The Side Effects and Risks of a Dog Eating Cat Food

There's no doubt that dogs love cat food. Some dogs love cat food so much I have seen the owners use cat food as a form of high-value treat to reward them for those exceptional performances. Dogs love cat food so much that many cat owners are forced to feed their cats in separate areas that are out of the dog's reach. Dogs even enjoy eating cat food even after it has been digested. As much as the yuck factor kicks in, there's no denial that many dogs perceive kitty's "Tootsie rolls" as a pure delicacy.

So what makes cat food so appealing that dogs make a beeline for it? Is it just the fact that it's different? Does Rover get an adrenaline rush when he steals it? Is it more appealing because it's left out longer versus dog food which is served at specific times? Or does it actually taste better?

At a first glimpse, dog and cat food appear strikingly similar. They are both dry kibble that come in similar shapes and looks. They come in bags and they may even have a similar smell. Yet, they are both quite different when it comes to ingredients.

Cats are obligate carnivores, and as such, their diets are very rich in protein. Sharon Crowell-Davis, DVM, DACVB and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, suggests that it's this high protein content that has a major impact on flavor.

The fact Rover loves Fluffy's food is a no-brainer, but the real question is: will it harm my dog in the long term? In the next paragraphs, we will take a look at the health implications and side effects derived from eating cat food as a habit.

As mentioned, cat food and dog food may look strikingly similar, but at a closer inspection the content is quite different. As obligate carnivores, felines have different nutritional needs compared to dogs who are omnivores. Let's take a look at the difference between the two, shall we?

Obligate carnivore means "meat eater by necessity." In other words, it' a biological necessity for kitty to eat meat. Without meat, cats will fail to thrive because meat contains the essentials for their survival.

For instance, cats have a biological need for taurine, an aminoacid that is mainly found in animal flesh and it's also critical that cats ingest arginine which is also abundant in meat sources, as well as arachidonic acid. As obligate carnivores, cats also have a high need for protein. In order to live and thrive, cats therefore need meat.

On the other hand, despite their classification as Carnivora, dogs are considered omnivorous. This means that even though dogs are attracted to meat, they can also eat plant material and survive with such a diet. Indeed, dogs have shown the ability to digest carbohydrate-based foods.

As such, dogs unlike cats don't have a strict need for for taurine and they can create their own arachidonic acid from vegetable oils. Unlike cats, they aren't dependent on meat-specific protein and don't necessarily require to consume a very high level of protein in order to fulfill their basic dietary requirements.

Additionally, recent studies have found that dogs, unlike wolves, have adapted to digest a starch-rich diet as a part of domestication. So what are the side effects if a dog was allowed to eat cat food, especially on a regular basis?

For starters, the protein-dense diet of cats can cause an upset stomach in dogs with sensitive tummies. Even if say your dog would have an iron gut, the long term ingestion of cat food would create problems because its' not properly balanced for canines when it comes fiber and protein content and certain nutrients.

Additionally, Dr. Crowell-Davis adds that the great amount of protein can be hard on the dog's liver and their kidneys. Not to mention the effects cat food can have on a dog's waistline. Cause for blame is the cat food's heavy doses of fat. This may cause cat food-eating dog to develop a tendency to be obese and even risk developing a case of pancreatitis, explains Dr. Patty Khuly. Kitten food in particular seems to be even more harmful due to its higher levels of protein and fat.

So in order to keep Rover safe and healthy, make sure that he is specifically fed a diet purposely tailored for his or her own species.

• Feed kitty on a higher surface that your dog can't reach.
• Separate kitty's feeding area with a gate that the dog can't jump over or crawl under.
• Invest in a crate that the dog cannot fit into.
• Install a cat door that's too small for your dog to use
• If your dog is large, invest in a pet gate that has a smaller opening at the bottom where your cat can fit through.