The Dog Chef Diaries
Stories, fresh ideas and practical tips to help you and your dog enjoy a healthier, happier life together.
Common Myths: Dogs Should Not Eat Human Food
Human food is said to refer to “substances that are safe and fit for human consumption, providing the energy and nutrients necessary for survival such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals.”
Given the fact that “human food” is what cemented our relationship with ancient dogs, and given the fact that dogs have now been eating “human food” for something like 35,000 years, why do detractors continue to use the term?
Human food vs animal feed
Historically, the phrase “human food” was rarely used because “food” inherently implied human sustenance. Today, it serves as a strict point of contrast against animal feed, processed pet diets and artificial ingredients.
The question is, does the average pet parent think about that when the detractors of feeding dogs fresh, species appropriate food, use the term “human food” in a negative way, effectively saying that fresh food is not suitable for dogs but a “processed pet diet” made with “artificial ingredients”, is?
I know which I would and do choose. Given the choice between feeding my dogs “human food” and “a processed pet diet made with artificial ingredients”, I’m going with “human food” every time!
Table scraps & human leftovers
For most of human history, domesticated dogs ate table scraps — the leftovers of “human food.” The same food we humans were eating, but food that was either not to our taste or that was surplus to our requirements.
One way or the other, dogs largely ate the same food as their significant human others — the very thing that made living with human beings such an attractive proposition all those thousands of years ago. The very thing that detractors of feeding dogs fresh food are today saying you should not feed to your dog, preferring instead that you feed your best friend a processed diet made with synthetic ingredients.
Imagine how you would feel if your GP told you not to feed yourself or your children fresh food but instead to feed a processed diet made with synthetic ingredients? How would you react? I know what I would do. I would find myself another GP!
Food is food
Whether you are talking about human beings or dogs, we all need the same six macronutrients — carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. For many thousands of years, each species got those macronutrients from the same source. Fresh food.
When you feed your dog, you have a choice. You can feed it real food (human food), or you can feed it animal feed — “any food or nutritional material specifically given to domestic animals and livestock (such as cattle, pigs, sheep, and poultry) during animal husbandry.”
Me? I’m choosing the human food every time!
The Dog Chef Guide to Homemade Dog Food
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Nature knows best
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