Feeding Table Scraps To Your Dog Could Make Them Healthier

A new study has found that it may actually be beneficial to give your dog some of your leftover food. Researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland, found that dogs that ate a diet consisting of unprocessed foods and raw meats had fewer health issues later in their lives than dogs that mainly ate processed foods and kibble.

The researchers said that feeding dogs foods such as raw red meat, fish, eggs, bones, vegetables, and berries, decreased their risk of developing chronic enteropathy (CE), or long-term gastrointestinal diseases that can last for several weeks or months.

"Feeding [non-processed foods], even as an addition to [ultra-processed food], and giving the dog human meal leftovers and table scraps were found to be protective against CE later in life. Especially raw bones and cartilage, berries, and leftovers were found to be beneficial," the researcher wrote in the journal Scientific Reports. "Therefore, we conclude that providing a variety of fresh, 'real' foods for the dog, especially during puppyhood, but also at young age, was identified as a significant potential protective factor of CE incidence later in life."

The researchers said that dog owners should avoid feeding their pets ultra-processed dry kibble because it was found to be 29% more likely to develop CE later in life. Surprisingly, letting puppies chew on rawhide increased their risk of developing CE as adult dogs by 117%.

"Diet choices during puppyhood and adolescence are modifiable factors which, according to our results, might lessen or increase CE incidence later in the dog's life. Our study provides proactive dog owners with information on healthy diets and of what food items to use and to avoid," the researchers said.