# Which pet foods can a human survive on exclusively? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939 "2005-08-21T00:38:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/1 "2005-08-21T00:38:38Z")
I suppose I should start us off with some choices: [ul] [li]Monkey Chow[/li][li]Dog Food[/li][li]Cat Food[/li][li]Fish Pellets[/li][li]Fish Flakes[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/2 "2005-08-21T00:47:08Z")
Monkey Chow for sure. I don’t know that you would necessarily get enough Vitamin C with the others. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/3 "2005-08-21T12:40:14Z")
While monkey chow _might_ sustain a human, I’m not entirely sure it exists. I don’t think pet monkeys are common enough for their to be a market in prepackaged monkey food. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/4 "2005-08-21T12:49:54Z")
If there are guinea pig pellets, those should have vitamin C, too. Otherwise, dog chow approaches it. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/5 "2005-08-21T13:17:06Z")
Aargh, there. THERE. The interweb is corrupting my brain, I swear. ---
**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/6 "2005-08-21T13:26:44Z")
> [@csharpmajor](#): > > While monkey chow _might_ sustain a human, I’m not entirely sure it exists. I don’t think pet monkeys are common enough for their to be a market in prepackaged monkey food. [http://www.primatediets.com/index.asp](http://www.primatediets.com/index.asp) Other animals besides monkeys enjoy the great taste and nutrition of monkey chow; squirrels, birds, etc. Rauschenberg also made a collage with the old-style Purina Monkey Chow bag, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/7 "2005-08-21T13:54:00Z")
Ahh. I guess I learned something new today. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/8 "2005-08-21T15:26:19Z")
I don’t believe the target consumer group for monkey chow is pet monkeys, but zoo residents. The zookeepers need a reliable source for foods to supplement the fresh foods given to the monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/9 "2005-08-21T20:02:07Z")
> [@Snakescatlady](#): > > I don’t believe the target consumer group for monkey chow is pet monkeys, but zoo residents. The zookeepers need a reliable source for foods to supplement the fresh foods given to the monkeys. Of the three brands featured on the linked site, only products from Bio-Serv claim to provide a “nutritionally complete” diet. The others need supplements of vitamin C or of greens. But I think it would be routine to give any primate supplements of fruits an vegetables. Primates are used enough in medical testing that laboratories would be another significant market for monkey-chow. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/10 "2005-08-21T21:27:54Z")
You may be interested in this other thread, [Why don’t they make People Kibble?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=53966) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pet-foods-can-a-human-survive-on-exclusively/317939/11 "2005-08-21T22:46:56Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > If there are guinea pig pellets, those should have vitamin C, too. To elaborate a little, primates and guinea pigs require vitamin C in their diets. Dogs, cats, and most other animals manufacture it and don’t require it in the diet, so it wouldn’t necessarily be added to commercial feeds. You could probably survive on dog chow, and perhaps on the other diets, as long as you had a source of vitamin C as well.