Our Reisterstown Vet Explains The Difference Between Human Food and Pet Food

The dog lies patiently under the table to receive scraps from dinner. Your kitty mews hopefully as you cut up chicken for dinner. What could be more natural than giving your beloved pet a little treat? While our Reisterstown vet at TLC for Pets totally understands your desire to spoil your pet, there are better and worse ways to do it. Let’s take a little look at feeding your animals people food versus formulas specifically intended for them.

Should You Let Your Dog or Cat Have People Food?

The main problem with giving your dog or cat people food is that some types of food are bad for them. Raisins, grapes and chocolate, for instance, can cause serious problems for dogs. Cats should avoid dairy, chocolate and anything in the allium family (onion, garlic, etc.). Neither should have alcohol under any circumstances, even if they like it (which is not uncommon). You can usually get away with giving your dog or cat:

• Meats and fish

• Whole grains

• Raw eggs

• Peanut butter (most cats won’t be interested)

• Vegetables

Otherwise, for the health of your animal, you should probably keep your scraps to yourself.

Veterinary Advice on Pet Food and Nutrition

Our professional veterinary advice is to avoid giving pets people food where possible. This is the easiest way to ensure that they don’t get anything that’s not good for them, maintaining the best nutrition for life. However, if you really want to give them a treat, select something from the above list.

Even if you confine your people food treats to the above choices, however, you can still compromise your nutrition for your pet if you give them too much. Remember that cats are pure carnivores, and shouldn’t have too much of anything else. Dogs may be more omnivorous, but most veterinary findings support the idea that they are mainly carnivorous as well.

And at the end of the day, you may choose to avoid giving your pets people food simply because it is more expensive. Choosing a vet-approved canine or feline formula that you portion out is the best way to ensure your pet’s health for life – which reduces medical bills – and is substantially less spendy than the items you buy for yourself.

TLC for Pets: Your Trusted Veterinarian in Reisterstown

If you’re looking for a Reisterstown veterinarian, TLC for Pets is it. At our clinic, we treat your pets as family, always offering the best advice and service. When you’re ready to make an appointment with our Reisterstown veterinarian, please call us at 410-807-3164. TLC for Pets is always happy to help.