# Can dogs have table scraps?



## YellowLab (Jul 18, 2011)

I've been thinking and would like to hear other people's views on it. We seem to accumulate a fair bit of waste food with a 2yr old and 6yr old and it's good stuff as I try to make all their meals myself so no added salt or sugar. Well I'm wondering if this is ok to give to the dogs as part of their diet? If this is suitable i can afford to buy acana or taste of the wild for one of their meals with the other meal being table scraps. 

I started giving them some scraps and they love it! For instance last night they had left over sweet potato mash and chicken chassuer (I rinsed the sauce off the chicken) and on other days they might get crusts of bread, apples, banana, any left over meat - slow cooked beef, chicken, pork, fish etc all with any seasoning/sauce rinsed off, carrots, peas, broccoli, parsip etc. I was wondering if this was good enough for them with one meal being a decent kibble?


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## Guest (Nov 3, 2013)

A home cooked and kibble diet is fine as long as you know what your doing give Lew Olsons Raw & Natural Nutrition for dogs is a good read I think you will enjoy.


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Well it can't be any worse than the 2 meals of crappy commercial food millions of dogs get all their lives can it? Table scraps make up a meal for Spencer some days but we don't have enough dog friendly food waste for it to be a regular thing. And let's face it, dogs survived for centuries without commercial dog food before it was invented


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

A couple of generations ago leftovers was what got dogs were fed on entirely in many homes. Avoid onions, mushrooms, anything with grapes of course, and sugary foods. Any meat (removed from bones) and most veg should be fine. I wouldn't wash sauce off apart from curry.


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## Meezey (Jan 29, 2013)

No problem with it at all  we don't get enough scraps to do it,but as I always seem to cook enough roast for a family of four on Sunday ( there are just two of us) Cian gets a Sunday roast too


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## BessieDog (May 16, 2012)

It's usually only a roast here where Bess gets any amount of scraps. She does love meat and Yorkshire pud! 

I find scraps useful for mixing in with her food to get her to eat it. 

I never fed my old dogs scraps, as Darcy had a wheat gluten allergy, and unless it was pure meat I was over cautious what to give him. Bingley didn't get any either as I thought it wouldn't be fair. 

One thing good about a raw diet is that they get a lot of variety, and in my experience this makes them more tolerant of different foods. 

Only issues I would have with scraps is any allergies, or if your dog is overweight and needs a well monitored diet


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Meezey said:


> No problem with it at all  we don't get enough scraps to do it,but as I always seem to cook enough roast for a family of four on Sunday ( there are just two of us) Cian gets a Sunday roast too


I purposely cook extra potatoes and veg so Spen can have a Sunday roast  With only 2 of us the joint we get is more than enough for Spen to have a couple of pieces of meat from it.


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## Guest (Nov 3, 2013)

Ours get scraps along with a good quality kibble. If you have a dog with a sensitive tummy you might have to be careful, but ours are iron gut dogs. I figure if they can eat rotting dead disgustingness they find in the woods, my cooking cant be that much worse!


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## Donut76 (May 15, 2013)

Im glad to hear this as i do give Angel scraps lol

In fact my local lovely buttie shop (without me asking) will give me an extra sausage or piece of bacon when i go in for a Bacon & Egg buttie - this happened because i once asked for a sausage bacon & egg BUT wanted to have the sausage on the side for Angel (i dont eat sausage) they will also give scraps of the shredded pork or beef  Angel loves our buttie runs 

i have never given her the yorkshire puds or potatoes as i wasnt sure about them but she has had the veg


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## YellowLab (Jul 18, 2011)

Sarah1983 said:


> Well it can't be any worse than the 2 meals of crappy commercial food millions of dogs get all their lives can it? Table scraps make up a meal for Spencer some days but we don't have enough dog friendly food waste for it to be a regular thing. And let's face it, dogs survived for centuries without commercial dog food before it was invented


Well that's what I was thinking! It's got to be better than bakers and the such.


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## BeauNoir (Sep 16, 2012)

Ours get table scraps all the time, if there is something left over and it is safe for them, we stick it in the dog!

We even removed onions from some of our recipes so when there is leftover, we can give it to the dogs. 

We don't do it as a set meal, it is just extra to try and bulk Quinn up and Pixie gets a little taste.


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Donut76 said:


> Im glad to hear this as i do give Angel scraps lol
> 
> In fact my local lovely buttie shop (without me asking) will give me an extra sausage or piece of bacon when i go in for a Bacon & Egg buttie - this happened because i once asked for a sausage bacon & egg BUT wanted to have the sausage on the side for Angel (i dont eat sausage) they will also give scraps of the shredded pork or beef  Angel loves our buttie runs
> 
> i have never given her the yorkshire puds or potatoes as i wasnt sure about them but she has had the veg


Potatoes are fine. Yorkshire pudding should never be given to dogs, it's just far too nice for them and there is no such thing as left over yorkie pud anyway 

I think sometimes people can get a little fanatical about food and what you should and shouldn't feed to be honest. I know I've been on raw feeding groups where you're yelled at for feeding veggies and fruit and have been told that if I'm going to give my dog left overs I might as well just feed him Bakers


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## SixStar (Dec 8, 2009)

Scraps are fine - as others have said, it's all dogs used to get! Although if you have enough scraps daily to give a meal each to two large dogs, I think it'd probably be best if you cooked a little less 

All suitable scraps here go to the dogs - although split between the five of them, they usually only get a little taste each!


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## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

Sarah1983 said:


> Potatoes are fine. Yorkshire pudding should never be given to dogs, it's just far too nice for them and there is no such thing as left over yorkie pud anyway
> *
> I think sometimes people can get a little fanatical about food and what you should and shouldn't feed to be honest. I know I've been on raw feeding groups where you're yelled at for feeding veggies and fruit and have been told that if I'm going to give my dog left overs I might as well just feed him Bakers *


Ugh, so true. I've had to leave some raw groups because I thought I'd joined a cult by mistake :crazy:


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Gemmaa said:


> Ugh, so true. I've had to leave some raw groups because I thought I'd joined a cult by mistake :crazy:


Lol, same!


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## lilythepink (Jul 24, 2013)

i have always fed table scraps either as a whole meal or mixed in with dog feed. Mine love a good curry.

They only get table scraps in their feed bowls and never fed by hand at the table at meal times.....can't stand drooling dogs that beg.


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## YellowLab (Jul 18, 2011)

SixStar said:


> Scraps are fine - as others have said, it's all dogs used to get! Although if you have enough scraps daily to give a meal each to two large dogs, I think it'd probably be best if you cooked a little less
> 
> All suitable scraps here go to the dogs - although split between the five of them, they usually only get a little taste each!


Yes your right! I blame my partner as being Jamaican he cooks enough to feed a small village each time and its rubbed off on me!! Also I cook bigger batches with the intention of freezing it for next time but end up giving it to the dogs! Sometimes I deliberately cook more so there's enough for them both


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## Jack Russell Terrorist (Sep 28, 2013)

Sarah1983 said:


> I think sometimes people can get a little fanatical about food and what you should and shouldn't feed to be honest. I know I've been on raw feeding groups where you're yelled at for feeding veggies and fruit and have been told that if I'm going to give my dog left overs I might as well just feed him Bakers


I'm one of these people that would feed a decent quality kibble, but only if I had to otherwise it's raw meat, though usually the Natures Menu/Diet stuff. This morning my JRT had Reindeer but blended up some fruit like apple and cranberry and chucked in some peas, broccoli and thyme and olive oil etc. I love cooking so it's not a bind for me.

Tonight we had a nice roast chicken and there was a decent bit of meat left for a small dog so he had that and some of my fruit & veg super sauce .

I think table scraps are awesome just as long as you know the foods that might upset your dog.


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## GoldenRetrieverman (Sep 7, 2012)

Why not scrap the commercial food and go all home cooked?. Its easier than you think. Just takes some research. My dog is currently getting Turkey and potato.


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## korrok (Sep 4, 2013)

We probably give Riker stuff which would make some purists have a heart attack, but to be fair, he is 11, in great health, and has never had a single health complaint in his entire life. He's gotten choosier as he's gotten older (used to be he'd eat any vegetables you'd give him) but still eats stuff like pizza, curry, stir fry, stew. And no, we don't have onions in that stuff - it's all homemade (aside pizza!) and I hate onions. :thumbsup:


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## DogManDan (Oct 28, 2013)

i'm not against table scraps, i myself occasionally serve it to them. Just be careful on whats on the scrap. fish and chicken bones are common issue of dogs getting choke due to the small bones that might pierce their digestive system.


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