Many dog owners across America love to pamper their pets like their own children, with some even going so far as to prepare lavish meals for their pets as dinner guests.
Sarah Valdivieso, a mother of two who lives in South Florida, has three dogs: Ruby Lulu, a 5-year-old Airedale terrier; Lola Chickie, a 4-year-old mixed breed; and Sabel Daisy, a 1-year-old miniature goldendoodle.
Valdivieso said he feeds his pet dog food twice a day, but that’s not all — he also makes sure to give him healthy human food on a regular basis.
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“I eat it at least once a day, but it’s not a full meal,” she told Fox News Digital. “I think of it more like a food supplement.”
Valdivieso said her dogs’ favorite “human foods” are carrots and mangoes, as well as cauliflower and strawberries.
Sara Valdivieso’s dogs, Ruby Lulu and Lola Chickie (pictured side by side on the left), and Sabel Daisy (pictured on the right), eat “human food” seven days a week. (Sarah Valdivieso/Fox News Digital)
“They’ll also eat some of the protein that we take in,” she said.
When she goes grocery shopping, Valdivieso keeps her dogs top of mind: “I try to feed them only as much as I can,” she says.
“I make sure my kids eat their share.”
On special occasions like birthdays and holidays, Valdivieso gives her dogs treats, “like frozen yogurt cups with candles in them,” or the same protein that she and her family eat, which is usually steak.
“They’ll probably eat it instead of their actual dog food dinner,” she said.
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But Valdivieso said he knows not to feed his dog things like grapes or onions.
“We’re careful about that sort of thing,” she said.
Valdivieso said she and her husband feed their dog from a dish on the floor or, in the case of dog food, from a bowl, though she acknowledged that “the kids might sneak some under the table.”
Some human foods are toxic to dogs
Dr Katie Nelson, senior veterinarian at Chewy, said it’s important for pet owners to know their dogs and what foods are safe for them to eat. (See the video at the beginning of this article.)
Nelson, who lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her family and dogs, said it ultimately depends on each individual dog.
Dr Katie Nelson, senior veterinarian at Chewy and a dog owner herself, says it’s important to “know which foods are safe and which aren’t.” (Dr. Katie Nelson/Chewy)
“Know your dog and his sensitivities,” she says, “and know which foods are safe and which aren’t.”
There are some foods that are safe for humans but toxic to dogs.
“Pets already have beef or chicken or other types of protein in their food, so pure protein wouldn’t be as dangerous to them,” Nelson said.
Fatty foods like steak and bacon can cause stomach upset.
“But as soon as you stray from that, things get more dangerous,” Nelson said.
Fatty steaks and bacon can cause stomach upset, she says, “and then when you eat other things like vegetables, condiments and sauces, that’s when it gets really dangerous.”
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Just like people, dogs can struggle with weight, which is another consideration for dog owners: More than 50 percent of dogs in the U.S. are considered obese, Nelson said.
“Knowing what you’re looking at, knowing what you’re feeding them and knowing your dog’s typical reactions is the best way to deal with it,” Nelson said.
Other foods that are extremely dangerous to dogs include chocolate, salty snacks, grapes and raisins, leftover bones, and dairy products like ice cream, according to Rodale.
Some dogs know how to “patiently wait” for leftovers.
Natasha Tomlinson of South Florida takes a slightly unusual approach to feeding her two dogs, Coco, a miniature poodle mix, and Kaylee, a Maltese-Yorkshire terrier mix, human food.
Natasha Tomlinson said she knows her dogs, white-furred Kaylee and brown-furred Coco, will “wait patiently” for food. (Natasha Tomlinson)
Unlike Valdivieso, Tomlinson doesn’t go out and buy extra food for her two older dogs, Coco and Kaylee, who “run around like puppies.”
But Tomlinson said she makes sure there are leftovers of chicken, steak or pork for her kids after dinner seven days a week.
She said she mostly cooks at home and her dogs are trained to “wait patiently” until she’s finished eating, and she never feeds them from the table.
She said bad behavior in table-fed dogs is largely the fault of “dog parents.”
She said bad behaviour in table-fed dogs is mainly the fault of “dog parents”.
Maryland resident Adam Inslee has also been known to feed scraps to his dog, Pebbles.
Adam Inslee of Maryland likes to feed his dog Pebbles leftover bacon next to his dog’s bowl after dinner. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)
Just recently, he hand-fed his Irish setter-poodle mix some chicken wrapped in bacon and drizzled in cream sauce near his food bowl.
Some dog owners, like Jesse and Molly Keizer of Arlington, Virginia, are turning to food delivery services that provide healthy alternative meals for their pets.
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The Keysers subscribe to The Farmer’s Dog.
Every month, the company sends pre-packaged frozen meals for her dogs, Reggie and Alli.
Molly and Jesse Keyser feed their dogs, Reggie and Aari, frozen packed meals of beef, pork and turkey from The Farmer’s Dog. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)
Farmer’s Dog’s website claims its meals are made with human-grade meat and vegetables that are “flash frozen to lock in all the nutrients.”
“The key is understanding whether these are complete, balanced diets,” says veterinarian Nelson.
Feeding them human food can lead to behavioral problems
Valdivieso said Ruby Lulu usually sits close to the table because “she knows she shouldn’t be sitting so close to the table,” but recently while she was having breakfast with friends, the dog “stuck her nose under” one of the guests’ arms.
“She was a little too friendly, so we had to put her outside,” Valdivieso said.
Nelson, the veterinarian, said there’s a reason why dogs behave a certain way.
Some human foods that are harmless to humans can be toxic to dogs, so Nelson says it’s important to know your dog and what he’s eating. (iStock)
“It’s a learned behavior over time,” she says, “so the person we probably all think of is the owner who feeds their dog off the table or from their own bowl, and then that dog just sits under the table, at the owner’s feet, waiting for the food to drop, and then feeds other dogs indiscriminately.”
She added: “If you feed your dog from the table, that’s what you should be doing.”
No need to supplement with human food
Contrary to what some people think, dog food provides a complete, balanced diet for dogs, so there’s no need to supplement with human food, Nelson said.
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“There is absolutely no reason to feed human food to pets,” Nelson said.
“If they’re eating a complete, balanced commercial diet, they don’t need anything other than what we’re eating.”
According to Nelson, the most common type of dog that ends up in the emergency room is one with gastrointestinal issues. “They’re eating something that they’re not used to, they’re eating something that doesn’t agree with their stomach, things like that,” Nelson said.
Gastrointestinal issues are a common reason dogs end up in the emergency room for veterinary care. (iStock)
Nelson said this happens more during holidays and special events.
“Because they stole steaks off the grill and ate six ears of corn,” she said.
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Nelson recalled the first time he performed emergency surgery 23 years ago, on a golden retriever who had swallowed 17 halved corn cobs.
“Some of them might have left teeth marks, but the rest they just scraped away,” Nelson said, “so it was pretty amazing, but they don’t have a stop button, they don’t have the right judgment.”
“It’s always a little nerve-wracking.”
Kim Shadwick of Washington, D.C., is a pet owner who avoids feeding her dogs any human food.
Her adopted mixed-breed dog, Neville, “looks like a timid little terrier” and only eats dry food.
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“I’m not opposed,” Shadwick told Fox News Digital about feeding Neville human food. “I don’t want to have to turn it on and off and I’m always a little nervous about how well he’ll eat.”
Kim Shadwick’s dog Neville won’t eat human food, and the Washington, D.C., resident says she’s “a little nervous about how well he’ll eat.” (Kim Shadwick)
Ms Shadwick is also hesitant to feed Neville human food because she doesn’t know how he might react to being fed by humans – she doesn’t want him to become a beggar.
But she also said she wasn’t ruling out Neville eating human food in the future.
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“As we get older, softer foods may be better,” Shadwick says.
“And to some extent, it may be possible to live like a king or queen later in life,” she said.
