# So how did table scraps become poisonous to dogs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 15, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390 "2014-10-15T11:38:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/1 "2014-10-15T11:38:00Z")
For probably 99% of domestic dogs relationship with human beings their primary diet was essentially table scraps and leavings from the human diet, they certainly seemed to make it fine. Here in Trinidad few people except those who are rich or are breeding show dogs feed them primarily dry dog chow or canned dog food, both are imported and rather pricey. Groceries carry “pet rice” which is rice that is unfit for human consumption, either stale or has a few weevils etc for cheap and people cook up a big pot with a pound or two of beef liver finely chopped mixed in(also cheap) or fish heads for flavor. Dogs also get table scraps and leftovers or stuff that has gone slightly bad. Most supplement with dog chow as needed. The dogs seem no worse for it, in fact the only obese or chubby dogs I have seen here are urban strays funnily enough because they raid the trash from fast food places like KFC, the dogs kept in people’s yards are very healthy looking. Yet if I tell someone from the US this they are aghast in horror, OMG you can’t do that the dog will get sick and die you can’t give them people food.:eek: How did this nonsense get so ingrained in people? Reading the ingredient labels on dog chow it is mostly rice or corn anyway. (Yes I know certain things like chocolate are not suitable for dogs, funnily enough there doesn’t tend to be much chocolate scraps:D ) ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/2 "2014-10-15T11:51:23Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Here in Trinidad few people except those who are rich or are breeding show dogs feed them primarily dry dog chow or canned dog food So they acknowledge it’s beneficial for well-bred individuals. People food isn’t literally poisonous to dogs, and they sure can live on table scraps. But the dogs should be taught “table manners” by observing that _their_ food goes directly from the can into the bowl and has never been on the family dining table. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/3 "2014-10-15T12:00:08Z")
It’s because in the US, people tend to feed dogs both kibble \*and \*people food. That makes them fat (the dogs, not the people). Hence, people being told by vets that people food is “bad” for dogs. Most US’ians don’t make their pets’ food, so obviously the people food has to go. My felines would be very happy to have people food and not kibble. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/4 "2014-10-15T12:02:55Z")
Oh hell no, 50% of the reason I own dogs is because I’m a clumsy cook and eater. Food all to often finds its way to the floor. And isn’t it nice that I have a vigilant, four legged vacuum cleaner to clean up my messes? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/5 "2014-10-15T12:08:36Z")
Two points Kibble is designed to help clean doggy teeth. Dogs should get some of the vitamins from the blood and organs…as they won’t eat your tomato or spinach… ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/6 "2014-10-15T12:13:04Z")
Even though we were poor, we still fed our dog canned dog food. We never had leftover people food. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/7 "2014-10-15T12:31:08Z")
Some people food is actively bad for dogs. Table scraps often don’t provide a balanced canine diet or promote clean teeth. I doubt that the OP is well-versed in what deficiency disorders may be common among Trinidadian pooches. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/8 "2014-10-15T12:35:03Z")
Dogs can live on table scraps, but their lifespans may not be as long as dogs fed a diet more optimized for canines. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/9 "2014-10-15T12:37:00Z")
Pet stores and agri stores sell a vitamin/mineral supplement for dogs designed to be added to home made food, but it tastes horrible so it has to be diluted real well. Anyway my point is there is a difference between sub optimal or less convenient, and dangerous or deadly. I never owned or cared for a dog when I was in the USA, so it strikes me as funny how there is this idea anything except premade dog food is going to kill poochy. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/10 "2014-10-15T13:23:18Z")
The chicken bones are also an issue, from what I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/11 "2014-10-15T14:12:42Z")
Poorly-trained dogs who are fed table scraps will beg for food off your plate \*during \*dinner. I’d never feed a dog from my table, because I don’t want to put up with that shit. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/12 "2014-10-15T14:13:59Z")
Commercial dog food isn’t always the best thing for dogs either. Most food people eat is fine for a healthy dog. Excess salt, onions, and other seasonings can be bad for them. As dogs get older grain and excess fat can be problems. The real reason not to feed dogs table scraps is that it encourages them to annoy you at dinner time and get into the trash later on looking for more. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/13 "2014-10-15T14:30:46Z")
Define table scraps: Processed food full of HFCS, salt and preservatives or fruit and veggies and lean protein? I think the same thing that makes dogs fat is what makes people fat: too much sugar and too much carbs. Dog treats – like Milk Bones – are very carby dog treats. My dog is slightly overweight so my vet recommended giving her fresh veggies as treats instead of milk-bone type treats. Turns out, my dog loves carrots, broccoli, and really just about any veggie I poke in her kibble hole. She’s also a huge fan of citrus fruits, grapefruit is her favorite. I know – what dog likes grapefruit? My Florida dog, that’s who. 😃 This past weekend, I spotted pumpkins for pie in the produce section, so I bought a 2-pound pumpkin. And went home and just gave the whole damn thing to the dog. It took her about an hour, and I had to pick it up and scoop out the seeds & guts once she got it open, but she ate the entire damn thing. My vet has advised me to feed canned pumpkin (plain, not with the pie spices in it) for upset stomachs. So I figured fresh whole pumpkin ought to go right down, and it did. She still begged for her supper, but I gave her like a half-portion of kibble. I also switched to natural peanut butter that has no sugar added – she loves PB, but doesn’t need all that sugar. So I try to feed myself in a healthy manner and figure, we’re both mammals, so if it’s healthy for me, it’s probably healthy for her. I try to follow the same rules for her as for me: little salt, little sugar, little fat, mostly fresh, whole fruits, veggies and lean proteins. No bones unless they are raw – once a week she gets a raw, frozen marrow bone as a treat. She doesn’t get garlic or onions, or macadamia nuts, or raisins/grapes or any of the other things we are cautioned against feeding dogs. And she gets plenty of kibble so I’m assured she gets all the doggy nutrients she needs (no idea if Taurine is found in whole food and I know it’s not as necessary for dogs as it is for cats, but dog food has it). See also BARF diet (Bones and Raw Foods) – some people swear by it. Note on the begging: she has been trained if she paws me, jumps up, counter surfs, steals, or is in any way rude about getting food, she gets nothing. She sits politely and drools and then she gets the last bite or I’ll save about half a cup of rice + veggies + maybe one bite of meat for her. The garbage can latches down so she can’t open it and I do the dishes immediately to get food smells out of the kitchen asap. I don’t feed her McD’s or anything from fast food, although she occasionally gets a french fry, it’s a rare treat. And she doesn’t get ALL the french fries. Maybe one. Finally, anything that drops on the floor while I’m cooking is fair game. That’s her job, to keep the floor clean and to pre-rinse the dishes. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/14 "2014-10-15T14:32:40Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > Two points > > Kibble is designed to help clean doggy teeth. > > Dogs should get some of the vitamins from the blood and organs…as they won’t eat your tomato or spinach… Mine will. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/15 "2014-10-15T17:18:47Z")
“Table scraps” is too vague a description for any kind of real assessment of value/toxicity to a dog. Dogs are essentially omnivore scavengers with a high need for animal protein. They will eat most things people do, but just like people, it doesn’t mean they should. On the other hand, commercial kibble is a convenience, not a panacea. Problems with feeding dogs your own food can include: 1. Unbalanced diet leading to nutritional deficiencies over time. Only if said food makes up a significant proportion of calories. 2. Indigestion or more seriously pancreatitis caused by eating a lot of high fat food at once, or decomposing food. Don’t feed your dog the whole turkey skin, or all the fat trimmed off six pork chops. Parcel it out over time. Don’t let your dog get into the garbage, for the same reason. 3. Particular dangerous foods, like cooked bones (splinter, perforate digestive tract), grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions, spices, etc. My dogs get their basic daily high-quality kibble and canned meats, as well as ‘toppings’ – cooked squash, an egg, vetted plate scrapings, milk-pail rinsings, all sorts of stuff. They are fine. Just be judicious and avoid the dangers. And of course, table scraps don’t make dogs fat. Feeding them too much makes them fat. Considering how easy it is to control the caloric intake of dogs, there should be no fat dogs. In theory. I never, ever feed my dogs when I am eating at the table. So it is never a problem. Oh, and kibble as a teeth cleaner? Myth. Raw large bones will clean teeth – at the risk of wearing and even cracking molars. Really, you have to brush them. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/16 "2014-10-15T17:45:22Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Anyway my point is there is a difference between sub optimal or less convenient, and dangerous or deadly. There sure is. I’ve met a lot of Americans (I live in the US, in fact) and know a lot of dog owners and non-dog-owners and previous dog owners (I’m a dog owner) and cat owners and I’ve met some vets and dog trainers and read dog-related stuff and I have never, ever heard anyone suggest equate table scraps with poison for dogs. So, perhaps your sample of “people from the US” is off? Perhaps your premise is flawed? When you took this large sampling and scientific polling of of “people from the US” did you include or omit the premise of giving an entire chicken carcass to a dog? Because that can indeed be deadly. But that would not be included in my definition of “table scraps.” ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/17 "2014-10-15T18:05:19Z")
I’ve never in my entire life heard it claimed that table scraps are poisonous to dogs. However, I’ve often heard that feeding table scraps top dogs makes them fat beggars. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/18 "2014-10-15T18:13:53Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Yet if I tell someone from the US this they are aghast in horror, OMG you can’t do that the dog will get sick and die you can’t give them people food.:eek: I don’t think anyone actually believes this. A few foods like baker’s chocolate really are harmful to dogs or to certain breeds of dogs, but those are exceptions. I’ve never heard anyone suggest that regular food is bad for dogs since almost every dog gets a bite of people food once in a while. On the other hand, most people want their dogs to leave them alone during dinnertime, and if you give the dog table food during meals, they will beg for food at future meals. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/19 "2014-10-15T18:50:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t think anyone actually believes this. A few foods like baker’s chocolate really are harmful to dogs or to certain breeds of dogs, but those are exceptions. I’ve never heard anyone suggest that regular food is bad for dogs since almost every dog gets a bite of people food once in a while. On the other hand, most people want their dogs to leave them alone during dinnertime, and if you give the dog table food during meals, they will beg for food at future meals. Right. We always fed our dogs scraps. Esp meat that was a leetle suspicious. But not during meals. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390/20 "2014-10-15T19:06:01Z")
I don’t know if it’s exactly table scraps, but after my cousin (the then first time mom) would feed her first child, she’d get him across the face with the wet wash cloth. Eight years later, with her second child, she’d just put him in his bouncy chair on the floor where the two dachshunds could reach him. [Simon’s Sister’s Dog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQCwHluBqFc) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-table-scraps-become-poisonous-to-dogs/701390.md?page=2)