Okay to feed table scraps?
 

Hi everyone! I'm so glad I found this forum :)

I tried searching old threads for this and couldn't find anything - I was wondering if it's okay to feed table scraps to your yorkie.

My vet has said not to, but my puppy doesn't seem to like his dog food. I bought him when he was 7 months old and his previous owners had been feeding him table scraps. I had been buying baked chicken from the deli and taking it all off the bone (of course) and giving him that. Is it really bad to do? Does anyone do this?

I've since stopped feeding him human food, but it's difficult sometimes since my family and friends seem to think I'm being "cruel" by doing this.

Anyone have an opinion on this subject? (I know already what foods yorkies shouldn't ever eat, btw) Thanks!

Welcome! I do not give mine any table foods. I learned the hard way with them getting sick off of people food and ending up in the er. It's so hard to resist their little begging faces but it saves them illness and you money. I would feed him one of the premium dog foods. A lot of the pet stores have sample bags to try and find one he will eat.

Thanks Patti! What kind of dog food does your yorkie eat? I have been feeding mine Purina One Puppy Chow - guess it's time to shop around, thanks for the tip, I didn't know about the sample sizes!

I don't get it. We hear that it is bad to feed table scraps to your dog and they should only make up 10% of a dogs diet, but yet so many people are home-cooking for their dogs with great success and table scraps are what one would find in a home cooked meal for a dog..

I do not feed Taz table scraps, but like Melcakes said I do prepare home cooked meals for him. Examples: boiled chicken breast, and fresh fruit and veggies. I do not cook for him daily, he will get a serving of dry or wet dog food. I doubt I helped...But you will eventually find something healthy that your dog will enjoy! Theres plenty of great info here. :)

There is a big difference between table scraps and a home cooked meal for a dog. Those that home cook have to be careful to provide a nutritious, well balanced meal for their pooch. Essentially, they are cooking for the dog not the human. The difference is who the meal is tailored for and what the food contains.

Table scraps on the other hand are whatever is left over from a human's meal. A lot of what we put on human food could be dangerous to a pup. For example, dogs can not eat onion, it is bad for them. My parents made soup with lots of veggies. They know Kaji loves carrots, so they picked out carrot pieces from their soup and gave them to him. A few hours later, Kaji wouldn't stop throwing up. The carrot pieces had blended with all the other stuff in the pot, including onion. It made him really sick, and I had to put him on a bland diet for a few days.

Here's a list of foods that dogs can't have:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...oods-dogs.html

If you want to home cook for your dog, I would recommend you consult a canine dietitian to make sure you're feeding your pup everything he/she needs.

table food and yorkies
 

I had a yorkie that lived to 19 yrs old and he lived off of canned and dry dog food with table food but NO fat. I would feed him no spicy, no fat, just meat veggies, fruit ect. Now I have 4 new babies that I do the same thing with. I boil chicken, or give them table scrapes in small amounts. I took my two( first )girls in to see the vet on a visit one day, and she also is a breeder of yorkies, she said what do you feed them? I said can and dry food. The dry is down all the time. When we have dinner I will give some bites of our food but hand feed them by saying each ones name with each bite. I hand out bites to them because my small girls don't get much if I just put it on plates. Well The doctor said to me they did studies and yorkies do not get heart disease. I said I had never heard that before. She said yorkies can eat total table food just no fat or spicy foods. I went home called Univ. of Del. cardiology for animals, to ask them if that was true and they said it is true.They said you can feed table food to them in small amount but again no fat. It works for me but I try not to give them to many different things because when they have something new they tend to get the runs.

Feeding table scraps can make your dog ill and lead to pancreatitis. If your dog is being picky and not eating, you can add a dash of parmesian cheese to his food. Also, yorkies are notoriously picky, so sometimes it is a matter of finding the right dog food.
Good luck!

I feed Jackson stuff I'm eating but not everything, usually just chicken, meat, cheerios, cheese, etc... I don't give him like a ton of like cheetos, fritos, potato chips (which he won't eat anyways), or anything like that. I don't think a few here and there hurt. It's different if you're feeding them crap every single day and every single meal.

Sometimes we go to lunch with a friend at a noodles place and I always let Jackson have 1 or 2 mac&cheese noodles w/ me. He's never had a sensitive stomach though AND he will still eat his dog food (Acana Grasslands) in the AM and PM. Of course this can make a beggar out of your dog (Jackson is a beggar for sure).

No real table scraps here. I do give Pistol raw carrots on occasion ,and he loves dehydrated sweet potatoes as a treat now and then.

Hmmm. I personally don't see a big difference between table scraps and home cooked. I guess there's a difference if one gives their dog "bad" table scraps and just pieces of scraps here and there as well as things not meant for them, but I think there is also such a thing as "good" table scraps. IMO it really depends on what one considers table scraps. Basically table scraps are what's left over on a humans plate, no? Am I wrong here? So, lets say for example one has for dinner boiled chicken, green beens, and a sweet potato and then gives the left overs of that to their dog, it's basically IMO like a home cooked meal, no? Or for example you give your dog some of your hard boiled egg in the morning and maybe a few pieces of steak. Is that so bad? It's actually what people give when they do home cook for their dogs (from my readings of what people cook for their dogs), so what's the difference? I don't home-cook though because I am very concerned about a meal being balanced for a dog and think it's a TON of work along with proper supplementation, and like you consider I also agree that anyone who does homecook for their dog consult a board certified nutrionist. I do give my Zoey a few "good" table scraps here and there since she is such a picky eater and I don't think it's a bad thing at all. Isn't really a matter of knowing what is good for a dog and what's not. I'm not saying to just feed your dog table scraps only, but I think table scraps are not as bad as what people make them out to be as long as "good" food is given. Interesting though about your carrot story above.

I agree with your posts totally. A few pieces and scraps of good human food here and there IMO is perfectly OKAY to give - like chicken, meat, cheerios, cheese and what you mentioned above. However, it does make some dogs beggars ( I think particularly yorkies :), which is annoying. I don't give Zoey any "junk" or "dangerous" dog food though - duh! My mom is a human doctor and very healthy and a work-out freak. Anyways I caught her given Zoey when we went to go visit my parents - potato chips and I freaked out! My mother looked at me and rolled her eyes and said if you think a potato chip is going to kill her you need your head examined Melissa! That's not to say she fed our dog growing up junk food or gave our dog dangerous foods not meant for dogs, and or only feeds dogs junk stuff and gives it to them all the time, but she did once in a blue moon give our German Shepard growing up some stuff I would never give to Zoey and our German Shepard lived to be over 20 years old, which is very very rare of a large breed dog! IMO it all depends on what is given and how much or how often.

I know you shouldnt but we do. My Husbands onh a diet so most of his is non fatty food and hes the one that gives them leftovers of his food. We also buy little cups of vanilla ice cream and split it in two for them. I tried the frosty paws dog ice cream and they wont eat it I had to throw it out

Sasha has a pretty strong stomach so switching things up here and there doesn't hurt her at all... When it comes to table scraps I always make sure I cook according to what she can eat. When I make stew or soup I always make sure i take out her share before onions get added. She ends up with meat, sweet potato, peas, carrot, potato, green beans, rice, etc... it's all stuff that is in her dry food. Cooking chicken or beef? A little gets left behind before seasoning happens so that she can enjoy too... It's done on very rare occasions though.

I also let Jackson lick the bowl of my vanilla ice cream, lol. He loves it. Our family has always shared our food with our dogs so whether it's good or not... we've never had any issues with it. And like I said, it's not like I'm throwing him a bunch of MickeyD's french fries every day, or Cheese Curls, or anything like that. I make sure it's in small proportions and nothing that will hurt him. I think it's just like people... even people on a diet splurge sometimes and eat a few chips. It's all about proportion! ;) If I'm eating scrambled eggs in the morning, I'm always sure to save a bit for Jackson to eat. If we eat chicken for dinner, we save a bit for the dogs. If I go out to eat and get steak or chicken, I always save a bit to bring home for the dog!

Mine just love the ice cream we even give our cats a bite full of ice cream. We started it because we got them one from the soft serve ice cream truck and then after that every time they hear the ice cream truck music they would bark and whine for an ice cream. So we started buying those ice cream cups you can get in the store to save money. Now when the ice cream truck comes down the street both yorkies and both cats wait for their ice cream. I dont think people food is bad in moderation and as pet owners we all know what our dogs can eat and not bother them and what they cant. If mine had any kind of digestive problems I would stop but they are going on 6 and havent had any so far

I guess in theory, you're right. If I were to eat bland boiled chicken breast, and green beans, and bland white rice Kaji could share my entire plate. The truth is, I don't eat like that. My chicken has spices, and herbs on it. I'm sure most of that would upset Kaji's stomach. I like other cuts of the chicken better than the breasts. My rice is made with chicken bouillon, onion, and tomato. I'm sure some of that would make Kaji super sick. I do share my lettuce with him. He loves the white crunchy part of the lettuce. I do agree with you about good and bad table scraps. Most of mine are bad.

I am guilty of buying ice cream for him. He doesn't get a lot but boy does he love it!

I guess it's all in the definition. To me, table scraps are salted and peppered, full of margarine, fatty with plenty of milk and onions. Homecooking is way different, but I suppose it's all in what the owner is eating... And some "table scraps" won't hurt once in awhile, but to say they are okay could potentially cause danger, so it's not something I could recommend. Sure, some potato or salty chicken shouldn't do any harm, but then there are all the fried foods, etc. so I just don't like to use the term...

Ellie used to love Cheez-Its and ice cream along with a long list of things she should have never had (fatty meat, etc.). She can't have any of it now. If she could, I would be willing to do a Cheez-It now and she could lick the ice cream carton. But if I had to do it over again, there are still things she wouldn't get any of (purposely anyway) like fried meat, potato chips, etc. If it seems greasy to me, then I'm not comfortable with it. And most dogs do just fine with ice cream now and then. I just think it's important to remember that technically the serving size for an adult is 1/2 cup. So for a little Yorkie, it would be like one small bite... I think it's all in what you feel comfortable doing.

BTW, Frosty Paws made Ellie throw up several times and she did much better with people ice cream. lol.

You made my point better than I did. :)

Yes, I think it is how one defines "table scraps". For me I think of table scraps as "left-overs" not necessarily just things full of margarine, salt, pepper, seasoning, and fat. I personally consider table scraps my home-cooked leftovers and most of the stuff I eat is similar to home-cooked food you'd find people feeding and preparing for their dogs as well (boiled chicken, veggies, potatoes, turkey, fish - etc.). I guess everyone has there different views of what table scraps are. I eat very healthy though so most of my table scraps are non-salted, low in fat and/or lack seasoning and kind of "boring" I guess. ;) I think not feeding table scraps is not recommended because of the way most of our society eats today and all the bad, fatty high salt food that our society fills their bodies with.

I would define "table scraps" as leftover from your plate and that I would not feed a yorkie. Spices, unhealthy fat, fried food and ketchup is not for a dog. I can see the difference between giving them "table scraps" on a daily base and a little piece now and then though. However, I would not risk it and btw as someone else already said you don't want your pup to turn into a beggar.
Carrots, bland cooked chicken, plain rice and the occasional ice cream treat are okay I guess.

I would advise you not to.
My older dog who is a cross breed used to get fed table scraps and now she always begs for food every time someone is eating and will cry and jump on you.
You DONT want this I can tell you.
I now have a pup and we have learned from our mistakes and wont be feeding this one table scraps.

I think it depends on the dog and how one feeds the table scraps. I know dogs that are given healthy table scraps/left-overs and they are well behaved and not beggars. I have a friend that had a Golden Retriever and would occasionally give him table scraps (turkey, chicken, a piece of meat) and he NEVER begged for it and was very well behaved and never bothered anyone when they were eating. I think when dogs are fed from one's plate or hand then they are more prone to being beggars and will jump up on one when eating.

Not something I would do or feel comfortable with, but table scraps such as those so called 'bad ones" made up of fat, cartilage and bone with some meat left on, which you trim off steaks and other food you prepare for yourself, are actually given and become part of raw diets given by raw dog feeders and these "prey model feeders" are keen believes that it's important to include these scraps as part of a real raw diet....

Since the cave man's time, man has fed his dog with his own food "garbage" believe it or not..now today many are considering kibble this new "garbage"....

No table food for Rosie
 

Take it from me don't feed table scraps that are harmful to your baby. Yes, i believe the scraps can lead to serious problems. My husband used to feed Rosie scraps all the time. He would give her anything he was eating. She became very ill and ended up at the vet. She was so sick with vomiting and diarrhea. He had to run all kinds of test on her and it cost me a lot of money. Now she has a very sensitive stomach and has to eat prescription food. The vet says he can not prove it was from the table food but he really feels that was what caused our problems. My husband was bad about feeding her bacon, hot dogs, etc even though I kept telling him not to. All the really bad stuff that a dog should not get. So there is no table scraps allowed for my girl any longer. I am not saying it is right or wrong I am just saying we had a very bad experience from it. Here is a picture of what my baby went through.
Attachment 321481

Quick question:)

We just finished dinner and the Yorkies were so good - Lil Bit was always jumping up at the table when we ate and Beamer started picking up the bad habit from her - tonight they didn't jump up, I had started saying"No" and "Down" in a "cross" voice when they did it, so I think I have now cured them of that bad habit.
So, as they were good tonight I suggested to my husband that we let them have a little ice cream - never given them ice cream before as I didn't know it was OK.
But how much can I safely give them? A tablespoon each? Would that be enough or too much? Beamer is 5 lbs and Lil Bit is around 8 lbs:aimeeyork:aimeeyork

A tablespoon is fine! I would give tiny tastes to prolong the experience. :p

Side note:
I have Kaji lie down and wait by the kitchen table. If he's really good, he gets a treat. If he gets up and beg, he gets nothing. I can't wait to move out. My mom is the worst instigator. I tell Kaji to go back to the carpet, and my mom whines and complains how mean I am to my furbaby. My mom uses a lot of chemicals (heavy duty cleaners) in the kitchen, and will feed him no-no foods if I allowed him in there. I do it for his safety but she doesn't seem to understand.

Thank you so much for the fast response:)

Beamer and Lil Bit thank you too:animal36:animal36

They enjoyed the ice cream (they didn't think a tablespoon was enough though - but I didn't give them more than that).

I'll use ice cream for special treats for them:D

If I'm preparing dinner, before I put any spices or anything on the meat I always give my babies a few pieces of raw meat. They get veggies, fruits, cheese or vanilla icecream too sometimes.

[QUOTE=DvlshAngel985;3194685]There is a big difference between table scraps and a home cooked meal for a dog. Those that home cook have to be careful to provide a nutritious, well balanced meal for their pooch. Essentially, they are cooking for the dog not the human. The difference is who the meal is tailored for and what the food contains.

Table scraps on the other hand are whatever is left over from a human's meal. A lot of what we put on human food could be dangerous to a pup. For example, dogs can not eat onion, it is bad for them. My parents made soup with lots of veggies. They know Kaji loves carrots, so they picked out carrot pieces from their soup and gave them to him. A few hours later, Kaji wouldn't stop throwing up. The carrot pieces had blended with all the other stuff in the pot, including onion. It made him really sick, and I had to put him on a bland diet for a few days.

:thumbup:Excellent post. Many of us feed home-prepared meals everyday for our pups. My constant is high quality complete proteins from meat. Canines digestive tracts are different than humans and require meat proteins for healthy digestion as well as for overall body health. Meat fat, grizzle, and scraps of that nature are not "good-eats" for our pups, and may induce unwanted organ disruptions like pancreatitis.