Hi Loyal Readers! Welcome back to the Biscuit Blog. Tonight we are discussing “people food”. Tonight’s post is brought to you by Maddi Young, a fabulous pug who LOVES Pumpkin! Maddi is going to be featured as a Dog of the Blog as soon as she has time for the formal interview…She’s extremely busy and important!
Maddi Young
It always cracks me up when a new customer proudly announces, “My dog never gets people food!”. I am forever perplexed by this absolutist approach to dog nutrition. I always encourage people to LIFT THE BAN ON TABLE SCRAPS by feeding whole, healthy foods along with the dogs’ primary source of nutrition, be it raw, cooked, dry or canned.
To be clear, we’re not telling you to give your dog pizza crust! That’s a big no-no. However, you can be very liberal with your use of healthy meats, dairy and vegetables in your pup’s diet.
For safety’s sake, we will start with a list of things to avoid:
-Onions
-Garlic (in excess, a little is fine…beneficial even!)
-Grapes and Raisins
-Chocolate of any kind, dark chocolate is the most dangerous
-Wheat, corn (we know that already) This means no PIZZA CRUST OR PASTA OR HAMBURGER BUNS
-Refined sugars of any kind. This means NO ICE CREAM! It isn’t cute. Yoghund is fine.
Photo by PortlandGat
Now, the fun part! Here is the list of things you can and often should, add to your dog’s regular feedings. This foods are loaded with nutrition, good fats and antioxidants…
-Root vegetables: Yams, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, etc. (White potatoes are fine for most dogs, but some dogs may have an allergic response, so if you aren’t sure just skip it! ) Chop, then steam or lightly boil, then mash or puree in the food processor or by hand. I usually do this in large batches and store in the fridge so it is always ready
-Leafy greens: Kale, Spinach, Collards. Lightly steam and add to your root veggies in the food processor
-Squashes: Any and all, including pumpkins. This can also be steamed and pureed with roots and greens
-Baked, steamed or boiled meat and fish: Even if you are feeding completely raw or prey model, it doesn’t hurt to throw in some baked chicken in to the mix. This also makes a great filler for Kongs and Canine Geniuses. If you serve fish, leave the skin off.
-Oils: Flax, Fish. We use combination of these oils in our home, but the focus is on fish oils. Look for small body fish oils with low or no heavy metals. We love Spectrum Brand.
-Plain, unsweetened yogurt: We like Oikos and Fage Greek Style Yogurts.
-Eggs: These can be served raw, or scrambled, etc. with or without the crushed shell
These are just a few of the many wonderful and healthy foods you can safely incorporate into your pooch’s diet. Have a great night!
The Loyal Biscuit Co. Blog 