Snacks for Your Sidekicks
By Kymythy Schultze

Queen Victoria did it. Mark Twain did it. Even Edgar Allen Poe did it. And if you live with a dog or cat as a member of your family, you may do it too. It dates back to the time when early human first invited their primitive pet into the sanctity of their home and, much to the animal’s delight, their kitchen. Sharing food with our animal friends is a time-honored tradition that has helped bond our species together. Plus, it’s fun! It brings out the nurturer, the companion and the guardian in all of us. It feels good to share a special treat with a furry friend, and millions of animal-lovers do it on a regular basis. But, before you slip that snack under the table, you should determine if it will help or harm your pet.

The old adage that you shouldn’t feed table scraps to your pet is certainly valid if the food from your table does not promote good health. Many of today’s processed foods are not good for any body; human, canine or feline as they contain rancid fats, sugar and questionable chemicals. They offer little nutritional value when compared to fresh natural foods. And cooked leftovers such as meat fat and others may smell good to your pet, but can lead to health problems. Also many dogs and cats, like many humans, have negative reactions to ingredients they may be sensitive to such as dairy, wheat, yeast and more.