Is it advisable to give your pet, especially dogs, human food, or the so-called table food scraps? Well, these questions are a hot button issue among many pet owners. However, this should not be the case if you love your pet.
A recent study indicates that over fifty percent of America-based pet owners feed their dogs leftovers from their meals after feeding them their regular dog diet. The study’s objective was to assess how pet owners add human food to their dogs’ kibble and evaluate pet-related obesity causes.
So is it advisable to supplement kibble with human food?
As a pet owner, a dog diet is a critical issue, and every pet owner ensures that their pet has the best possible diet. However, feeding your pet on kibble food is an everyday choice, although there have been some rising issues related to these commercial dog food in the recent past.
Kibble came into the dog food market a few decades ago, making scraps and cans archaic. The cans were huge and smelly once emptied. Most dog owners offered their pets table food and scraps and never considered their dogs’ well-being and diet.
Once the kibble hit the market, it was an exciting moment for dog owners, Although confusion among new pet owners filled the air. Stores sold various dog food brands, all packed and packaged in brightly colored sacks with an assuring message of good health to your dog.
It was hectic to settle on a particular kibble. Feeding kibble to your dog meant that you had to know your puppy breed, a medium or large breed, should your pet have basic or premium, lamb or chicken, and whether your dog should have working food or hypo-allergenic.
With all these choices in place, it was really difficult for new dog owners to decide. However, settling on kibble for your dog should not be that difficult because there are various ways to have your dog healthy and happy.
However, according to ongoing research, there is an increase in dog owners’ belief that kibble is the culprit behind all sorts of health problems associated with dogs. In various online dog owners communities, kibble as a dog diet is negatively advocated. Some rising minority of puppy owners groups believe that kibble is poisonous to their pets.
Claims have been pushed forward from the dog community owners suggesting kibble as the cause of their dogs’ cancer. Kibble dog food does not have an appealing look, but this does not support or provide evidence of the dog community claims.
However, we cannot come to a ruling and dismiss kibble entirely based on a speculative complaint. We can say that like most things in life, kibble is not perfect, and some perils come with feeding dogs kibble.
Pros of adding human food to dog kibble
According to the ongoing research, pet owners who supplemented their dogs’ diet with green vegetables such as broccoli saw an increase in their dogs’ health. The risk of cancer on their dogs was greatly reduced by 30%, while dogs that ate vegetables such as carrots had a seventy percent decrease in cancer risk.
Dogs can eat green vegetables because they are not obligate carnivores such as cats, rather dogs are facultative carnivores. Adding vegetables to their kibble can greatly increase their health well.
Secondly, adding human food to dogs kibble helps in body detoxification. In this current world, intensive mechanization in farming is being utilized to feed livestock with genetically modified grains and pastures. These livestock feeds are contaminated with pesticides and various biochemical used to treat fungus, bacteria, and plant diseases. All these are within the livestock, which in turn end up in dog kibble.
Lastly, pet nutrition is important. Food that is good for a human is good for dogs, and good for dogs is good for humans. Dogs require nutritious food to stay healthy and happy. Supplementing dogs kibble with human food can significantly impact the dog’s nutrition and general health.
Cons of adding human food to dog kibble
Even though adding human food to dog food can have some nutritional and health values, some risks should not be overlooked.
Let us take a look at them.
Adding human food to kibble can lead to calories displacement. Kibble has formulated, calories and the forty-two essential nutrients required by a pet are added with industrial specific measurements. Too many calories can lead to obesity, which can greatly affect a dog’s health.
Secondly, supplementing dog food with human food can lead to dog stomach upset. The dog’s stomach does not react well to the sudden transition of diet. The transition from a dry biscuit diet to human food with a soup can greatly impact the dog’s stomach lining, causing serious stomach upsets for the dog, such as bloating. If your pup has a sensitive stomach it might be best to start with home made meals catered to the sensitive stomach
Thirdly, Supplementing meat to the dog food increases phosphorus by excess in the diet while reducing calcium alters the delicate balance for calcium and phosphorus in the dog kibble.
Carbohydrates and vegetables provide the pet with minerals and vitamins. Providing this in excess increases the food amount, leading to a change in the dog’s feeding behavior, which can greatly affect training dogs.
Conclusion
A pet dog requires a balance of the right amount of vitamins and minerals in their food. However, it is difficult to predict the long-term impact of feeding a dog with the only kibble or supplementing human food with different feeding modes. All that we know is that both methods have their pros and cons.
Supplementing your dog food with human food helps your dog stay full and feel less hungry. However, if you are training your dog, kibble is the choice for you and your pet.
If well viewed from all angles, these methods will end up with a good method of feeding your pet, and if you feed him, consistently chances are your pet will thrive.
To sum it up, before fully committing to a particular diet or thinking of making changes to your pet diet, kindly consult your vet and search for dog food recipes online.
