Should I be feeding 'human' food and treats to my dog?

There are plenty of foods we eat and love to share with our dogs. When they look up at you with their big eyes, sometimes we can’t resist sharing our food with them. Or maybe your dog is like a vacuum and will keep your floor clean when you accidentally drop some food. But let’s face it, we all enjoy treating our dogs now and then and that’s okay if you’re aware of the calorie content and knowing how much a safe amount is.

If you’re trying to help your dog lose weight the first thing to look at is the treats you’re giving them, especially if they’re human treats. Well, here’s some food for thought. From a nutritional point of view Digestive biscuits aren’t the best treats to give your dog, but in moderation they’re unlikely to harm your dog. However, giving a small dog a Digestive biscuit can be up to 20% of their daily calorie intake. That’s just from one biscuit so if you give them three throughout the day that’s already more than half of their daily calorie intake.

How about buttered toast? We all love a bit of buttered toast in the mornings, it’s a simple, quick and easy breakfast that you can also share with your dog as they sit in front of you in a heap of drawl. If you’re guilty of feeding your dog this every morning, you might want to think twice. For a small dog buttered toast can be up to 40% of their daily calorie intake! If you’re concerned about your overweight dog just cutting this out of their diet will help with their weight massively.

The next time you’re enjoying a stroll down the seaside or you’re out and about with your dog don’t give in so easily to the smell from the hot dog stand. Surprisingly, hot dogs can be up to 80% of a small dog’s daily calorie intake. Yep, just one hot dog can almost be their entire daily calories worth. Obviously, this isn’t the case with larger dogs but that doesn’t mean these treats won’t cause weight gain in larger dogs.

Did any of these treats shock you? We know most people love treating their dogs to these treats, but we see it as our place to give you this information to help you make an informed decision. Remember, it’s all about moderation. Feeding your dog these treats won’t necessarily harm your dog but overfeeding them with these treats can lead to serious weight problems.

If you have any concerns, pop in store or get in contact with us. We’re here to help!