If your baby ate dog food, no need to panic. The mouthful of food won’t cause him any harm. Sometimes the color of dog food attracts the baby or the baby is friendly to the pet. While having some puppy time, they can start eating their food too.
Can a baby eat Dog Food
Just like pets, babies have a habit of sniffing around everywhere and putting everything in their mouths. Pet food is no different. In almost every household where both pets and kids live together, they have tasted each other’s food.
Your little one “can’t ” eat dog food regularly. However, if the baby has accidentally eaten dog food once, there is no harm in it. Dog food may contain low-grade ingredients but they don’t have any harmful things that a human should not eat.
Sometimes eating dog food can cause upset stomachs in kids and that is understandable. Dog’s digestive system is supposed to digest bones whereas human babies have sensitive little tummies.
Is it bad if a baby eats dog food?
If you are thinking will a baby get sick if he eats dog food?
Then the answer is, Mostly No.
- Babies will mostly eat a few kibbles of dog food. It will not harm them as a “poisonous ” or “toxic” food. Many times human tests the dog food to ensure that the quality and taste is fine. So if a baby eats dog food, he will be fine.
- However, you must keep in mind that dog food is made only for dogs. The nutritional value of dog food doesn’t serve human beings. If your baby is in habit of eating dog food often, try keeping the dog food away from his reach.
- In severe cases, the baby can have an upset stomach. He may get stomach ache and diarrhea after eating dog food. In such a case, you need to consult your doctor. A simple medication will solve that.
- It’s dangerous for babies to be around dog food unsupervised. In toddlers, dog food also has a risk of choking hazards. Dry dog food is attractive to human babies because of its shape, but the risk of choking is more.
- Eating dog food can confuse your baby’s eating habits. If you will allow this, next time you never know if your baby ate dog poop too. Don’t get shocked because many parents have horror stories about their baby’s eating habits.
What to do if the baby eats dog food?
Nothing! Usually, it won’t cause any harm unless the baby shows severe signs of vomiting diarrhea or lethargy. Also, this is very unlikely to happen. Many toddlers are fond of dog food.
However, a toddler eating dog food can sound cute but shouldn’t be ok. As a parent, you should keep dog food away. If you have caught your baby eating dog food once, there are chances he does it often.
In most cases, it’s not dog food that makes children sick but the dogs themselves. Pets can carry germs. When children touch things that pets touch including their food and food plate, they can ingest germs.
Is it bad if a baby ate wet dog food?
Babies are little monsters and they will eat anything that comes in their way. If they eat Dry dog food, that’s expected because babies are little thieves and can steal a piece or two from their friends’ plates.
However, if a baby eats canned food, first, this is your sheer negligence. Second, there are more risks to it.
- Many canned foods contain raw ingredients like meat. This increases the risk of salmonella and the baby can get a bacterial infection by eating wet dog food.
- Most canned food has ingredients like meat skin or leftover meat, which are not good for human beings to consume. This can cause food poisoning in little ones.
- Some dog food brands mix melamine in their dog food. That is harmful to babies.
If your baby is sick after eating dog food, consult a doctor.
What to do to stop the baby from eating dog food?
To avoid any risk
- Make sure you lock your dog’s food in a cabinet.
- Never leave the children unsupervised with a dog. Apart from eating food, there is always a risk of a dog harming a baby. No matter how friendly a dog is, he can get offended by the baby touching him or eating his food.
- Give your baby his food and he can sit and eat with the pet. This way children will know that they are not supposed to eat dog food.
- You can let your little one feed the dog. Supervise them and teach them that they should never eat this food.
- Teach your children about what they can or can not eat. The pup is their friend that doesn’t mean they are allowed to eat his food.
H2: Which dog food is safe for babies to eat?
Apart from children should never lay their hands on dog food, only handmade food is safe enough for them to consume. As homemade food is usually made under your supervision and contains edibles with no added preservatives, it is less harmful. Also, the ingredients used are quality-wise better than those of branded dog foods.
What happens if your dog ate baby food?
Well, if your little one can eat dog food, the dog can do the same. This baby and dog food can be a friendly exchange too. Many owners caught their toddlers sharing their food with the dog.
If a dog eats baby food, the same will happen as if a baby eats dog food. This switch was never supposed to happen in the first place. Baby food is not poisonous to dogs either. In some cases, it can cause upset stomachs or diarrhea in dogs. With home remedies, your dog should be fine.
Conclusion:
Dog food is not poisonous or harmful to kids but babies should not eat dog food. If your baby accidentally ate dog food and showed no serious illness, all is well Next time, keep the dog food out of the reach. If the baby ate dog food and becomes sick, consult a doctor. He may have food poisoning.