Just imagine spending a colossal amount of cash on getting the best pet food for your dog, but they just won't have it?
What might be the problem, or is there even a problem?
If you have been on the brink wondering why my dog won't eat dog food, only human food, well, then this will help you. Read on and find out exactly why this is the case and how you can solve the issue.
But before we dig a little deeper, let's find out why dogs love having human food.
Reasons Why Dogs Eat Human Food
Human food is readily available
For most households, there tends to be a bit of leftover that most times get disposed of. But for a home with a dog, this becomes the automatic dog food since it’s already available.
For one, it requires no extra time making and helps you eliminate the supposed trash you would have gotten rid of. It’s economical, time-saving, and, most importantly, readily available.
Dogs love enjoying what their owners enjoy
Dogs are predisposed to love what their owners love. This is why they enjoy the activities you do, and the same reflects on food too. When they see you marvel over a dish, they also want a piece of it.
That is why a dog lingers around as you eat and become ecstatic when you hand them a piece. And for the rest of that meal, your dog sticks around, hoping for another bite.
Dog food is expensive
Commercially bought dog food is very expensive for an average person. Even the smallest packages tend to be very costly, and they only last you a few days.
That said, most dog owners prefer to either cook for their dogs or hand them the human scrapes from their meals.
Should you Feed Dogs Human Food? Scraps
If you think of a way of sorting out the problem that my dog won't eat dog food, only human food, you must also be wondering if it is a healthy option to feed them human food in the first place.
And as worrying as it may seem, the depends on the kind of food you are talking about. Some foods are very nutritious and good for your dog, while others aren't.
Below is a guide on beneficial human food and those that you should avoid giving your dog.
Foods That Are Healthy For Your Dog
Bone Broth
Bone broth is very nutritious and has numerous health benefits too. For starters, it contains anti-inflammation, anti-allergen, and anti-autoimmune properties that boost the dog's immunity.
It also contains gelatin, which helps repair the mucus lining in the dog's digestive tract. The mucus lining fixes any leakages in the gut, preventing any toxins from leaking into the dog's bloodstream.
Bone broth also has minerals, electrolytes, and acids that help the liver to detox properly. Lastly, it also suitable for skin and bone health.
Raw goat milk
Raw goat milk is very nutritious for dogs as it contains fewer allergens than cow's milk. Thus it’s most preferred. It has a boatload of nutrients like vitamin A, D, K2, amino acids, and healthy fats.
The probiotics available are also very instrumental in healing the gut and aiding digestion. Your dog's immunity will significantly improve since it also has its fair share of electrolytes and minerals fit for this job.
Carrots
Dogs love chewing on objects, and carrots are a healthy option they can indulge in. they are perfect for coat and skin health since they offer the body a boatload of vitamin A.
One more notable benefit of carrots is that it helps clean the dog's teeth by removing the excess plaque that might have settled on the gums' base.
However, excess carrots consumption is a danger since vitamin A poisoning is fatal to dogs.
Organ meats and glands
In the class of meats, these two are the best since they contain the bulk of nutrients. These are the brain, kidneys, heart, and liver meats. These parts are rich in riboflavin, zinc, iron, and vitamins.
For instance, the brain is the perfect source of omega 3, selenium, zinc, and vitamin B12. And the adrenal glands offers your dog a fair amount of Vitamin C. These organ meats are blood builders.
Foods That Are Unhealthy For Dogs
Avocados
Avocados contain a toxin called persin, which is significantly harmful to dogs. It is particularly problematic to the dog's lungs and chest, causing an accumulation of fluids that make breathing a task. This can turn into a fatal eventuality of your dog dying. All parts of the avocado cause this.
Chocolate
Chocolate is an aphrodisiac, and dogs know this too. The very instance you open a new packet, your dog will come running to you, but you should never hand them a piece at all.
Chocolate constitutes chemicals that the dog's digestive tract finds hard to process. This then causes diarrhea, stomach upsets, and vomiting. It leads to your dog becoming dehydrated.
Your dog ingesting chocolate may lead to seizers, heart attacks, internal bleeding, and death. All kinds of chocolates are no for your dog. As a matter of fact, the darker the bar, the more fatal the reaction due to cocoa concentration in the chocolate.
Grapes and raisins
These two foods that are harmless to humans are hazardous when fed to dogs and can lead to kidney failure even in small amounts.
When a dog ingests either a grape or raisin, they may experience diarrhea, vomit, or look extremely tired. They also drink lots of water and pee very little, a sign that the kidneys are failing.
Onions and garlic
Almost all human foods are made of the two condiments, which are harmful to dogs. Onions constituents result in your dog getting anemia, which manifests as extreme fatigue.
Garlic is more harmful as compared to onions. A dog becomes anemic a short while after eating garlic, and their urine turns dark red.
If your dog ingests, either or both may result in the dog needing a blood transfusion or, worse off-die.
Why Dogs Get Used To the Human Food You're Giving Them
The first reason dogs get used to human food is because they are exposed to most of the time.
Every time their owner is eating, be it eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the dog is always around. Even when it is caged, the scents of the foods get to them regardless.
Secondly, dogs get acquainted with human food because we hand it to them. The little bits we throw under the table make then accustomed to getting it from us. That said, they always know that you will share your food with them whenever you eat, and they get used to this.
Dogs keep eating human food because they can digest it and even benefit from these same foods' nutritional value. If they could not stomach human foods, they would never be interested since it is not their food choice.
As history suggests, dogs evolved from wild wolves and started hanging around villages with human settlements. Here they used to salvage the remains and eat them all to their fill.
In time, humans noticed them and knowingly started feeding them. From that early interaction, dogs became more and more accustomed to human food and kept eating up to this date.
Dog Food Is A Much Better and Balanced Diet For Dogs
Indeed some might argue that dog food is balanced, and this is true. This is because dog food is specially formulated to cater to all the dog's nutritional needs.
Since they need more proteins than carbs and loads of fiber, dog food is well balanced.
A dog owner who has little or no time to feed their dog a balanced diet is better off using pre-mixed dog food as the main diet for their dogs. This ensures that they grow as they should, and they stay healthy all this while.
The issue my dog won't eat dog food, only human food, depends on the owners' preferences.
If you provide your dog a balanced human food diet, well and good, but if you hand them the scrapes which may contain some of the poisonous foods above, then commercial dog food is the best.
Dan is a well respected content researcher who has vast experience working projects in the pets niche. He is a frequent contributor to dogtemperament.com and loves delivering numerous helpful dog articles like this one that are read by thousands of our readers monthly.