Our dogs eat all kind of things. Somehow they are always hungry. But some things are just not that healthy for dogs, and some are downright toxic.

This article is about the types of food that dogs can eat, but you might also be interested in reading this article about getting B12 shots for your dog.

General
It is not healthy for a canine to eat the same food as human beings. Dogs have a predatory ancestry, which is different from ours. Their main requirement is meat. A lot of canines develop stomach problems if they are fed with the same food with which we humans feed ourselves.

Canned (wet) food
A lot of dogs love canned food. But note that it consists for about 75% of water, and therefore has little nutritional value. Canned food is one of the main causes of calculus. Also a lot brands contain artificial flavouring and additives which are not healthy.

Semi-moist
A lot of dogs love this food. An added bonus is that tt is easy to store. The main drawback is that a lot of brands contain massive amounts of artificial flavourings, which makes it very tasty for the dog but also quite unhealthy. It usually also contains a substantial amount of grains, which is hard to digest for dogs.

Dry dog food
Dry food is the easiest food to handle and store, but not all dogs like it. There is often little meat in the food, and a lot grains, which are simply not good for the dog. One of the advantages of dry food is that dogs experience less calculus.

Raw meat
Fresh, raw meat is the best food for our dogs. This is the food that comes closest to what their ancestors, the wolves, ate. There are no artificial flavourings and additives in fresh meat, and it is easily digestible. A lot of people are worried that dogs will get sick due to eating raw uncooked meat, but you should realize that dogs have a much stronger digestive system and can handle raw meat and even bones without problems.

Vegetables and fruits
When a dog requires Vitamin C, the dog will produce it himself. Vegetables and fruits therefore normally not a part of the regular diet. In case you want to feed your dog fruits, then please do this in small pieces. Dogs do not chew like we do, and large pieces are very hard to digest for them. Never feed your dog grapes! This is toxic for them and can have severe consequences for your dog’s health.
Vegetables can also be fed to dogs, but only give them mashed vegetables. Otherwise the dog may vomit as they have a limited capacity to digest it.

Dogs are definitely not allowed to eat the following:
Vegetables:
– Leek
– Onion
– Garlic (toxic)
– Tomatoes
– Raw potatoes
– Mushrooms
– Paprika

Fruits:
– grapes
– raisins
– Avocado’s
– Any fruit leftovers containing seeds (apples/peaches etc.)

Seeds&Nuts:
– Peanuts
– Salted nuts

Others:
– Milk
– Cheese
– Yoghurt
– Avoid pork meat, dogs can get Aujeszky’s disease (pseudorabies)
– Grains and bread, a lot of canines have a grain allergy
– Salted meat
– Chocolate and other candies

The goal should be to provide your dog with as much a natural diet as possible. Avoid anything artificial or foods that a wolf in the wild would never encounter (like chocolate!).