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Scraps for Dogs and Cats / Hybrid Vigorby Malcolm RiordanIt's OK and fun to give your pets table scraps! This may sound like heresy or rogue advice, but a few important caveats are in order here. In pleasing our pets with table scraps you must avoid giving them too many total calories, unbalancing their diets, upsetting their stomachs, or causing poor behavior patterns. Pets become overweight if they take in more calories than they burn, so any treats or scraps must be accounted for by reducing the amount of their staple diet accordingly. If you are feeding a high quality diet, then veterinary nutritionists have said that up to 20% of a pet's total calorie intake can consist of appropriate table scraps. Beyond that it gets to the point of diluting or unbalancing the nature of the good quality diet your pet relies on for healthy nutrition. In the case of smaller dogs, it does not take much of a treat to reach that allotment! Any treats or 'human food' you give your pets must be something they tolerate well. Special consideration should be given to items that are too rich, fatty or spicy, that have bones in them, or that seem to disagree with the animal's digestive system. Avoid feeding any raw or spoiled foods that you yourself would not eat. Experiment a little. Many dogs enjoy high quality scraps such as fruit, vegetable pieces, nuts, or grains as much as they do meats or dairy. Good training and avoidance of behavior problems suggest pets not be fed table food in the kitchen while you are cooking. A pet underfoot in an active kitchen is an accident waiting to happen (trips, falls, burns), not to mention the creation of an obnoxious beggar. Likewise, feeding table scraps during our mealtime might be ill-advised. Really, it comes down to taking heed of common sense vs. those big brown eyes or other irresistible ploys. Hybrid VigorPerhaps you remember the phrase "hybrid vigor" from a biology class in your past. The term refers to the marked vigor often exhibited by cross bred animals (and plants). When it comes time to adopt a new dog or cat into your home, the concept of hybrid vigor could lead you to widen your selection process to include a look at the mixed breeds and the free-range dogs of uncertain heritage. These non-purebred candidates for adoption are not likely to fall victim to the breed associated problems that can exist in the restricted, narrow gene pool of many a purebred. Certainly, purebreds can possess certain physical and behavioral traits that we value or want in a pet. Yet often enough, breed defects or breed associated problems co-exist with the valued characteristics; problems may be part of the package. So don't turn your back on that engaging mutt!! Not only is he or she guaranteed to be 100% dog or cat, their hybrid vigor may just dazzle you through many healthy and happy years.
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