Picture this - you’re seated at the dinner table, enjoying a mouthwatering plate of roastedchicken.
Out of the blues, yourdog quickly sneaks underneath the table and starts looking at you with hisadorable round eyes. You know that he’s asking for a taste of your food, andyou struggle with the decision of whether to feed him or not.
Ultimately, you give into his stare and feed him a small portion of your delicacy. One tiny mouthfulis harmless, right? Besides, you handpicked the ingredients and prepared thedish yourself, so it’s just as healthy to your pet, right? Well, notnecessarily.
While your heart may bein the right place, feeding your pet table scraps could cause him/her more harmthan good. In the following post, we’ll highlight why you should not give yourpet food meant for human consumption, and list several dishes that your petshould steer clear from.
One crucial aspect tokeep in mind that certain foods can be toxic to your pet.
By ‘toxic’ we mean thatit can trigger allergies or cause life-threatening symptoms. Grapes andraisins, for instance, are highly toxic as they can lead to kidney failure.
The most challengingpart about this is that pets respond differently to people foods. One dog mayconsume a whole bunch of raisins and not suffer any side effects. Another mayhave just one raisin and experience severe reactions.
When you give your dog asmall bite of your chicken burger, do you ever stop to think about how thisadds to his caloric intake? As small as that food portion is, it’s probably allhe needs to meet his daily calorie or fat needs.
One aspect that worsensthe situation is the fact that you’ll feed your pet scraps at breakfast, lunchand dinner. Now consider the likelihood that there are several family members,all feeding the same pet table scraps. This shows you just how quickly hiscalories add up.
Want your kitty or puppyto maintain a healthy weight, then resist the urge to feed them scraps.
Another factor that petowners never consider is the fact that they’re spoiling their pets by givingthem unhealthy foods.
The more human-gradefood you feed them, the more of it your pets will want. Eventually, it will getto a point where they won’t want their own food because they prefer tablescraps.
Once they get used tothis routine, you can’t deny them table scraps because they’ll start acting outby either snapping, barking or whining. If you don’t want to have to correctbehavioral problems down the road, then don’t feed your pet table scraps in thefirst place.
If you’re the proudowner of a dog, don’t fall into the temptation of feeding him almonds. They’reknown to obstruct the esophagus, and in some worse cases, tear the wholewindpipe if they’re not chewed fully.
You may find chocolatesnacks tasty but that doesn’t mean they’re suitable for pets. If anything, theycontain toxic compounds known as methylxanthines, which hinder metabolism. Thismakes it dangerous for both cats and dogs.
Bread dough with yeast
If your cat consumesyeast dough, gas may accumulate in her digestive system; causing discomfort.This can result in stomach bloating and in worse scenarios, a twistedspleen.
Citrus fruits likegrapefruits, tangerines and oranges can be particularly harmful to dogs. Whenconsumed in small amounts, they can lead to a stomach upset. However, ifconsumed in very large quantities, they may lead to more grave issues likenervous system depression.
As a pet owner, one ofyour key responsibilities is keeping your dog or cat healthy and happy. A bigpart of this is ensuring that you’re providing your pet with a nutrient-richdiet.
As tempting as it maybe, it’s not good to feed your pet foods meant for human consumption. Not onlycan they trigger allergies, but some of them can be highly toxic and lead tobehavioral problems.
