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I don't think you read all the way to the end of the article:
"So, the next time someone tells you not to feed your dog or cat “people food”, tell them that the last time you checked, the following “people foods” were commonly consumed by animals in nature:
Muscle meat from free-range animals raised without hormones or antibiotics
Organ meats from these same animals
Fresh berries and vegetative matter commonly devoured as part of a prey’s stomach contents
Fresh eggs
And, while you’re at it, you might want to inform these “anti-people food” people that fresh, wholesome, unadulterated animal and plant ingredients were the original “pet food” – not the highly processed stuff that comes out of a bag or can.
Come to think of it, maybe people would be a lot healthier if we started ditching our own bags and cans of processed, nutrient-deficient “people food” and started eating natural “pet food” instead!"
Yes, I did.
And that was the point.
To sum her up (and I agree):
There's nothing wrong with feeding dogs people food when the people food we're talking about is whole, fresh foods.
Oh, but by the way, no one actually eats those things as the majority of their diet, so don't give your dog's those other bad processed things.
Get it?
In our home, we tend to eat fresh, whole, organic food.
When we lived overseas, there was no dog food. There wasn't even a supermarket for people. You bought your meat from a meat guy and you bought your vegetables from an outdoor market.
Our dog ate what we ate. Fresh meats and veggies.
This is NOT the American diet by s long shot, and I am pretty disgusted by all the super fat dogs I see that are given all kinds of ridiculous food. My vet used to talk to me about it because I am also in health care. And it really upset him. So I think it's better that we tell people not to give dogs people food because people eat crappy diets and they can't help giving it to their dogs at the same time.
Whether it's mac and cheese from a box or steak my dogs are getting some of it. A little processed food is not going to kill you or the dog, a diverse diet and exercise is what is important whether you are a dog or man.
While organic fruits/vegetables may taste better and you may not have the pesticide issues the difference in nutritional value is negligible. I prefer farm fresh, we still have farms in our area that have little unmanned stands you leave money in box but that is only from early summer until Fall. Better yet picking a tomato off the vine in the garden but the fact is that is just not possible for many people especially when the expense is considered for out of season products.
Yeah, but most people don't eat fresh healthy foods. So her argument is moot. In fact, she that at the end of the article.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4
To sum her up (and I agree):
There's nothing wrong with feeding dogs people food when the people food we're talking about is whole, fresh foods.
Oh, but by the way, no one actually eats those things as the majority of their diet, so don't give your dog's those other bad processed things.
Get it?
In our home, we tend to eat fresh, whole, organic food.
When we lived overseas, there was no dog food. There wasn't even a supermarket for people. You bought your meat from a meat guy and you bought your vegetables from an outdoor market.
Our dog ate what we ate. Fresh meats and veggies.
This is NOT the American diet by s long shot, and I am pretty disgusted by all the super fat dogs I see that are given all kinds of ridiculous food. My vet used to talk to me about it because I am also in health care. And it really upset him. So I think it's better that we tell people not to give dogs people food because people eat crappy diets and they can't help giving it to their dogs at the same time.
No need to be condescending or sarcastic.
My takeaway is clearly different than yours.
If I were writing a precis on this article, I would boil it down to - as another poster said- food is food, and the separation between pet food and people food is an artificial construct created by the pet food companies to make people think that "pet" food is different from "people" food when in fact it is all the same food = meat, vegetable matter/fruit, and eggs.
I take her introduction of (human) junk food into the discussion to conflate it with the highly processed "junk" food we feed our pets that is sold under the guise of "pet" food. She is very clear that processed foods aren't healthy for either human or pet, so I am not sure why you take issue with that part of her argument.
I am still unsure of why you feel her point is moot.
Clearly there are too many overweight dogs (and overweight people), but that isn't part of her argument.
You have a different understanding of the article and that is fine. I do feel though that careful reading and clarity of argument are key to a critical reading of someone's work.
If I were writing a precis on this article, I would boil it down to - as another poster said- food is food, and the separation between pet food and people food is an artificial construct created by the pet food companies to make people think that "pet" food is different from "people" food when in fact it is all the same food = meat, vegetable matter/fruit, and eggs.
I take her introduction of (human) junk food into the discussion to conflate it with the highly processed "junk" food we feed our pets that is sold under the guise of "pet" food. She is very clear that processed foods aren't healthy for either human or pet, so I am not sure why you take issue with that part of her argument.
I am still unsure of why you feel her point is moot.
Clearly there are too many overweight dogs (and overweight people), but that isn't part of her argument.
You have a different understanding of the article and that is fine. I do feel though that careful reading and clarity of argument are key to a critical reading of someone's work.
It's funny. I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or rude. Which, based on your last line, is not something I can say about you. I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not really interested in arguing with somebody who appears to be arguing for argument's sake.
And if you want to be snide about critical thinking and literary interpretation, I'll be more than happy to pull out my extensive credentials and noted adulation from people who are well respected in those fields.
Everybody in the world knows that fresh wholesome food that isn't known to be toxic to dogs is a fine alternative to kibble. This woman is not giving us some great revelation.
The simple fact is that even she acknowledges that most people don't eat fresh wholesome food that would also be good for dogs. And I agree that we should all be re-evaluating our own diet.
Meanwhile, don't give what passes for *people food* in this country to your pups. Even a high quality "processed" kibble is better for them than that.
The vets I have known and worked with are far more concerned about the health ramifications of the extra calories of nutrient-poor, calorie-dense processed human food than some worldwide conspiracy of pet food companies to fool you into thinking that dogs can only eat kibble.
I suppose a tinfoil hat or even a tin foil collar can be found amongst any group of people.
Having had dogs outside of the US, Americans are a strange bunch when it comes to dogs. I never heard of kibble until we moved here. Our dogs lived on cooked 'people' food: rice, chicken, beef bones, organs, etc. Everyday it was a different meal, including our left overs and our diet isn't high in fat. Our dogs never had an obstruction, diarrhea, skin problems, illness but lived to their old age.
Today, I feed my dogs a mix of mostly cooked food and kibble. The grain free kibble is there to make sure I didn't miss a necessary vitamin or whatnot that my dogs might need and acts as a 'filler'. I feed them boiled chicken breast, canned tuna, liver, eggs, pasta, rice, bread, fruits, vegetables, etc.. a different mix each day.
Having had dogs outside of the US, Americans are a strange bunch when it comes to dogs. I never heard of kibble until we moved here. Our dogs lived on cooked 'people' food: rice, chicken, beef bones, organs, etc. Everyday it was a different meal, including our left overs and our diet isn't high in fat. Our dogs never had an obstruction, diarrhea, skin problems, illness but lived to their old age.
Today, I feed my dogs a mix of mostly cooked food and kibble. The grain free kibble is there to make sure I didn't miss a necessary vitamin or whatnot that my dogs might need and acts as a 'filler'. I feed them boiled chicken breast, canned tuna, liver, eggs, pasta, rice, bread, fruits, vegetables, etc.. a different mix each day.
Great post! I will admit my dogs eat mostly good quality dog food with other things too. When I cook breakfast, I'll cook an extra egg for each of them. When I make my own dinners, I always share some of it with them unless I feel it's not good for them. There's no reason not to share appropriate people food with your dogs and it certainly doesn't mean your dog needs to turn into an obese dog. A dog's life is relatively short compared to ours and nothing makes them happier than to share some of my food with them. After all, they are very loved members of the family.
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