Veterinarians often find themselves playing the role of the elementary school principal, sternly admonishing their clients for feeding their pets table scraps. But it’s undeniable that we love to share our meals with our dogs, and they certainly love being the recipients of our generosity.
Pet parents who follow the advice of PetCoach know that foods like onions, chocolate, garlic, and raisins are off limits for sharing. But is there anything you can safely share with your dog? The answer is a resounding “yes!” Read on to find out some great foods that are not only shareable, but beneficial to your dog.
Pumpkin and sweet potatoes
Many people take fiber supplements in the form of psyllium (Metamucil). Dogs can sometimes benefit from additional fiber in their diets as well, especially if they suffer intermittently with bouts of constipation.
Products like Metamucil provide insoluble fiber, which can be provide substantial improvement in stool consistency, making it easier for chronically constipated dogs to “go.” However, insoluble fiber provides no nutrition, so foods like pumpkin and sweet potatoes have a significant advantage, as they provide fiber and nutrition. Both pumpkin and sweet potatoes are fantastic sources of Vitamins A and C, and dogs love their taste.
You can roast or boil either vegetable, then mash, or purchase the canned pureed products (important note: avoid “pumpkin pie filling,” which is high in sugar). All of these can be frozen into individual servings using an ice cube tray, to ensure that each portion is fresh.
Rice
White rice is an easy-to-digest source of carbohydrates, and most dogs really enjoy the taste. Make sure the rice you share with your dog isn’t soaked in a creamy curry sauce, or your mom’s homemade Salisbury steak gravy.
The only downside to adding a bit of plain, boiled white rice to your dog’s bowl is that rice is heavy on carbohydrates, and thus pretty calorically-dense. So be sure to cut back on the overall portion of his food if you decide to share a bit of rice with him, and only feed this as an occasional treat.
Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables
Weirdly, one of my dogs has started to enjoy eating vegetables only recently, and she’s over 10 years old. I’m not always the most meticulous chef, so sliced vegetables do land on the floor from time to time, and Pancake has recently been noted to abscond with them to her favorite spot under the dining room table, where she hordes her bounty.
The point is that not all dogs like vegetables, but many do, and if your dog enjoys them, go ahead and offer them. Dog have shorter GI tracts than people, so digesting raw, cellulose-dense vegetables can be a bit challenging for them (i.e., be prepared for an increase in gas levels at or near your dog’s rear) so cook them first, or use frozen or canned products that have been previously cooked.
And remember to stay away from anything in the allium family, i.e. onions, garlic, and leeks, as consumption of sufficient quantities of these can cause destruction of red blood cells and anemia.
Plain yogurt
It turns out that some percentage of dogs are lactose intolerant, just like many people are. If your dog is one of them, you’ll likely realize this pretty quickly, as some degree of gastrointestinal upset will follow exposure to dairy products. So it’s perfectly reasonable to completely forgo yogurt out of respect for the (sometimes delicate) canine digestive tract.
However, dogs do love the taste of yogurt, so if you’d like to try to feed some to your dog, do so in very small quantities for starters, so you can gauge the reaction. If he tolerates it well, you can add a teaspoon to a tablespoon to a meal, and even consider making “pupsicles” by freezing a mix of plain (unflavored/unsweetened) yogurt, a bit of honey, and a bit of peanut butter in small paper drinking cups. When set, peel off the paper and place the treat in a bowl, and let your dog go to town.
Fresh fruits
Many dogs love fruit – watermelon, peaches, apples, bananas, pears, etc – and the only ones that are specifically off-limits for them are grapes (and subsequently raisins), since many dogs experience kidney failure after ingesting them.
Remember that fruits are high in sugar, though, so limit these to occasional treats.
Avocado
Somewhere along the line, avocado got a bad rap, and many people still seem to believe that it’s poisonous to dogs. It is poisonous to parrots, so if you have one of those in the house, do be careful with your guacamole. However, as long as you make sure not to feed the pit of the avocado to your dog, as it poses a serious intestinal obstruction risk, your dog can enjoy a couple of avocado slices from time to time.
Oils
Many people swear by vegetable and nut oils (a la the recently reported miracle properties of coconut oil, which are greatly exaggerated) for keeping their dog’s coat shiny and healthy. But much like the foods that people enjoy, dog foods are heavy on the omega 6 fats already, and relatively light on the essential omega 3’s, which are most readily obtainable from cold water fish sources. So go easy on adding additional vegetable oils to your dog’s food, but a teaspoon of coconut or high quality olive oil likely won’t hurt.
Lean meats and fish
Let’s face it: dogs love meat. There’s no more valuable reward when you’re trying to teach a new behavior than a bit of white meat chicken or turkey. You can also add cooked meat to your dog’s diet regularly, but just remember that muscle meat on its own does not represent a complete and balanced canine diet.
If you’re interested in forgoing commercial dog food in favor of preparing a home cooked diet for your dog that incorporates lean meats or fish, check out BalanceIt for recipes prepared by veterinary nutritionists. BalanceIt diets include supplementation with a specially formulated mixture that ensures that the ultimate meal is complete and balanced.
Nut butters
Peanut and almond butter are delicious treats for your dog. More than one formerly resistant dog has been medicated without his knowledge with the help of a little peanut butter schmear. Just be sure to purchase a brand that doesn’t incorporate sweeteners – not only sugar, but the exceptionally dangerous xylitol – as well as added vegetable oils. Use these treats sparingly, as nut butters are pretty much all fat. And definitely, if your dog has a medical problem that involves the digestion of dietary fats, like pancreatitis, avoid these treats altogether.