We always like to share with our pets and one of the things pet owners like to share is what we are eating, people food. That’s not always a good idea. For many animals even foods we think are very safe and very bland and easily digested may trigger gastrointestinal upset. Dr. Wylegala says dogs may present with vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite and the same thing for cats. We also have to be aware that our food contains significant calories. Even if we think we are just giving them a small piece of cheese or just giving them a small piece of my hamburger; it is a significant number of calories. She says, depending on the size of our pet it could be up to a quarter of their calorie intake for a day. If you feed an ounce of cheese to a twenty-pound dog it is about a third of their calorie intake for the day. When you add it additional treats and their regular food for many of these pets, that is the reason that vets see the significant number of pets that are overweight. Dr. Wylegala says for not only minimizing gastrointestinal upset and risk of things like pancreatitis, you also want to avoid extra people food because it really does impact their weight. It is a significant number of calories that can be added to their daily diet.
If you are looking to feed your pet a homemade diet, do it correctly. There are veterinarians that specialized in nutrition and there are websites that will medically formulate a homemade diet for your pet to make sure it is appropriate in terms of calories and nutritional content. If you are looking for safe foods to feed your pet as a treat, talk to your veterinarian. Dr. Wylegala says depending on your pet’s health, they make look at things like vegetables that are a low calorie treat to feed.
Click here to go to the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society.
