Show HN: What dogs can eat? (Web App)(pawmenow.com)
pawmenow.com
Show HN: What dogs can eat? (Web App)
https://www.pawmenow.com/what-dogs-can-eat/
48 comments
I own a dog treat company and have written a bunch of "Can dogs eat x" articles for SEO purposes, and I can tell you based on the research I've done that some of this info is iffy.
You've got cinnamon as being okay, but some cinnamon contains coumarin, which is toxic to dogs (it's only really dangerous in large amounts, but smaller amounts can cause stomach issues). There are two types of cinnamon, Cassia and Ceylon - Cassia has relatively high amounts of coumarin, while Ceylon has virtually none.
For beef you say not to give it raw, but in many cases that's fine. You also say not to give human food as regular part of their diet, but feeding meat, vegetable and grains is often better than kibble.
You also say not to feed beef bones, but raw bones are fine - it's cooked bones that should be avoided (because cooking weakens them and can lead them to splinter).
If you're going to give this kind of health-related information, you need to do a better job and make sure what you're saying is accurate.
You've got cinnamon as being okay, but some cinnamon contains coumarin, which is toxic to dogs (it's only really dangerous in large amounts, but smaller amounts can cause stomach issues). There are two types of cinnamon, Cassia and Ceylon - Cassia has relatively high amounts of coumarin, while Ceylon has virtually none.
For beef you say not to give it raw, but in many cases that's fine. You also say not to give human food as regular part of their diet, but feeding meat, vegetable and grains is often better than kibble.
You also say not to feed beef bones, but raw bones are fine - it's cooked bones that should be avoided (because cooking weakens them and can lead them to splinter).
If you're going to give this kind of health-related information, you need to do a better job and make sure what you're saying is accurate.
My take on this is that the big three dog food companies have the budget for food scientists and a reputation to protect. After all the scares with boutique brands, I would only ever feed my dog food from Purina, Mars, or Hills.
For training, I use either their normal kibble if the dog is sufficiently food motivated, or string cheese.
The only treats my dogs get are to lick the plate if it’s suitable.
For training, I use either their normal kibble if the dog is sufficiently food motivated, or string cheese.
The only treats my dogs get are to lick the plate if it’s suitable.
> My take on this is that the big three dog food companies have the budget for food scientists and a reputation to protect.
When we first got our pup and had her in for her initial vet check-up, the vet went over all the fancy-ass boutique brands of dog food that were all natural and holistic and organic, blah, blah blah. I said that all seemed a bit silly to me and I'd rather feed my dog kibble unless it was definitely unhealthy for her. The vet then said, "yeah, honestly, that's what I feed my dogs. But people like to get sold all this stuff, so..."
When we first got our pup and had her in for her initial vet check-up, the vet went over all the fancy-ass boutique brands of dog food that were all natural and holistic and organic, blah, blah blah. I said that all seemed a bit silly to me and I'd rather feed my dog kibble unless it was definitely unhealthy for her. The vet then said, "yeah, honestly, that's what I feed my dogs. But people like to get sold all this stuff, so..."
It is possible, with a whole lot of caveats, that fancy grain-free dog foods may cause health issues.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/fda-grain-free-d...
Again, caveats a mile long. No RCT, no systematic reporting, overall small number of cases…but there is at least some association with super fancy boutique diets and dilated cardiomyopathy.
But beyond that: not exactly swimming in good evidence that feeding dogs something beyond, I dunno, Purina Pro Plan, ends up in significantly better health outcomes for dogs. I mean, I love my dog, I'd do a lot for my dog, but there better be a stack of evidence a mile high that I should be paying 3x or 4x for boutique dog food. From everything I can see, keeping him lean and active is going to do a lot more than getting some “paleo” dog food that’s hyped by a TikTok influencer.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/fda-grain-free-d...
Again, caveats a mile long. No RCT, no systematic reporting, overall small number of cases…but there is at least some association with super fancy boutique diets and dilated cardiomyopathy.
But beyond that: not exactly swimming in good evidence that feeding dogs something beyond, I dunno, Purina Pro Plan, ends up in significantly better health outcomes for dogs. I mean, I love my dog, I'd do a lot for my dog, but there better be a stack of evidence a mile high that I should be paying 3x or 4x for boutique dog food. From everything I can see, keeping him lean and active is going to do a lot more than getting some “paleo” dog food that’s hyped by a TikTok influencer.
Unfortunately my dog is somewhere between "brat" and "so fraught with digestion issues" that she gets the fancy stuff with a mix of dry and wet.
In the hopes of this not being entirely low-quality reply: sometimes the fancy stuff is needed / better, but also I think younger people especially want to give their dog something good and not feel like slop that the dog doesn't enjoy. I personally wouldn't give a normal healthy dog any of the mega-brand stuff because of how much filler and crap there apparently is.
I'd much rather feed my dog a custom raw diet than subject them to bunch of filler and grinded up bones tbh. Pet food brands have a steep hill to climb to shake off the impression it is just like garbage-tier materials grinded up.
In the hopes of this not being entirely low-quality reply: sometimes the fancy stuff is needed / better, but also I think younger people especially want to give their dog something good and not feel like slop that the dog doesn't enjoy. I personally wouldn't give a normal healthy dog any of the mega-brand stuff because of how much filler and crap there apparently is.
I'd much rather feed my dog a custom raw diet than subject them to bunch of filler and grinded up bones tbh. Pet food brands have a steep hill to climb to shake off the impression it is just like garbage-tier materials grinded up.
Yeah, my dogs both ate Purina One at the rescues where I got them, so I just kept them on that. Once my older dog got to about 6 years old, he started having loose stool, so I switched him to Taste of the Wild, and that's been better. In general as long as your dog is healthy and pooping fine, there's no need to buy ultra-fancy foods.
The real question is can humans eat your dog treats? I worked at a kisok in a mall when i was a teenager and this woman's job in the kiosk next to mine was showing that the dog treats were good enough for humans to eat by literally fuckin eating them but then one day she came to work with a chipped front tooth from smoking crack, and she had to try to convince people that the dog treats were human food grade like that
I tried this website and instantly loved it and found it very useful. I’m disappointed that the advice isn’t accurate, is there any alternative app or website you would recommend?
Just Google "Can dogs eat x" - you'll usually find a result from AKC at or near the top, and they're reliable.
Here's a list (but they also have more detailed articles that'll come up if you search for a particular food): https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/human-foods-dogs....
Here's a list (but they also have more detailed articles that'll come up if you search for a particular food): https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/human-foods-dogs....
Like the other reply says - Google is better in this regard.
Or double check with your vet if you're concerned (and they already ate something).
Or double check with your vet if you're concerned (and they already ate something).
I was curious about the whole list (don't know what I don't know, right?). Fortunately, the website is user-respecting and pure-frontend, so the list can be viewed with a little JS:
const canEat = [];
const cantEat = [];
for (const item of myObject) {
const name = item.name.split(',')[0];
(item.value === 'YES' ? canEat : cantEat).push(name);
}
It's less that you would feed your dog a cicada and more that during cicada season they are everywhere, covering the sidewalks, and your dog might try to eat them.
Is there anywhere with the LD50s (or lowest lethal dose) for dogs and different compounds? My dog eats anything she can get her paws on, and sometimes I'll search things to find "NO DO NOT GIVE DOG <x>" but if you research a little more you find "If dogs eat 500 of <x> they will get an upset stomach."
Good idea, chocolate for instance is always in then "absolutely not" category, but if you dig a bit deeper you find that a dog such as my own (50 lb) can consume over a pound of milk chocolate without cause for concern. https://www.petful.com/pet-health/how-much-chocolate-toxic-d...
Anything.
Unlike goats, which at least have a modicum of survival sense, if you've never had Spaniels or Flat-coat retrievers you've never seen natures stupidest vacuum cleaners at work:
- socks
- rope
- a whole tomato plant
- doll's heads
- 5lbs of fresh horse-shit
- books
These are just the thing's I've personally witnessed. Although some of these prompted visits to the vet, usually the vet just said "don't worry they have strong guts, bring 'em back if it doesn't pass in a day". Problem is, when a dog half poop s out an undigested rope, it follows them around in a most undignified way.
Unlike goats, which at least have a modicum of survival sense, if you've never had Spaniels or Flat-coat retrievers you've never seen natures stupidest vacuum cleaners at work:
- socks
- rope
- a whole tomato plant
- doll's heads
- 5lbs of fresh horse-shit
- books
These are just the thing's I've personally witnessed. Although some of these prompted visits to the vet, usually the vet just said "don't worry they have strong guts, bring 'em back if it doesn't pass in a day". Problem is, when a dog half poop s out an undigested rope, it follows them around in a most undignified way.
A German shepard mix we had in our Machine shop ate:
- cotton buffing wheel
- buffing wax
- numerous work gloves
- balloons (rainbow dog poop)
- small stainless steel chips he licked from the cnc mill trough covered in nasty coolant and oils. (sparkling dog poop)
- toilet overflowed and he helped himself to the poop on the floor.
- wood scraps or chips
- if another dog vomited, he'd clean it up. Oh and his own vomit too (Waste not, want not)
- stray cat poop he found in the yard
- dead racoon he found under the trailer
To his credit I never saw him eat dog poop. He also never had to go to the vet for eating any of the above and he lived just past 16 years. We always joked it was because he wasn't born but built in a machine shop.
- cotton buffing wheel
- buffing wax
- numerous work gloves
- balloons (rainbow dog poop)
- small stainless steel chips he licked from the cnc mill trough covered in nasty coolant and oils. (sparkling dog poop)
- toilet overflowed and he helped himself to the poop on the floor.
- wood scraps or chips
- if another dog vomited, he'd clean it up. Oh and his own vomit too (Waste not, want not)
- stray cat poop he found in the yard
- dead racoon he found under the trailer
To his credit I never saw him eat dog poop. He also never had to go to the vet for eating any of the above and he lived just past 16 years. We always joked it was because he wasn't born but built in a machine shop.
They're willing to eat anything, but something as simple as a grape can cause renal failure.
Certain types of things like string can also become entangled in their intestines and cause fatal blockages.
Certain types of things like string can also become entangled in their intestines and cause fatal blockages.
"5lbs of fresh horse-shit" - looool
our dog is on strict diet (kidney issues :(), but my in-laws have dog on the "farm" house that lives outside, but has a dog house, near the chicken coop (he must be some kind of mutt, or who knows what kind of breed), eats anything it's been given, and has perfect health with strong white teeth (unlike our poor fellow at home, who also needs treatment two times a week).
our dog is on strict diet (kidney issues :(), but my in-laws have dog on the "farm" house that lives outside, but has a dog house, near the chicken coop (he must be some kind of mutt, or who knows what kind of breed), eats anything it's been given, and has perfect health with strong white teeth (unlike our poor fellow at home, who also needs treatment two times a week).
I appreciate that this web site produces a "bottom line up front". Searching google for something like "can a dog eat blueberries" usually turns up an SEO optimized article saying something along the lines of "your dog might be able to eat blueberries but it probably shouldn't".
Where is the answer coming from here? Is there a database of foods dogs are allowed to eat, or is it pulling the answer from other internet sources dynamically?
Where is the answer coming from here? Is there a database of foods dogs are allowed to eat, or is it pulling the answer from other internet sources dynamically?
The classic thing you’re not supposed to feed dogs: chocolate.
Which is definitely true. But what I didn’t realize is humans are the outliers in terms of chocolate. Theobromine is toxic to a wide range of mammals, and humans just happen to metabolize it much more quickly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobromine_poisoning
Which is definitely true. But what I didn’t realize is humans are the outliers in terms of chocolate. Theobromine is toxic to a wide range of mammals, and humans just happen to metabolize it much more quickly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobromine_poisoning
Makes me think there was a cult 10k years ago, they all ingested it to be one with god, and 3 people survived...
And we're their descendants.
And we're their descendants.
Where is this information being sourced? (that might be on the website but I couldn't find it so maybe make it more evident?)
Nice app. Could benefit from a taxonomy of things. For example, "Fruit" is not searchable - but most fruit I searched for appear to be OK for dogs.
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q503 << For example.
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q503 << For example.
Not great. I searched for halloumi as it was mentioned on the page and got "no information found".
Honestly, I have no idea why there are so many things dogs apparently can't eat. It's amazing they survived this long and they're not extinct. I suspect much of it is complete rubbish. For instance, I've made halloumi. It was just milk and rennet. About the simplest cheese there is - and apparently they can eat cheese.
Honestly, I have no idea why there are so many things dogs apparently can't eat. It's amazing they survived this long and they're not extinct. I suspect much of it is complete rubbish. For instance, I've made halloumi. It was just milk and rennet. About the simplest cheese there is - and apparently they can eat cheese.
humans have accumulated an incredible amount of diverse edible and inedible objects. a walk through someone's house might reveal houseplants and vegetables from 4 different continents, some of which are drastically different from their wild counterparts. most within easy reach of a determined pet. where is a prehistoric dog supposed to get a lily plant, massive onions, a pan full of bacon grease, a cord carrying 240V/50Hz?
And chocolate is just chocolate, right? Yet theobromine is toxic for dogs.
> It's amazing they survived this long
It's because most owners know what to feed their dogs.
It's because most owners know what to feed their dogs.
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I got a chuckle when I tried to enter 'cat food' and all it would let me enter is 'cat', then it informed me that I should not feed my cat to my dog. A+ advice.
It's fair to say that there isn't much evidence for most foods being healthy or unhealthy for dogs. The only real exceptions are grapes, raisins, chocolate and alcohol. Everything else makes up a healthy diet, too much sugar, fat and salt is bad but it's fine in moderation.
Chocolate is toxic, but the crap milk chocolate available to the US consumers contains very little cocoa.
So in all likelihood a large dog can eat an entire bar and be perfectly fine. Not that you should be feeding it any in the first place, since it's mostly sugar and leads to other issues.
So in all likelihood a large dog can eat an entire bar and be perfectly fine. Not that you should be feeding it any in the first place, since it's mostly sugar and leads to other issues.
I ask Alexa "Can a dog eat <X>?" all the time. It can be useful but the coverage doesn't seem great. It also ends everything with "ask your veterinarian" which plants the seed of doubt.
I will bookmark this website!
I will bookmark this website!
What I learned is dogs can't eat pizza because salt but can eat pickles.
should include some kind of fuzzy search or at least partial matches, 'bones' is not on the list but 'chicken bones' is, would be nice if it matched that
Is it true that sugar makes dogs blind? It's something someone said to me when I was a kid and I have always believed it.
Edit: Obviously, it was my first search but no info about this.
Edit: Obviously, it was my first search but no info about this.
If you want a healthy dog, feed it raw and stay away from (excessive) injections and flea treatments.
"What dogs can eat?" is phrased a bit awkwardly, and could be interpreted as "What type of dogs are able to eat?".
"What can dogs eat?" would be clearer.
"What can dogs eat?" would be clearer.
Some dogs can get very sick from salmon.
What I find fascinating about western society is how much people like dogs. These days couples are not having kids and replacing that motherly need with keeping a dog. It's some kind of obsession which reflects a weird psychopathy?
Couple: I don't think we're ready to commit the massive amount of time/money/love/etc. required to raise a kid yet, but what do you say we get a dog?
Ilrwbwrkhv: Pyscopaths.
Ilrwbwrkhv: Pyscopaths.
Dogs are planted on earth to parasiticly replace our kids, thus depopulating earth for alien hordes!
It’s the practice child.
Can you add an easter egg that says "No can has cheeseburger"?
But in all seriousness, very cool project because as a relatively new dog owner I am searching "can dogs eat <x>" at least once a week.
---
> No. Dogs can't eat dairy products.
Is at odds with what it says for milk and cheese
> Yes! Dogs can eat banana,bananas.
> Yes. Dogs can eat capiscum.
This should probably have the footnote of bell peppers is probably fine but don't give your dog hot peppers (I mean, I doubt a dog would eat them)
If you search for chili, it recommends against it because of it being really spicy. My understanding is that capiscum is an entire family that ranges from bell peppers up to peppers that will hurt humans.
> I caught you! I hope it's just pure curiosity and you weren't going to give your dog a fried [blah blah].
AMAZING. That got me when I saw it in the list. Anyone else has to find it on their own. ;)
> Yes. Dogs can eat seeds.Yes, dogs can consume seeds.
---
There are some that are the same food (French fries is one I saw three times) but end up at fragmented articles that could be better put together.
What could be interesting and valuable, especially since you seem to have a small dataset, is relate words so you can share these presumably hand-written explanations between words / phrases and give more value and nuance so you can focus on making n / 2 high-quality articles rather than having to write n articles.
For instance, relating all peppers together (chili, capiscum, hot peppers, bell peppers) so you can discuss why it is ok to give bell peppers but not hot peppers or chili.
This would increase how human and valuable it feels so you aren't just running into "Yes, dogs can eat [x]" or "No, dogs can't eat [x]".