referrals to holistic practitioners and by offering the best products available."

Source reprint and a compilation of various sites

I'm Just Sayin!