EDITOR’S NOTE: This list was compiled from several reputable online resources. Always remember to ask your dog’s veterinarian before giving your canine anything that isn’t meant for your pet. Consider taking this list and asking your vet which foods he or she recommends. Not all dogs are created equally. One thing might be acceptable for one dog, while another pet might not agree.

With the heavy food holidays right around the corner, we want to cover an important topic that comes up year after year: feeding our dogs table scraps.

The topic of feeding your dog table food is a highly debated topic. Many people and veterinarians believe you should not give your dog table food. There are many reasons for this. One being that human calories do not exactly equate to canine calories. Giving dogs certain human food can cause pet obesity, begging or other unwanted outcomes. Another common reason to abstain from giving pets human food is because some are poisonous or extremely unhealthy for your pet. Keep in mind that we are not talking about home cooked meals made especially for pets. That a different topic entirely.

The truth is, many people still offer table food to dogs and they continue to live a long, healthy life. If you do online research, you will find thousands of articles about human foods to be considered acceptable for canine consumption and some that are not. Here is a quick list of people foods that are deemed acceptable for pet digestion.

Apples (no seeds)

Apricots (no pits)

Baby food (all-natural)

Beef (scraps)

Berries (fresh and frozen)

Bouillon

Bran cereal

Bread (without raisins or nuts)

Broccoli (raw)

Carrots

Cashews

Cauliflower (raw)

Celery

Cheerios

Cheese Wiz

Chicken (cooked, no bones or skin)

Chicken broth

Cottage cheese

Cream cheese

Croutons (plain)

Eggs (cooked)

Flax seed (ground or oil)

Ginger

Green beans

Honey

Melons

Mint

Nectarines (no pits)

Oatmeal

Orange slices (no rinds)

Organ meats (giblets, liver, tongue, heart, gizzards

Parsley

Pasta noodles (cooked)

Peaches

Peanut butter

Pineapple (fresh or frozen)

Popcorn

Potatoes (mashed, no butter, skin or green parts)

Rice (cooked)

Rice cakes

Squash

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes (no greens or stems)

Tuna (and the juice from canned tuna)

Turkey

Yogurt

Here is a list from the ASPCA containing indicated foods you should not feed your pet. If you suspect your pet has eaten any of the foods they have listed in the post, note the amount ingested and contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

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