Foods to make sure your dog does not eat is important information for dog owners to be aware of. With the pace of life as it is these days, fast food and easy-to-prepare meals are the order of the day, not only for humans but also for our beloved canine friends. Now I’m not saying that we don’t take the care that we should when feeding our puppies and older dogs, but food can become a fashion as well as a convenience and commercial dog food could be considered to be in either or both of those categories.
Looking back just a little more than a decade ago the only commercial food I can remember for animals was preserved meat purchased in cans, or a meat roll, or perhaps fresh cubed or minced meat from the cooler in the supermarket which we cooked and gave to our animals. These days we tend to go the easy way and feed our beloved puppies on dried commercial food for at least 60 per cent of their meals.
Dried food, although containing vitamins and minerals that are good for our dogs, often has a high filler rate which may be harmful to some dogs particularly if this food is the mainstay of their diet.
Like most things in life, I believe that moderation in food consumed, be it canine or human, is the most logical way to approach a diet. Going overboard on the benefits or non-benefits of this, that, and the other thing can almost cause us to tear our hair out on whether or not we are being responsible caregivers.
I believe that your puppy should not experience huge health issues if you balance his diet between commercial and homemade meals. In saying that, meals prepared at home need to be of the correct ingredients for your puppy as there are many foods that are toxic to dogs, some much more than others.
Common Foods to Make Sure Your Dog Does NOT Eat as They are Harmful to the Health of ALL Dogs
- Chocolate, coffee, tea or any other beverage that contains caffeine and may cause vomiting, diarrhoea, heart problems or problems to the nervous system.
- Grapes, raisins and currents can cause kidney damage due to the toxins they contain.
- Onions and garlic must not be eaten by your dog as they may cause damage to the red blood cells.
- Mushrooms are a definite no, no. They are extremely toxic to dogs and may cause death. Extreme care must be taken to avoid your puppy finding mushrooms when walking in the fields. Mushrooms are likely to be growing in fields, or maybe even in your garden. This is of vital importance.
- Rhubarb leaves may cause digestive or urinary problems. If you have rhubarb growing in your garden it is imperative that your puppy is kept well away from it.
- Cooked bones can cause ruptures to the digestive system and should be avoided totally.
- Raw meat may contain harmful bacteria and therefore all fresh meat should be cooked before feeding to your dog.
- Vitamins and iron supplements manufactured for human consumption should not be given to your puppy. This is because his digestive system, liver and kidneys cannot tolerate the ingredients and will make him ill.
These are just some of the foods that must not be eaten or taken by your Miniature Schnauzer or any breed of dog. There are many more foods that are toxic to our canine friends and I urge you to do your research and become truly knowledgeable in the science of canine diet.
I believe that many people are not aware of the dangers of feeding these and other human foods to their dogs and it can often be the case that we think we are being kind by giving our puppy a nibble of what we are eating. He’s sitting watching our every mouthful and almost making us feel guilty eating in front of him.
Yes, it seems to us that maybe it’s hard being of the canine species and missing out on what we enjoy eating but, on the other hand, our puppy will live a healthy and enjoyable life if we are strong and feed him foods that are totally good for his wellbeing.
Best Food for Your Pet
Finally, although I haven’t mentioned previously about maintaining your puppy’s correct weight, the importance of weight management for our pets is as vital as it is to maintain our own healthy weight.
The ideal weight of a Miniature Schnauzer is:
- Male: 11 to 18 lbs / 5.0 to 8.2 kgs.
- Female: 10 to 15 lbs / 4.5 to 6.8 kgs.