Can Dogs Eat Cat Food? To know whether a dog can eat cat food or not, first, we need to understand the basic difference between the nutritional content of cat and dog food.
Dogs And Cats: Nutritional Analysis
- Dogs are omnivores by nature and require a more balanced diet other than just meat food whereas cats are carnivores whose meal mainly consists of meat items.
- Dog food has low levels of protein compared to cat foods which are meat based. Maybe the flavor and smell are much stronger in cat foods, attracting the dogs towards them.
- Cat foods can be used as occasional treats to reward your dog for their exceptional behavior.
Risk Of Feeding Dogs With Cat Foods
- Dogs love to gobble on cat foods. A cat food may not provide your dog with all the necessary nutrients simply because they are designed for cats and not for dogs.
- Cat foods can also cause pancreatitis, obesity, and gastrointestinal upset in dogs. A dog’s kidneys and livers might get ruptured due to high levels of protein.
What Will Happen If My Dog Eats Cat Food?
Common signs are diarrhoea, vomiting, and GI discomfort. The largest threat is pancreatitis. Symptoms of pancreatitis include-
- Body weakness
- Frequent fever
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal issues
- Vomiting
- Loss of Appetite
- Lethargy
- Hunched back
How Much Cat Food Can My Dog Eat?
Feeding cat foods to your dogs as an occasional treat in a moderate amount will be safe until your dogs don’t show any signs of stomach problems.
Generally, do not feed your dogs with cat foods.
Finally to conclude, dog foods lack protein levels and arachidonic acid while cat foods lack in taurine and vitamin A deficiency.
A dog can survive eating cat foods while a cat cannot do the same consuming dog food alone. Hence, stick to dog foods for dogs and cat foods for a cat.
