[DogsRule_TheUniverse]

I'm curious to know how many of you guys spoil your fur babies with treats? I'm talking specifically about human foods. I recently got two 4-yr old maltipoos from a previous owner who could no longer take care of them due to her personal circumstances. She spoiled them rotten with feeding them pizza and other human foods.

When I first got them, I couldn't even sit down for dinner in peace without them crawling all over me. They were aggressive beggars mostly because the previous owner allowed it and she spoiled them. I was a strict dad in the beginning and told myself I was not going to do that. We've had some very hot summer days and I love ice cream. More than once they've given me the sad puppy eyes look. I've taught them not to beg - they've improved since I've had them. (2 months). But their cute little faces are hard to ignore. . Eventually over time, I have given in a little bit. Even so, I give them a little bit of ice cream and I've only done it on 2 occasions.

Other human foods: My babies enjoy baby carrots, sugar snap peas and salted cashews. (cashews only sparingly - 3 pcs for each dog and only once in a while). I've also fed them these cashew/nut treats on a few occasions. Do you think I'm over doing it?? The listed ingredients on the bag are:
cashews, almonds, cane sugar, pumpkin seed kernels, rice syrup, sea salt, and honey. I'm going assume that it's safe for these guys because so far, they have not gotten sick and their poop always comes out solid.

Doggy treats I am currently giving them:
1) Pup-peroni treats
2) Greenies brand dental treats.

 

[Lillith]

It's perfectly fine to give your dogs some human food, but moderation is key. And your dogs are very small, so what looks small to you might actually be quite significant to them. Here is a list of items that are safe and unsafe for dogs to eat:

Can My Dog Eat This? A List of Human Foods Dogs Can and Can't Eat

Dogs and humans metabolize foods differently, making some human foods toxic to dogs. Here's a list of 53 foods and whether or not your dog can eat them.

www.healthline.com

You need to read labels carefully before you give them any human food, as well. Lots of cereal, peanut butter, and other items with sweetener use xylitol, which can be absolutely deadly to dogs. Anything with that ingredient I keep out of my house.

Salty, sugary, or items high in fat (like nuts) also need to be given with extreme moderation. You can read more about why in the article I posted.

 

[DogsRule_TheUniverse]

It's perfectly fine to give your dogs some human food, but moderation is key. And your dogs are very small, so what looks small to you might actually be quite significant to them. Here is a list of items that are safe and unsafe for dogs to eat:

Can My Dog Eat This? A List of Human Foods Dogs Can and Can't Eat

Dogs and humans metabolize foods differently, making some human foods toxic to dogs. Here's a list of 53 foods and whether or not your dog can eat them.

www.healthline.com

You need to read labels carefully before you give them any human food, as well. Lots of cereal, peanut butter, and other items with sweetener use xylitol, which can be absolutely deadly to dogs. Anything with that ingredient I keep out of my house.

Salty, sugary, or items high in fat (like nuts) also need to be given with extreme moderation. You can read more about why in the article I posted.

Oh boy, I'm glad I was conservative in how much almond & cashews I was giving them. That article says to use caution / limit the amount. Thanks for the link.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

I don't feed my dog "from the table" but I most assuredly do give him human foods.. most notably cheese and sometimes we stop for a Vanilla Ice cream cone.

He eats a raw food diet but I add carrots and cooked spinach (for manganese) and raw egg (in the shell). One thing he loves is the big stem from fresh Broccoli. I give it to him when I am cutting up broccoli. I hand it to him from the counter.. and he runs to his matt with his "prize" and chomps it down.

He is not a fan of Kale stems but will eat one if he thinks the cat might want it.. (cats don't eat Kale EVER, but don't tell my dog).

 

[DaySleepers]

The dogs rarely get food from our plates, especially while we're actively eating. But they often get nibbles when we're preparing food - carrot ends, broccoli or kale stems, frozen peas, trimmings from raw meat, a crust of bread, bite of cheese, etc. - and we sometimes share our dog-friendly snacks with them. My oldest is a garbage disposal who is absolutely obsessed with oranges, the weirdo. Unsweetened peanut butter (just peanuts with minimal to no salt, not the kind with artificial sweeteners), plain yogurt, and purreed pumpkin are all great to use with food toys like the Kong Classic or a Lickimat.

I avoid feeding them anything seasoned because we cook with a lot of garlic and onion, including not letting them lick plates. A little bit of onion or garlic (or similar plants in the allium family, like leeks or shallots) won't cause immediate harm, but they contain a compound that builds up in their system over time, and can lead to anemia if they eat it regularly. I'm especially paranoid about grapes and raisins, because those can cause lethal kidney damage in small amounts in some dogs (others are perfectly fine, but I'm not willing to test out which is the case for my dogs). And, of course, chocolate, especially dark baking chocolate or cocoa powder.

A little bit of safe veg or a few licks of ice cream now and then is perfectly find, in my opinion! Just so long as the ice cream is a dog-safe flavor and doesn't have any xylitol-based artificial sweetners, as mentioned previously. Xylitol is sometimes also called birch sugar, so watch for that. And don't overdo it - a spoonful for a small dog is like a whole big bowl to us humans!

 

[DogsRule_TheUniverse]

Lots of great comments in this thread. As a first time dog owner, it's very helpful. Thanks guys!

Xylitol is sometimes also called birch sugar, so watch for that.

huh, wow. I had no idea about this. Thank you!

 

[K9luv]

We give our dog either a little piece of food like a piece of crust, sometimes a meat piece or a few of his own treats when we're finished our meal for remaining quiet and waiting after we put our plates away.

Also when I'm cutting up veggies, he'll get a little piece sometimes. It makes me laugh because he'll happily take a piece of lettuce to his playmat in the livingroom.

But in general, as much as he might enjoy ice cream, I stick to his banana/peanut butter/yogurt ice cubes for that type of treat.

 

[Sparkles2022]

My dog learned about peanut butter this week. I bought the absurdly priced Kong squeeze tube, because I don’t know what’s considered a declarable contaminant in people food.

If the only ingredient was peanuts but it was made in a facility that also made sweetened peanut butter, would they have to declare ‘may contain xylitol’? I don’t know because it’s not a common human allergen.

Anyhow, she loves it. I put it in the grooves of this rubber popsicle that you fill with water and freeze.

 

[LeoRose]

My dog learned about peanut butter this week. I bought the absurdly priced Kong squeeze tube, because I don’t know what’s considered a declarable contaminant in people food.

If the only ingredient was peanuts but it was made in a facility that also made sweetened peanut butter, would they have to declare ‘may contain xylitol’? I don’t know because it’s not a common human allergen.

Anyhow, she loves it. I put it in the grooves of this rubber popsicle that you fill with water and freeze.

Just go to the grocery store and get plain peanut butter. Laura Scudder's is one brand that contains only peanuts and salt, but there are some generic brands, as well. That way, both you and the dog can safely eat it.

 

[LeoRose]

My dogs do generally get people food as treats. They are particularly fond of potato chips and Goldfish crackers.

Lily cleaned up on goodies this past weekend when we were visiting family. Not only did I share tidbits with her, she managed to con several people into giving her all kinds of yummy things, plus she appointed her self as chief vacuum-upper of and and all dropped bits and pieces. There were a couple of days when she'd had so much food throughout the day that she didn't need any dinner.

 

[Toedtoes]

My dogs do generally get people food as treats. They are particularly fond of potato chips and Goldfish crackers.

Cat-dog LOVES goldfish crackers!!

I have to be a bit strict about people food. Cat-dog came to me only eating people food. Her first fime foster couldn't get her to eat her dog food and made the mistake of feeding her people food so she wouldn't starve. It took two days of "dog food only" for Cat-dog to eat her food. But I watch how much people food she gets to make sure she doesn't fall back on bad habits.

Then I have Bird (parrot) who wants to share everything.

And then Looney2 (cat) insists on sampling everything. He especially enjoys vanilla pudding.

Looney1 isn't demanding about food - my only one. Tornado-dog will eat most anything and everything.

My prior Bat-dog was a big foodie. She even ate chocolate without any issues (I never gave it to her, but she managed to steal it). I caught her brother, Moose-dog, pulling a chocolate cake off the counter for her once. I don't know if he was hoping to kill her or helping her - she was waiting excitedly next to him. The one thing she did not like was pineapple. She really tried to like it. She'd put it in her mouth and slowly swish it around, then very politely spit it out. After a few minutes, she'd pick it up and try again. After her fourth try, I threw it away and gave her a piece of cantelope which she happily ate.

 

[DogsRule_TheUniverse]

Cat-dog LOVES goldfish crackers!!

Then I have Bird (parrot) who wants to share everything.....

And then Looney2 (cat) ....

Looney1 isn't demanding about food - my only one. Tornado-dog will eat most anything and everything.

My prior Bat-dog was a big foodie....

You got some rather interesting names for your pets!

What do you mean by Cat-dog anyway...a cat that behaves like a dog?