09 Jan The Ultimate List of Human Foods Dogs Can and Can’t Eat

If your hound waits expectantly under the table during dinner, keeping his eyes peeled for any yummy tidbits that fall on the floor, make sure he’s not munching on something he shouldn’t eat. There are many human foods that are safe for dogs, but beware because some foods are harmful. This is because dogs digest foods differently from the way we do.

Note: While there are safe people foods for dogs, our pups should generally only eat them in moderation. Even healthy foods fed in excess can lead to canine obesity.

And just like people, all dogs have individual diet requirements and react differently to new foods. Whether you have a young puppy or a senior with health issues, if in doubt about a particular food, please speak to your veterinarian before giving it to your dog.

List of Healthy People Food for Your Dog

Feeding your hungry hound fruits and vegetables is a healthy way to keep his/her appetite satisfied until mealtime!

Fill Your Treat Pouch with Hound-Friendly Fruits:

Apples – As it turns out, apples are just as healthy for your hound as they are for you. This fruit is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A and fiber. Apples are low calorie and help freshen your dog’s breath, as well as clean teeth. Be sure to remove the core and seeds before giving apples to your dog. 

Bananas – This fruit is a healthy people food for your dog. It is high in potassium to help build strong blood vessels and muscles in your hound. Bananas also contain vitamin B6 and fiber. 

Coconut – Feeding your dogs coconut is actually good for them. This quirky fruit has Lauric, which fights off viruses and prevents bad breath, skin irritations, skin allergies and itchiness. You can add coconut oil or coconut milk to your hound’s food to help with skin health. 

Strawberries – If your dog likes strawberries, feel free to feed him/her this antioxidant rich fruit.

Blueberries – Most berries are rich in antioxidants, and blueberries are no exception. They are perfectly fine to feed to your dog.

Kiwi – Like bananas, kiwi is high in potassium and provides your dog with vitamin C.

Watermelon – This juicy treat is safe for your dog to eat and helps keep your hound hydrated. Remove the rind before feeding it to your pup though.

Honeydew melon – Honeydew is a cool treat on a hot day and provides the nutritional benefits of iron, vitamin C and antioxidant to your hound’s diet.

Cantaloupe – This is safe melon treat for your hound. It’s one of the world’s healthiest fruits, filled with vitamin C, vitamin A, antioxidants and inflammatories.

Peaches – This fruit adds vitamin A and fiber to your dog’s diet. As with all fruit, limit quantities to avoid digestion problems, and remove the peach pit before feeding.

Pineapple – This citrus fruit is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, making it a healthy treat for your dog.

Wholesome Veggies for Your Hound:

Broccoli – You can add broccoli to your dog’s food for added protein, calcium, vitamin E, fiber and minerals.

Carrots – This veggie makes great snacks for your dog. Carrots are low-calorie and provide iron, potassium, minerals and multiple vitamins.

Sweet potato – This grain-free carbohydrate is nutritious for your dog. It’s full of vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants and potassium. When feeding sweet potatoes to your hound, it’s best to peel off the skin first. You can feed it raw, cooked or dehydrated.

Pumpkin – Pumpkins aren’t just for Halloween carving. They offer your dog a food source rich in fiber and vitamin A. Pumpkin helps aid digestion, if your dog suffers from diarrhea.

Green beans – With the beneficial nutrients of vitamin K and vitamin C, as well as minerals, adding green beans to your hound’s diet is a good idea. These veggies are a good low-calorie food for overweight dogs.

Red and green bell peppers – Red peppers are more nutritious than green peppers, but both of them are safe for your dog. They contain vitamin A, which is great for your dog’s vision, as well as vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin B6.

Tomatoes – It’s okay for your dog to eat tomatoes, but make sure they’re completely ripe and remove the stems. Green tomatoes, as well as the leaves and stems contain solanine, which can cause muscle weakness, seizures and digestive upset.

Green peas – Adding peas to your dog’s diet or feeding them as healthy treats is fine. They’re rich in vitamin A, vitamin K and B vitamins, as well as minerals, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium.

Zucchini – This vegetable offers lots of fiber, minerals and vitamins to your dog’s diet. It’s a great low-calorie treat, if your dog likes veggies.

Celery – Celery doesn’t add much nutritional value to your dog’s diet, but it is safe for him/her to eat.

Cucumber – These make a crunchy, low-calorie treat for your dog with only eight calories in one-half cup.

Asparagus – This veggie might be more trouble than it’s worth for feeding to your dog. It is safe to eat, but raw asparagus can cause choking. It also gives your dog’s urine an unpleasant odor. If you do decide to feed asparagus to your hound, cook it first.

Cooked potatoes – You can feed your dog potatoes, if you cook them first. Raw and green potatoes are toxic for dogs, but cooked potatoes are nutritious, containing vitamin C, vitamin B6 and iron.

Good Grains for Extra Energy in Hounds:

Many people feed their hounds grain-free diets today, but grains do have nutritional benefits when your dog eats them in moderation.

Corn – Although corn has a bad rep as a filler in commercially prepared dog foods, it’s actually good for your dog. Corn is a good source of antioxidants, protein, linoleic acid, vitamins and fiber, which promote healthy digestion. Like all carbohydrates, limit the quantity of corn that you feed your hound and avoid feeding the cobs.

Rice – This bland grain is safe to feed to your hound. In fact, it’s often used in place of wheat to help with upset stomachs or for hounds with wheat allergies.

Oats and oatmeal – Oats are safe for your dog to eat, especially if he has wheat allergies.

Popcorn – If you’re all settled in with a big bowl of popcorn for movie night with your family, your hound can join in the fun. Popcorn is fine for her, as long as it’s not salted or buttered. In fact, popcorn has thiamine and riboflavin, which promotes healthy eyes in your dog. Try to avoid giving her any unpopped kernels that could cause choking.

Quinoa – This nutritional seed is a super-food for humans and your dog can eat it, as well. Quinoa is an alternative to corn, soy and wheat that sometimes cause food allergies in hounds. Introduce small amounts, if your dog hasn’t eaten quinoa before to make sure he can digest it properly. It’s a good source of protein, calcium and fiber.

Dabs of Dairy for Dogs:

All dairy foods contain lactose, which can cause gas and diarrhea for some dogs, but many dairy products are safe for your dog to eat.

Cheese – Most dogs enjoy small pieces of cheese as treats. Just make sure your hound isn’t lactose intolerant before feeding him cheese. If you do decide to give your dog cheese, feed low fat types like mozzarella or cottage cheese.

Yogurt – Like any dairy products, your hound might have trouble digesting yogurt, but each dog is different. Yogurt builds up the good bacteria in your dog’s digestive system. Always feed her unsweetened, plain yogurt, if she tolerates dairy foods.

Goat Milk – Goat milk is easy for dogs to digest and is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and enzymes, which aid the digestion process, making it more tolerable for your dog to digest than cow’s milk.

Nutty for Nuts – Some Okay for Dogs:

Know your nuts. The following nuts are safe to feed your hound, but make sure you know which nuts are toxic for dogs.

Peanuts and peanut butter – This heart-healthy food is great for your hound. It’s an excellent protein source and provides niacin, and vitamins B and E. Unsalted peanut butter and peanuts are your best options. Also, make sure the peanut butter that you select doesn’t contain xylitol.

Cashews – It’s okay for your furry friend to eat cashews. They contain calcium, antioxidants, protein and magnesium. The AKC recommends only feeding your dog a few unsalted cashews at a time because they’re high in fat and calories, which can cause weight gain.

Plenty of Protein for Your Hound Dogs:

Since your hound is a carnivore, his/her diet should contain plenty of protein. The following protein sources are safe for your dog.

Eggs – As long as you cook the eggs before feeding them to your dog, they provide protein to his diet. Cooked eggs also soothe upset stomachs.

Fish – If you’re looking for a great source of healthy fats and amino acids, fish is the food to choose for your dogs. Two of the most beneficial fish for dogs are sardines and salmon. They’re full of vitamins and protein, and the soft, tiny bones in sardines add calcium. Tuna is also nutritional, but limit the amount because of mercury content.

Shrimp and lobster – Low in fat, calories and carbs, shrimp and lobster are good for your dog. When feeding these shellfish, remove the shell off the lobster and the tails off the shrimp. These are a good source of antioxidants, phosphorous and B-12. Limit the amount you feed your hound because shrimp and lobster are high in cholesterol.

Meats – It’s natural for your hound to eat meat. You can feed him/her any type of meat and organs.

Soy – This plant-based protein and energy source is safe for your dog to eat, but watch for any allergic reactions. Some dogs don’t tolerate soy very well.

A Spoonful Honey Has Hounds Humming:

Your dogs don’t need sugar added to their diet, but if you want to give them a sweet treat occasionally, honey is safe.

Honey – If your hound has a sweet tooth, he’ll drool for honey. This sweet, nutritional treat has an alphabet full of vitamins like A, B, C, D, E and K. It also gives your dog the benefits of potassium, magnesium, calcium, copper and antioxidants. Honey also builds up resistance to allergies. You can also apply honey to any cuts, burns or abrasions that your hound might have. It naturally soothes them. Keep in mind that honey does contain natural sugar, so it’s best to feed in limited quantities.

Note, avoid feeding raw honey to young puppies or dogs with compromised immune systems, as it can cause allergies or be harmful to their health.

A Little Bit Goes a Long Way:

Bread – Your hound might crave pizza crust and other breads, but these carbohydrate foods don’t have any nutritional benefits for him. Feeding your dog bread is safe, but if you do, only feed in limited quantities. Also, only use plain bread and avoid raisin bread or cinnamon bread. Just like in people, the additional carbohydrates cause weight gain in dogs.

Ham – Your hound can eat ham in moderation. It’s not harmful for your dog, but it does contain large amounts of sodium, which can cause your dog to retain fluid and become thirsty. It’s fine to give your dog a few pieces as treats occasionally.

Milk – Like all dairy products, milk contains lactose, which dogs have trouble digesting. You can give your hound a little milk but watch for digestive problems or bloating.

Ice cream – Ice cream is one of the people foods to be cautious  about feeding to your pet because dogs have trouble digesting dairy products. Because of this, if your hound eats ice cream, he/she could have digestive problems and bloating.

List of People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet

The FDA, American Kennel Club and the American Society for the Prevention for the Cruelty to Animals all agree that the following are people foods to avoid feeding your dog:

Chocolate – Most dog owners know about the dangers of chocolate for dogs but might not know why it’s toxic. Chocolate is one of the most toxic and dangerous foods for dogs because it has a stimulant called methylxanthines. It can stop your hound’s metabolic process. Even if your dog eats a small piece of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, he/she could start vomiting and suffer from diarrhea.

Xylitol – If you’re counting calories or eat diabetic foods, check the labels for xylitol. This artificial sweetener is a sugar alcohol that is deadly for your hound. Many foods labeled as sugar-free contain xylitol. Some pet owners think that sugar-free means healthy, but this isn’t true for your dog.

Grapes, Raisins and Currants – These seemingly harmless fruits can cause kidney failure in your dog.

Avocado – Your dog shouldn’t have avocado because it contains persin, which can result in fatal heart failure.

Raw potatoes – Never give your dog raw potatoes because they contain solanine, which is toxic to dogs.

Onions, garlic and chives – Although some dog owners add garlic to their dog’s food to repel fleas, it can actually cause anemia, pale gums, weakness, collapse and increased heart rate. You might not see the effects of poisoning by onion and garlic right away. The symptoms take a few days to show up.

If your dog eats a piece of onion or garlic, you don’t have to panic because it’s unlikely to cause problems. He would have to eat a large amount, all at once to suffer any of the symptoms.

Salty snack foods – Just like people, eating salty snacks cause water retention and thirst in your hound. So, keep those chips and pretzels away from your dog. Also, avoid deli meats and fast foods. If he does munch down a bag, give him plenty of water to drink.

Macadamia nuts – These nuts are a definite no-no for your dog. They are another one of the toxic and dangerous foods for dogs and can damage your hound’s nervous system. If your dog eats any macadamia nuts, watch for trouble walking, lethargy, fever and vomiting.
Pecans – These can be toxic in large amounts the toxic compound in pecans is juglone. Thankfully, juglone is not as dangerous for dogs as it is for horses, but it can be dangerous. Pecans can also cause mild stomach upset and gastrointestinal obstruction in dogs.

Walnuts – Like pecans and macadamia nuts, walnuts are toxic for your dog.

Almonds – Although almonds aren’t toxic, they can cause choking and damage your dog’s windpipe. You know how hounds love to inhale their food, so they’re at risk of swallowing whole almonds, which causes tears in the windpipe.

Nutmeg is toxic to pets due to a compound in the nutmeg called Myristicin. The small amount of nutmeg used in recipes is unlikely to cause serious toxicity, though mild stomach upset could occur if a small amount is ingested.

Sugar – With the exception of honey, you shouldn’t feed your dog any sugar products. Added sugar can cause diabetes and weight gain in your hound.

Fried and fatty foods – If your dog grabs a few French fries or fatty meat, you don’t have to worry but eating these types of foods regularly can cause pancreatitis. If this happens, it can be life threatening.

Mushrooms – Generally, mushrooms sold in large grocery stores are generally safe for dogs to eat, but unless they are served plain (no butter or sauce), it’s probably better to play it safe and avoid feeding dishes with mushrooms to dogs. If your dog ingests a wild mushroom, however, don’t take any chances! You should immediately contact your vet, animal poison control, or your emergency veterinary hospital.

Ethanol/alcohol – There’s nothing humorous about it. Alcohol is toxic to dogs.

Cooked Bones – They become brittle and easily break into sharp shards that can do a lot of damage when they pass through the gastrointestinal tract.

Bread dough – Once eaten, yeast in the dough continues to make the dough rise, distending the stomach and releasing toxic levels of ethanol into your dog’s bloodstream.

In Summary…

As long as you know which human foods dogs can and can’t eat, your hound can enjoy a wide variety of people food. Make sure your whole family knows which people food your dogs can eat to keep them healthy and their taste buds happy.

If you suspect your pup has ingested something potentially harmful, immediately call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) at (888) 426-4435. There is a moderate fee for the call, but they are your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.