Sharing Treats with Your Dog

As we all love a little treat for ourselves often we pass it along to our pets to enjoy too. Some people cringe at a pet getting ‘human’ food, but really some can be a great and healthy treat, often better then the sugar filled store bought treats. Not that every dog will like all of the types that I will mention but why not give it a try.

This guy shares an apple and banana daily with his brother

Veggies- Many veggies can be very healthy for dogs, fresh, canned, cooked and dehydrated. Carrots, pumpkin (cooked), potatoes (cooked), broccoli, and green beans to name a few that dogs often like to eat. Avoid corn, onions, garlic and mushrooms as these can be dangerous or cause allergies.

Fruit- Lots of fruits can also bring nutrients to the table, both in raw, cooked or dehydrated. Apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, oranges are some fun fruits to share. Never let your pet eat the seeds or pits of the fruits and grapes are poisonous to dogs and cats.

 Dairy- often too much can lead to stomach problems so only use small amounts, but my dogs love a little cube of cheese. These can also be high in fat  and salt so only as a special treats.

Meats- Dogs love meat, but make sure you find low fat cuts and use small amounts so that they don’t gain weight. Check for sodium (or salt) and try to keep it to a minim. Raw meat can be great but make sure the dogs can handle it and cooked chicken and pork bones should never be given because they splinter. Eggs raw are harmful but cooked can be good, just watch for allergies.

Nuts- Peanut butter is a fun treat to add to many toys to get the dog to play, be careful of allergies both in humans around the dog as well as the dog. Almonds and peanut butter can also be high calorie so give small amounts or check for low fat and salt free. Never give macadamia nuts, as they are toxic to dogs.

Lastly never give your dog chocolate or coffee, it’s the caffeine that affects your pets and they can get sick for days. No xylitol (a sweetener) or fluoride as both can be toxic, otherwise have fun with sharing food, but make them work for it and away from your snacking areas unless you like an audience when you eat.