# Would would love your advice on "people" food for puppy.



## Sharandsons (Jan 26, 2011)

My 6mo old pups main diet is kibble. I finally found one I like and feel comfortable with. I do, however, want to start adding some things to her diet, with her kibble still being her main source of nutrition. Here are some things I would like as add ins, because I heard they where healthy and they are in my budget. Please tell me your thoughts, along with other add ins I can use that are affordable. By affordable, think 2 dogs, 4 kids, one income lol. 
1. I heard chicken livers are good for them, I can get a big bucket for cheap... how many to feed, and can I feed daily, or is this a once in a while treat? I only ask because I know people can get gout from eating liver everyday, don't know about dogs though...
2. Eggs. Here's a couple questions I have with eggs... I heard the shells are good for them, but I don't do raw diets. I would like too, but I had ecoli and almost died when I was 16, so I have personal issues with uncooked foods. I know dogs are made for that, but It's just a thing I have and I accept it, that being said- can dogs eat COOKED egg shells, or are they like bones, where they become too hard when cooked? Also, people are recommended to only eat four egg yolks a week, are there restrictions with dogs are well?
3. Ground Turkey meat. I can get rolls of ground turkey meet for under two dollars a pound. It's not as glamorous as red meat, but I thought it would be nice to include some fresh meat in her diet. How much, how often?
4. Trout, Sunfish. We picnic and camp a lot, and we often will catch trout and grill it, we never eat the sunfish but we catch a lot. I am thinking this is a free fresh meat source for her, and it would be a nice treat to throw one on the grill for her as well. I am assuming that since its fresh water, there are no mercury toxins?
5 Deer. Again, at certain times a year, a free meat resource. 
6. Cottage cheese?
7.Olive oil?
8. Vegetables: Are these a filler or are there must have veggies you like to include in your dogs diet? 
Note: My intention is to just add some healthy foods in there because, a. why not, and b. if I had to eat the same boring thing everyday I would go crazy! I am not worried about her lacking anything cause her dog food is great, and I am not worried about weight gain, I know whats healthy and whats not, what I am worried about is things I don't know to much about, like to much calcium or certain minerals and things like that. As always, thank you guys for being there, I love that I have a go to place filled with lots of awesome experiences gsd owners! (one more thing, she does get those big ol' raw butcher bones, I caved on that because they where so highly recommended and they where awesome teething helpers!) Okay, I hope I gave you guys enough to go on, and I look forward to your feedback!


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## dazedtrucker (May 2, 2011)

Have you looked into going raw? You are all motivated and have resources "_ why not?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i add all sorts of human food to my dogs kibble
and can food.

i add: 
raw ground beef, cooked boneless and skinless
chicken breast, fresh fish (cooked), canned fish in water
no salt added, raw egg (grounded shell), organic yogurt,
millet, rice, quinoa, pears, apples, salmon oil (cold pressed,
extra virgin), flax seed oil, flax meal, table scraps. sometimes
i take chicken liver and put it in the blender with water.
once it's blended i pour the mix into the ice tray. i
give my dog the ice cubed liver treat ( one cube here and there).


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## SchDDR (Dec 29, 2010)

Sharandsons said:


> 1. I heard chicken livers are good for them, I can get a big bucket for cheap... how many to feed, and can I feed daily, or is this a once in a while treat? I only ask because I know people can get gout from eating liver everyday, don't know about dogs though...


Gout can occur in dogs, and is slightly more common in German Shepherds than most other breeds [Dalmatians are most susceptible, due to a genetic uric acid disorder in the breed]. 

If you aren't feeding a raw diet, I would recommend that any raw food be left to an occasional treat. There are concerns about habitual mixing of raw and kibble. Additionally, too much organ meat can cause diarrhea in dogs.



> 2. Eggs. Here's a couple questions I have with eggs... I heard the shells are good for them, but I don't do raw diets. I would like too, but I had ecoli and almost died when I was 16, so I have personal issues with uncooked foods. I know dogs are made for that, but It's just a thing I have and I accept it, that being said- can dogs eat COOKED egg shells, or are they like bones, where they become too hard when cooked? Also, people are recommended to only eat four egg yolks a week, are there restrictions with dogs are well?


Here again, too many eggs can cause diarrhea in dogs. The occasional treat of egg [cooked or raw] is nice. If it's just a treat, and not a major part of the diet, there aren't any real concerns about just discarding the shell. You would only need to be concerned about feeding the shell along with the egg if you were feeding eggs routinely, as a part of the diet rather than a treat, and needed to insure a correct calcium/phosphorus ratio.



> 3. Ground Turkey meat. I can get rolls of ground turkey meet for under two dollars a pound. It's not as glamorous as red meat, but I thought it would be nice to include some fresh meat in her diet. How much, how often?


Again, concerns about mixing raw and kibble.



> 4. Trout, Sunfish. We picnic and camp a lot, and we often will catch trout and grill it, we never eat the sunfish but we catch a lot. I am thinking this is a free fresh meat source for her, and it would be a nice treat to throw one on the grill for her as well. I am assuming that since its fresh water, there are no mercury toxins?


Again, concerns about mixing raw and kibble. Additionally, you need to be wary of fishhooks that the fish has ingested. 


> 5 Deer. Again, at certain times a year, a free meat resource.


Again, concerns about mixing raw and kibble.


> 6. Cottage cheese?


Plain, unsweetened yogurt can be a good source of probiotics for dogs. Dairy in general is not a good addition to a canine diet, as it can cause diarrhea and gas.


> 7.Olive oil?


Why olive oil? Salmon oil would be a good daily supplement to any canine diet [and human, for that matter], for the DHA/EPA benefits. 


> 8. Vegetables: Are these a filler or are there must have veggies you like to include in your dogs diet?


Dogs can't really digest uncooked vegetables. Pulping or steaming is required to make them digestible. They can be a good addition in the diet of a dog that is overweight, by serving as filler without adding weight to the dog.
There's no need to feed veggies, but aside from causing gas, no real harm, either.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

1.I would not get a big bucket of chicken livers and randomly feed it. 
2. egg shells won't digest unless they are pulverized, they will go out the same way they came in. I do give raw eggs and now and then scrambled with cheese.
3. turkey is a fine supplement, but I would only feed it with a RMB and some OM. It is not a nutritious meal without the bone and organ to supplement it.
4. Unless the fish has been previously frozen, I would not give it, there are parasites that feed off the scales and other body parts of fish, and if you freeze it, will kill the parasites. Feeding cooked fish will deplete the nutritional value and make the bones a bit sharper to ingest, though cooked fish is ok if your dogs will eat it.
5. Venison should be frozen to be safe of parasites. I fed a fresh deer heart a few years back and one of my dogs became ill. Not sure if the heart was the cause, but I will not do this again.
6.7.8...I don't give those, but do give plain organic yogurt, salmon oil(human grade gel caps) and give fresh(frozen) raw green tripe as my "veggies" for daily feeding. A heeping spoonful of tripe gives many benefits.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

1. I would not give a lot of liver. Once in a while a little liver will be fine. It can cause the runs if given too much.

2. No problem feeding eggs, cooked or raw. Do feed both the white and the yolk, especially if feeding raw. I wouldn't give the shell as there's just so much calcium in it that it will really throw off the calcium/phosphorous ratio in your diet.

3. Turkey is great - and it's a red meat unless you are specifically giving white meat only.

4. I would not give the fish due to potential toxins. There are warnings all the time to limit eating fish for people so I wouldn't give it to my dog. You can try sardines if you want to add fish.

5. Deer is great. Be careful to freeze it well or cook it first due to potential parasites.

6. I don't know why everyone wants to feed cottage cheese; it has a poor calcium/phosphorous ratio. If you need to give cheese, try ricotta. Be aware that some dogs can not eat anything dairy as it can cause diarrhea and/or gas.

7. Olive oil is good and has some good antioxidant properties. More does not make better though. Good in small doses.

8. Fruits and veggies are great too and are definitely not fillers. They provide phytonutrients, antioxidants, and potential anti-cancer properties. You do need to pretty much emulsify them first though; I juice them, recombine the pulp and juice, then freeze, before feeding.

I'm not a huge fan of adding extras to kibble purely for the main reason that a lot of dogs can become picky eaters because of it. If you choose to do this, don't add more than 20% to the diet as that will throw off the nutrient levels in the kibble and you would need to start looking at having to balance your diet.

If you have hangups about feeding raw meat or eggs, no problem with cooking it first. It takes more effort, but that's up to you. Either way is fine and no problem with adding it in with your kibble occasionally or every day.

Go ahead and mix and match all of the above, except the fish, to your kibble in moderation. It has the potential to make a difference to the long term health of your dog.


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## Angela (Mar 22, 2011)

1 Liver should be fed in limited amounts, we don't give it more than 2x a week and it's only a small side dish to their raw meaty bones

2 I don't feed eggs generally, if one falls on the floor they eat it but that is about it. 

3 ground meat is fine for very young puppies but not the ideal meat source in general

4 fish is fine in limited amounts. I wouldn't go overboard though.

5 deer sure

6 cottage cheese, I don't feed dairy products to my dogs

7 We feed a prey model diet so we don't use added oils either, they get plenty of fats from their meaty bones.

8 other than an occasional treat because I'm eating veggies I don't feed them because as I said we follow a prey model diet. Now if they steal it out of the garden, it's fair game LOL.


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## dazedtrucker (May 2, 2011)

1 Glaring thing hit me reading this...throw an extra fish on the grill...and you being totally against raw food. NEVER FEED COOKED BONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANY COOKED BONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your dog could die!!!
And because you had Ecoli, all animals should eat cooked food? um.......Really??? They are biologically designed to handle these things, have you looked at whats in your kibble? Hope your feeding good quality kibble, cause if you ate what the cheap brands put in "DOG FOOD", you'd already be dead.
Not trying to be mean, but educate!!! Pets and children, etc...depend on their caregivers to know what's best for them. A dog would eat pounds of chocolate if you let them...although horribly toxic and would kill them


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## summerronk (Apr 13, 2011)

For the person who wrote concerns about mixing raw and kibble.... What is the literature on this? Can you include some links? The reason I ask is that both of my vets say that there is nothing wrong with mixing raw and kibble, and in fact they encourage it. My breeder thinks the same. 

So I am not disputing your statement, but I'd like to see the academic or medical literature on this so I can check it out for myself (since I mix).


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

summerronk said:


> For the person who wrote concerns about mixing raw and kibble.... What is the literature on this? Can you include some links? The reason I ask is that both of my vets say that there is nothing wrong with mixing raw and kibble, and in fact they encourage it. My breeder thinks the same.


I'd like to see it, too. The theory is kibble will slow the travel time through the gut and possibly allow absorbtion of bacteria and toxins in the raw meat. But I have never seen any actual studies on this.

I feed both raw and kibble to my dogs, but never at the same time.

To the OP... the one thing I wanted to mention is that trout carries a liver fluke that can make dogs very sick, so if you feed trout, cook it well first.


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## Pattycakes (Sep 8, 2010)

I feed my dog some veggies and add plain greek yogurt. Sometimes I do give her a some cooked ground beef (maybe a tablespoon) as a treat but really...nothing more than that.


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## neiltus (Mar 10, 2011)

summerronk said:


> For the person who wrote concerns about mixing raw and kibble.... What is the literature on this? Can you include some links? The reason I ask is that both of my vets say that there is nothing wrong with mixing raw and kibble, and in fact they encourage it. My breeder thinks the same.
> 
> So I am not disputing your statement, but I'd like to see the academic or medical literature on this so I can check it out for myself (since I mix).


I would like to see this too, as I feed raw and nature's variety kibble, my breeder does this with 30+ GSDs, my vet, my friend who is a vet, and most of my breeders clients.

I have also fed raw/kibble to my 19 year old chow for most of her life.

Any raw that is new to a dog that is established on kibble can cause issues with stomach and runs...

Now, on liver, I use it for tracking and feed a small amount <1oz every other day. Don't see the issue with it.

I also feed a lot of frozen deer meat. lean red stew meat from grass fed cattle (know the source).


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

i feed my dogs a raw diet and i add fruits and veggies and yogurt and eggs to their food every day.
both dogs get one organic banana a day. i give eggs only a couple times a week and i don't let the puppy eat the shell. soft fruits like berries are graet-i buy them frozen at whole foods and just throw a handful for them. harder fruits like apples, pears, carrots, cucumbers etc: i mash up till it's like a sauce for my puppy-i feed chunks to my older dogs.
the yogurt they get is plain and organic.
i've been thinking about adding fish oil to their diets, flax is great for them too


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## heatherr (Jun 5, 2010)

My dog gets plain yogurt, bananas, and baby carrots on a regular basis. 

He also likes some baked sweet potato and canned pumpkin. 

He also gets my pizza crust about once a month, and REALLY loves pretzels. I take him for a small vanilla ice cream maybe 2-3 times a year.


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