Offering the foods we eat to our dog can be a mix-bag of good and bad decisions. Some foods we eat are toxic and could be deadly when fed to our dog because we process food differently.
In this article, I have done my research and found 30 foods humans can share with their dogs, so, let’s get right into it.
1. Plain Peanut / Peanut Butter
Peanuts and peanut butter are safe to feed your dog as long as they are plain and unsalted.
They should be offered in small quantities though, this is because peanuts are high in fat and could lead to weight gain and pancreatitis.
2. Shrimp
Feeding cooked or plain shrimp to your dog can be beneficial because of its rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Avoid feeding your dog shrimps with their shells still on, as this might result in choking. Raw shrimp is also dangerous to your dog because it may contain harmful bacteria.
3. Celery
Celery is safe to feed your dogs, chopped into smaller pieces to make it easier for your dog to consume. It should also be offered in small quantities.
Celery is a great and healthy snack for your dog to consume because of its wealth of vitamins and minerals.
4. Potatoes
Cooked, plain potatoes are safe for your dogs, but they should be offered in small quantities due to its high carbohydrate content that could lead to weight gain.
Raw potatoes are toxic for dogs when ingested because they contain solanine compound.
5. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are safe for dogs but only feed your dogs mushrooms bought in stores like the portobello mushroom. Offer it to them plain without the addition of spices and herbs.
It is important to remember that wild mushrooms should never be fed to dogs because they are toxic and could lead to mushroom poisoning.
6. Oranges
Oranges are safe for dogs to consume. They are low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals
It has been reported that when consumed in large quantities, oranges can cause stomach upset and as such, they should be offered to dogs in small quantities.
7. Strawberry
Strawberries are safe for dogs to eat. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Cut them in small, bite-sized pieces to avoid choking hazards and offer them to your dog in small quantities.
8. Banana
Bananas are safe for dogs to eat. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibers.
It is advisable to feed your dog in small quantities because banana is high in carbs and a large portion of its calories comes from sugar that could lead to diabetes in dogs
9. Beef
Beef is safe for dogs to consume. This should come as no surprise because most of the dog food being sold comprises of beef.
Beef is rich in protein and nutrients and low in carbs, as such, they are healthy for dogs to eat.
It is important to feed your dog, plain, lean, unspiced, unseasoned and unsalted beef. This is because its contents could be dangerous to dogs when consumed.
10. Rice
White and brown rice is good for dogs to consume. They are great to soothe an upset tummy of a dog.
11. Turkey
Turkey is great for dogs. They should be fed plain, unspiced, unseasoned and unsalted without the skin and bone.
Do not feed stuffed turkey to your dog during thanksgiving. Watch out for onion and garlic as they could be fatal to your dog.
12. Mango
Mangoes are safe for dogs to consume. They are high in several vitamins and minerals but should be fed to dogs as a snack just on some occasion.
They should be offered with the outer skin peeled off because when consumed with the peel on, it could result in a choking hazard. Also, dogs cannot digest the peel of mangoes
13. Pork
Cooked, unseasoned and unsalted pork is safe for dogs to eat as they are rich in proteins and fat while being low in carbs.
Uncooked pork should never be fed to dogs because they stand the risk of being sick from a bacterial infection.
Processed variants of pork such as bacon and ham should not be fed to dogs as they contain salt and other spices that can be fatal to dogs
14. Coconut
Coconut is safe for dogs to consume. They are high in fat and calories and as such should be fed to dogs in moderation as they could lead to obesity.
15. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes are safe for dogs to eat. They are healthy and easy for dogs to digest and contain a load Vitamin A.
It’s important to offer them in moderation because excessive Vitamin A has been found to cause muscle and bone problems in dogs
16. Chicken
Chicken is safe for dogs to eat when cooked.
Rich in protein, chicken is great for a dog’s growth. That is why they are one of the major content in most commercially sold dog food.
Feeding raw chicken meat to your dog can cause a Salmonella infection.
Cooked chicken bone is bad for your dog and shouldn’t be given to them. With that being said, you should always take out the bone before offering it to your dog.
See what you need to do if your dog eats chicken bone HERE.
17. Broccoli
Dogs can eat broccoli, both in raw and cooked forms. They are healthy and nutritious for dogs.
It should be offered to dogs in small quantities because they may irritate your dog’s digestive system if eaten in large quantities. This is due to the isothiocyanates compounds found in broccoli.
18. Apples
Apples are healthy and safe for dogs to eat. They are rich in nutrients and fiber that is beneficial to the health of a dog.
It is important for apples to be cut into bite-sizes before being fed to dogs, this is to prevent choking hazards. Also, the seeds found in Apples should also be removed because they contain cyanide that could be deadly in large quantities.
19. Oatmeal
Rich in fiber and vitamins, oatmeal is safe and healthy for dogs to eat.
Oatmeal should be fed to your dog in moderation because it could lead to weight gain.
Also, oatmeal should be offered plain and unseasoned because most ingredients we use in preparing our oatmeal, such as salt, can be harmful to dogs.
20. Green Peas
Green peas are great and safe for dogs consumption. They are high in nutrients and low on calories
Only feed your dog frozen or fresh peas and never canned peas because most canned peas are salted and like we know by now, salt isn’t safe for our dogs to consume.
21. Corn
Corn is safe for dogs to consume in moderate amount. They are a great source of vitamins and minerals.
Corn can be found in some of the dog food being sold commercially. However, they should never be offered with the cob, because it could lead to a choking hazard or cause a blockage if ingested.
22. Blackberries
Blackberries are safe for dogs to eat. Rich in vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and fibers, they make for a great and healthy snack.
23. Bread
It is safe for dogs to eat bread occasionally. It must be plain white or whole-grain though because bread with raisins in it, for example, can be harmful to dogs.
24. Carrots
Carrots are safe for dogs to eat, cooked or raw. They should be chopped into bite-size pieces to prevent choking hazards.
Carrots are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are also low in calories, making them great and healthy snacks for dogs to eat.
25. Watermelon
Watermelon is safe and healthy for dogs to consume. They are loaded with nutrients, such as vitamin A and vitamin C.
It is important to remove the hard-outer cover and seeds of the watermelon before you feed them to your dog. The hard-outer cover or rind, if not removed, could pose a choking hazard to your dog.
26. Pineapple
Pineapples are safe for dogs to consume in moderate amounts. Pineapples are densely packed with nutrients that could be beneficial to your dog.
27. Popcorn
Plain, air-popped popcorn, free of extra ingredients such as salt, butter and some oil that could lead to complications such as pancreatitis in dogs if over-consumed, are safe to offer to dogs.
28. Blueberries
Blueberries are safe and healthy for dogs to eat. They make an excellent and healthy treat for dogs because they are low in calories and rich in antioxidants and nutrients.
29. Salmon
Rich in omega-3 fatty acids which reduces inflammation, salmons are safe and healthy for dogs to eat, as long as they are deboned and cooked.
It is advised to never feed your dog raw salmon as they are known to contain a parasite known to cause salmon poisoning disease, which can be deadly to dogs.
30. Egg
Eggs are safe and healthy for dogs as long as they are cooked. They contain nutrients and protein that are beneficial to a dog’s health.
Raw eggs are not yet known to be fatal to dogs but a bacteria, such as Salmonella, can spread from the dog to its human owners, this increases their risk of infection.
In conclusion, it is important to understand what we feed to our dogs can be either a boost to their healthy growth or a deterrent.
We might get tempted to give treats to our dogs when we are having our meals but it is important to educate ourselves on what we can and can’t offer to them regardless of how much they beg.
