From Table Food to Dog Food

We, people, eat to live. We have been fortunate to have been able to enjoy food of different varieties. We enjoy the various tastes that are afforded by our taste buds, which can be more than 8,000 in number. Once we have tried the different tastes, at times we start to look or crave for the food we like, in the hope of reliving that pleasant sensation of its taste.

It’s the same with dogs fed with table food. Once they get to experience the taste of human food, they start to look for it. If you have been given delicious food like fried chicken, most likely you would not crave for dried fish, as the former is more delicious than the latter. Likewise, dogs would tend to prefer the more delicious human food over dog food. Hence, it would be usually difficult to revert a dog to a dry dog food diet if it has been fed with table food.

I would highly recommend dog food rather than table food for dogs. Dog food is believed to be balanced, and its contents are indicated on the label. Therefore, it is easier to pinpoint ingredients that may cause allergy to your pets.

Puppies must be fed with the more nutritious high protein dog food as they would require more nutrition for growth and development. Puppies would start to eat solid food at around one month of age. The dog at six to eight months would be near its full size. Thus, some would mix puppy and adult food at this age. Technically, dogs are usually considered adults when they reach one year.

The older or the longer the dogs are fed with table food, the more difficult it is to have them return to dog food diet. In most cases, shifting to dog food is done gradually to lessen stress to the dogs. Some dogs will go off feed and get sick when their owner suddenly shifts their diet to dog food. This “shifting” can take four weeks, with gradual incorporation of the dog food with the table food until reaching the pure dog food diet. Some dogs will experience diarrhea, and must be well monitored to avoid unnecessary dehydration.

I received a concern from a reader that his dog developed rashes and became restless when the diet was shifted from table food to a lamb-and-rice dog food. It appears that the dog has some form of allergy, and that its condition made it restless (just imagine the generalized itch).

However, it is difficult to say if it is really the dog food that causes the allergy. Lamb-and-rice dog food is among the diets that is lesser known to cause allergies in dogs, and is even recommended for some dogs with hypersensitive skin. It does not mean, though, that it may not contain some components that can cause allergies.

Before you associate the problem to the dog food, you must first ascertain that there were no other probable exposures to other allergens (including soap, shampoos, other chemicals at home, dog treats, other foods, or medications), or any other underlying conditions. One must ensure that the dog will be restricted to access or contact with the probable allergen. Allergy is then managed with some skin or oral medications. If you cannot be sure of the cause, I would highly advise a consultation with a veterinarian. It may or may not be the dog food. If it is caused by the dog food, you might be advised to shift your dog’s diet to a prescription diet. If it is otherwise, some tests may be performed to arrive at a diagnosis.