• I have heard corn is bad for cats and dogs, but look on any food bag and you see it usually as the first ingredient. Does anyone know of a food that doesnt contain corn?


  • @parkersmom82:

    I have heard corn is bad for cats and dogs, but look on any food bag and you see it usually as the first ingredient. Does anyone know of a food that doesnt contain corn?

    there are a few different options. Kirkland brand I believe does not contain corn, Nutro natural does not ( I think that is what it is called it is one of the nutros this is what we use) there are more just talk to someone at your pet store and they should be able to help you. Treats were harder to find but we found over ten options and bought 4 different kinds to try one of them he hates one hes okay with one he likes and the peanut butter ones he LOVES!!! HTH


  • There are lots of foods out there that don't have corn. I feed Innova, and in the past I have fed Natural Blend by Royal Canin, and Nutros Lamb and Rice.

    I use hot dogs as treats for dog training. Never had a problem. Dogs are omnivores, and scavengers in their wild state. They can digest most things in small quantites fairly well. I also occasionally let my dogs lick an ice cream bowl…again...everything in moderation. If your dog has a sensitivity to corn, or wheat, or milk then that is a different story...but most dogs are capable of eating a variety of things. Most dogs can even ingest *some chocolate without becoming terribly sick....but better safe than sorry. My parents dog ate a pound bag of MandMs one New Years Eve...she lived, but she was really wired for 24hrs! Not something I recommend.

    I prefer to feed food that is corn free because corn is not a very digestable grain for dogs. Makes big poops, lots of gas, and many dogs have corn allergies.


  • I have heard that the chocolate dogs cant eat is the baking chocolate that like m and ms and stuff are not as bad. I used to shop at this boutiquie dog store that sold dog safe chocolate. It was human edible too, i think it was just coco free.


  • I got the below list off of a link from the Dr's Foster and Smith website

    http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1661&articleid=1030

    There are a few on here that I think are pretty funny, like tobacco and marijuana LOL! Like you want to support your dogs habit! LOL! :p "Hi, my name is Rover and I am a drug addict", it just sounded funny to me when I was reading it! LOL!

    Alcoholic beverages- Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.
    Baby food- Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. (Please see onion below.) Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.
    Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources- Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.
    Cat food- Generally too high in protein and fats.
    Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine- Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous systems.
    Citrus oil extracts- Can cause vomiting.
    Fat trimmings- Can cause pancreatitis.
    Grapes and raisins- Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys.
    Hops- Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.
    Human vitamin supplements containing iron- Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys.
    Large amounts of liver- Can cause Vitamin A toxicity, which affects muscles and bones.
    Macadamia nuts- Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
    Marijuana- Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.
    Milk and other dairy products- Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.
    Moldy or spoiled food, garbage- Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.
    Mushrooms- Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.
    Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder)- Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.
    Persimmons- Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
    Pits from peaches and plums- Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.
    Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves; potato and tomato stems- Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. This is more of a nervous, and urinary systems. This is more of a problem in livestock.
    Raw eggs- Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.
    Raw fish- Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly.
    Salt- If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
    String- Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."
    Sugary foods- Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.
    Table scraps (in large amounts)- Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.
    Tobacco- Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.
    Yeast dough- Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.


  • Well, drat. No more hashbrownies for my dogs. :p


  • On occasion we give our dogs yogurts & hot dogs for training. I also know people who give frozen yogurt & cream cheese in kongs.

    I feed our dogs Merricks wet & dry….looks yummy enough for ME to eat 😃 😃


  • Oh for goodness sakes….talk about scaring people! Most of these things would hurt anybody if eaten in large quanities! No offense to you ChaseandZaharasmom 🙂

    I certainly don't place liver, garlic and raw fish in the same level of concern as string and tobacco! Yes, you wouldn't want your dog to have a diet of any of these things in large quantites...but it isn't like most of them on occasion..and I do mean rarely, are going to cause them to fall over dead.

    Drs Foster and Smith were probably sponsored by a dog food company to post that list....."don't feed your dog anything but dog food" kind of thing

    P.S. I knew a cat that ate a sizeable amount of marijuana. The cat was fine...but a little weird for the rest of his life 😉


  • P.S. I knew a cat that ate a sizeable amount of marijuana. The cat was fine…but a little weird for the rest of his life

    ROFL!!! HYSTERICAL 😃 😃 😃 I would be too huh?! LOL!


  • No offense taken Andrea, I thought some on the list where a little over the top or weird, especially the potato thing.

    When I first got Chase, my first dog this list was a good guide for me since I didn't know anything. I learned a lot about how bad the supposed "good" dog foods were by going to dog training and learning how to read the labels. The commercials make some of them look so great how could they not be wonderful, right? You need to watch out for their food ingredients like you do your own.

    I just switched to Inova and I see a good improvement in Chase and Zahra's coats.

    Now, if only I could figure out how to get Zahra to stop smoking at the dog park! LOL!


  • @Now:

    Well, Niccorette gum isn't on that list, so there IS hope!! 😃


  • P.S. I knew a cat that ate a sizeable amount of marijuana. The cat was fine…but a little weird for the rest of his life.

    Is this the cat?

    http://home.tiscali.dk/ulrich/screencleaner.swf


  • @Basenji_Boy:

    Is this the cat?

    http://home.tiscali.dk/ulrich/screencleaner.swf

    Oh, dear…that is kind of pathetic...but REALLY funny 😉


  • The cat is fabulous. Thanks for the list it will come in handy. I had no idea about the onion thing, which is good to know because we use onions in everything.


  • A couple of years ago, I discovered that Lexi was getting into a bowl of candy that I didn't think she could reach. I thought my hubby was just not throwing his wrappers away until one day I was sitting there and over walks Lexi and boom, she jumps on the table like it was no big deal (she NEVER gets on tables), reaches into the bowl, and daintily pulls out a Hershey Kiss from the thread. She then placed it on the ground and proceeded to unwrap it JUST SO. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like she had little fingers and just took the foil right off and put it on the side!!! She never acted funny or anything and of course we removed that from her reach. She still goes NUTS if she smells chocolate in the room!!


  • I've got nothing constructive to add here, but OMG - ROFLMAO at smoking in the dog park and stoned kitties!!! 😃 Thanks for the giggles - I really needed them today! 🙂


  • This thread is turning out great! LOL! No joke on needing the laugh today and this thread is really helping get a laugh!

    BDawg, I love your Hershey's Kiss story, I could almost picture Zahra doing the same thing.

    Not that this is a food, well it might have been but one of my two furbabies ate the delete key off of my laptop, I found it in the kennel this morning partially chewed. Can I add computer keys to the bad food list?!


  • I'm going to get fired at work :eek: from laughing too much at my desk! No one is going to believe I'm WORKING 😃

    BBOY-ROFL Luv the kitty!!


  • BBOY-ROFL Luv the kitty!!

    I have one of dogs licking the screen somewhere too.:D


  • @Basenji_Boy:

    I have one of dogs licking the screen somewhere too.:D

    Oh I wanna see 🙂 My dh wants that as his screensaver 🙂

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