| The debate over feeding your beloved pet from | | | | |
| your dinner plate has been around for years. | | | | If you do decide to feed your pet from the |
| I think is all boils down to the question, | | | | dinner table, make sure that it is a treat, |
| "What type of table food, and how much is | | | | and like all treats it should not comprise |
| ok?" Most veterinarians I have talked to | | | | more than 10% of your dog's total diet. |
| agree that it's ok to give your pet a very | | | | |
| small portion of table food as long as they; | | | | Lastly, it is important to keep in mind that |
| A.) are low in fat, B.) are low in sugar, | | | | feeding your pet from the table can cause |
| C.) are not bones. | | | | undesirable behavior such as begging - which |
| | | | includes whining and barking, and can |
| Bones; (such as ribs and steak bones) tend to | | | | encourage steeling of food from the table |
| become dry and brittle when cooked, which can | | | | unattended. I once had a Saint Bernard that |
| cause them to splinter. Chicken, and other | | | | ate our entire Sunday Dinner roast in a |
| fowl bones, are hollow - which make them | | | | matter of a few seconds when my back was |
| great for flight - but can cause them to | | | | turned. |
| splinter if eaten. | | | | |
| | | | I often warn people with small children to |
| Never give you pet candy, spicy food, or fat | | | | never let their kids feed the dog from their |
| trimmed off your steak - if so, you are just | | | | hand. Once this practice is started it can |
| asking for trouble, and your pet will pay the | | | | be very difficult for your dog to understand |
| price. Instead, offer him small bits of | | | | the difference from food that your child is |
| vegetables, lean chicken, or other lean | | | | offering, from your child's lunch of a peanut |
| meats. | | | | butter sandwich. |