Dogs Eating Cat Food

[shmoo]

the boarding kennel i work at they only feed the dogs Whiskers cat food. And some dry dog food. Is this ok and normal?!?! some of these dogs are there for months and only eat tined whiskers cat food and the odd chicken neck.

[Dogsfevr]

Glad my dogs arent there that is not good at all.people pay good money to have there pets boarded & should be feed correctly

[Christina77]

From what I know it's ok for dogs to eat cat food, but not for cats to eat dog food.

Perhaps they got a large amount of cat food on the cheap ?

If I was boarding my dog I'd also have a few questions. Large breeds would need a few cans of cat food etc, can't imaging that it would be economical this way.

cat food fed this way would be more expensive but perhaps it fattens up the dogs so they look well when they go home? Maybe dogs eat better when they are presented with something new and tasty ?

One of out dogs used to eat cat food only, he was fine but he was only a small breed .

Seems odd though.

[Vehs]

For a healthy diet a dog shouldn't be fed catfood continously - is it very high in protein and lacks the vitamins/minerals that come from vegetables. D gets the leftover cat food for a snack in the morning :rolleyes:

Perhaps the reason is the price/donation type thing to the kennels.

What kind of dry food are they getting?

[Anna H]

I've also heard that it's OK to give dogs catfood, but not visa versa - I asked my vet as my dogs often pinch the left over cat food.... though I cannot possibly see how it could be healthy on more than an occasional basis. The make-up of the two types of food are completely different...

But like showdog said, boarding kennels usually charge fairly high fees so I'd expect my dogs to get fed top quality food for my money. Might be different if it were a rescue and it was donated or something...

I would still expect that the diet would be lacking considerably in doggie vitamins, unless they were supplemented.

[MaxSpots]

From memory.......Cat food has added Taurine (?sp) or something like that.

If cats eat dog food (long term) they miss out on the Taurine and eventually their health suffers.

Not sure what happens if dogs eat catfood long term.

EDIT:

Did a bit of a search (my dog is always pinching the catfood and visa versa :rolleyes: )

*excess taurine is excreted by the kidneys in urine

*Taurine deficiency in Dogs is linked to dilated cardiomyopathy in Large and Giant breeds

*some shelters in the US will feed dogs catfood to fatten them up

*For people An excess of taurine (which is an amino acid) "may" cause depression

Some links about Taurine

http://www.petcarenaturally.com/book_health_bible.php

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/home/health.html

Edited September 20, 2004 by MaxSpots

[griff]

Taurine in cat food also helps to aid in Eye sight ( i think)

But Gee , Dogs arent cats and I think that the owners would be thinking

that there dogs are getting fed meals of dog food not cat ..

I dont think a boarding kennel would be donated cat food I thought being a business

they would be buying bulk at a cut rate & or getting some return on their tax.

seems a bit odd.

:rolleyes:

[MaxSpots]

Oops was editing while you replied Griff, thought I was last on the list :rolleyes:

I agree with everyone, I wouldn't want my dog being fed catfood without my knowledge. Although on the surface it doesn't look like it would harm the dogs short term.

Long term I'd be worried about kidney problems from the increased protein and eventual weight gain. The taurine and depression link would concern me too, although that was a "Maybe" in relation to humans

The boarding kennel should tell the owners what they feed the dogs, I certainly asked when I boarded my dog recently and I also left them some of her favorite food incase she didn't eat theirs.

[MaxSpots]

Was thinking if excess Taurine isn't a problem for dogs, and some breeds might actually benefit from having it added to their diets, in terms of DCM... what's actually wrong with cat food?,

But I've also found out that cats have higher requirements in their diets for;

vitamin-A, Niacin, Protein, Taurine, linoleic and arachidonic acids, so these too are added to commercial cat foods.

Not sure what an exess of most of those would do to dogs longterm, if anything, but excess vitA can cause bone and joint pain, brittle bones and dry skin.

So yeh, back to what everyone has already said ....it's just not appropriate for dogs

Sorry to bore everyone but I had to search why,

thats just how my brain works :rolleyes:

[Elise]

It's ok to give dogs "some" cat food as the Omega 3 Fatty Acids in cat food is good for their coats but only twice, three times per week.

I "believe" cat food has a higher content of salt in it than dog food. Could present a problem in summer in the broad chested breeds who have a predisposition to bloat.

DOG and CAT food is balanced nutritionally for the requirements of the said breed. It is not a balanced diet for a dog when it is their "sole" diet.

Having said that, my dogs will clean up after the cats but it's only morsels so we don't stop them (but we don't let them eat the dry cat food).

The cats are also there when we are dishing up the dogs dinner and often steal a bit of raw chicken etc....

I only ever boarded my dogs once when I was living in a motel and waiting for a married quarter with the ADF (Australian Defence Force), we supplied our babies meals.

[shmoo]

well, the big dogs sometimes get just dry food to eat. which i wouldnt be happy about if that was my boys.

the small dogs get the cat food, or if they are really fussy they get cooked chicken (no bones), but they only seem to be fussy when they are new and dont want to eat cause they are scared.

[shmoo]

it woulod be interesting to know what they do tell people who are boarding their dogs.

if somebody wants to pm me i will give them the number and they can call and pretend to be enqireing about boarding there.. ask what they will get fed.

[Vehs]

will give them the number and they can call and pretend to be enqireing about boarding there

LOL you are sneaky!

[Elise]

[email protected]

You are welcome to email the telephone number.

[Sagittarian]

Dog food is designed for dogs. Cat food is designed for cats. Vitamins, amino acids, minerals, protein levels and so on and so on are so differently required by canines and felines. A tiny amount cat to dog is probably okay. I do mean tiny!

Taurine is necessary for cats - very important also for dogs. It is found in top quality dry dog foods with inceasing regularity.

Feeding canned food always worries me. Canned is full of water. Not to mention all sorts of things one wouldn't really want to feed if properly considered. (There are a couple of wet foods that are superior, and I do not include these in my comment). Certainly, there is insufficient nutrition in wet foods; semi moist foods; and, most dry foods to feed as a complete diet and get the best from your dog. Some of the top of the range dry foods truly do offer a wonderful source of nutrition, including proper amounts of taurine, chondroitin, glucosomine and so on. Balance though is always the key.

I would be inclined to check out the feeding habits of any boarding kennel I was considering for my dogs - or take my own food!

JMO

[Mystiqview]

Cat food is called cat food for a reason like dog food is called dog food for a reason?? Feline and canine diets are different.

Cat food is generally more tasty than dog food and have heard of it being used to temp fussy eaters..

But long term?? Not something I would use or recommend.

[Mystiqview]

Cat food is called cat food for a reason like dog food is called dog food for a reason?? Feline and canine diets are different.

Cat food is generally more tasty than dog food and have heard of it being used to temp fussy eaters..

But long term?? Not something I would use or recommend.

[picaflor]

I asked my vet what the difference was a while ago, and among the other things, cat food is also much higher in fat content - cats have a higher metabolism. Its also one reason that dogs go after cat poo ....

I give some to my dogs maybe once a week - so that they get a bit of variety, as I won't buy the 'casserole' dog foods - that gelatine stuff is awful! (or at least used to - canned food was what my old girl was used to - she couldn't eat biscuits -but now that she is gone I'm changing their diets.) No way would I be happy with them having it all the time!