Alana in Canada Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My 12 month old nephew is now staying with us for a 1/2 day every day (except Sundays). He usually makes a beeline for the dog's dish where he happily dumps it out, transfers it to another container, and...occasionally...puts one or two kernals in his mouth. My husband saw this and became alarmed. I think two or three "bits" of dry dog food won't hurt him. But will it? What's the thinking out there? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 With the # of contamination scares regarding pet food in recent times, I wouldn't risk it. See just one ex. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/15/AR2008051502363.html But then I never free-feed my dogs either. They eat when I put it down - usually after I make them do a bunch of stuff like a long down stay, a 'watch me' and they have to wait until I say 'take it' before they can start. If they don't eat it all within about 10-20 mins (I'm feeding raw now so sometimes it takes time to fully tear & shred it; but I have done this with kibble too - they get about 5-10 mins for a kibble meal), it disappears until next meal time. I put away the cat's food too because otherwise the dogs will try to sneak it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I would be totally freaked out if I found out that my dc was playing with and eating dog food. I realize an occasional accident might happen (babies always find that little bit of food!), but the fact that it's daily would disturb me. I would find a way to put a stop to it so as not to lose trust with the parents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My dd loved dog food. It was the only thing that we couldn't keep her out of. We had to resort to a gate, I say resort to because dd was disciplined to keep out of things that she wasn't supposed to be into . No amount of discipline kept her away from the dog food. :lol: I wouldn't purposely let him eat it but I don't think what he has consumed will do any harm. Much like dirt. I don't believe there is any more pet food contamination scares than there is person food contamination scares. Of course I'm a mom that invokes the 10 second rule too. :D I'm not a type A and my house isn't spotless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camibami Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I ate a lot of cat food as a kid, well past the toddler exploration age, LOL. I don't think its a big deal at all, nor will it hurst him. Contamination can come from any food- look at baby formula in China!If he was my kid, I'd be totally nonplussed by hearing he'd been snacking on the dog food. I might be a really bad mother though.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My babies have all done it and survived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I wouldn't worry about ingesting dog food unless it's from China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 One of my cousins used to eat Milk Bones. He's a doctor now, so probably no permanent damage. :D Really, I'd be more concerned about how the dog feels about it than the food itself. (Our dog has food aggression, but only with other dogs, not people or cats) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn E Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 The pet food is such an irresistible draw, isn't it? We just got a cat for Christmas and my little guy makes a beeline for the cat's dish whenever possible. His primary goal--at this point--is putting the food into the water dish. Grrrrr. I'm sure he has eaten some along the way. This is all new to us, too, so I'm curious to see how others have handled it. I've been nonplussed about him ingesting a bit...but do try to keep him away from the area. However, if I'm ever distracted and then notice he's very quiet...there's a 98% chance he's made his way back to the dish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Baby girl likes to do the same with the cat food. I am not worried about it. I don't "let" her get into it, but if she does and eat a peice before I remove it from her I am not worried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I should have said that I would not encourage the tot to snack from the dog's dish. I have done everything in my power to prevent it from happening. I just wanted to say that if the baby does happen to eat a few kibbles there is no reason to panic IMO . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I wouldn't worry about ingesting dog food unless it's from China. Even dog food made here in North America is often made with ingredients from China. For one thing, since most vitamins on the market in NA are imported from China, the vitamins & minerals in the food are almost certainly made in PRC. As I linked above, salmonella poisoning was linked to dry dog food. An outbreak of human Salmonella infection, which occurred as far back as 2006, has been traced to contaminated dry dog food, the first time such a link has been uncovered, according to U.S. officials. There was a recall last Sep of a bunch of products manufactured by Mars (makers of Pedigree & a bunch more) in a plant in NE USA, due to salmonella contamination. I think we all like to think that the pet food recall drama is all over but really, as Christie Keith pointed in the SFGate at the 1 year anniversary of the recalls: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/03/15/petscol.DTL There have been no improved inspections of pet food plants, no comprehensive overhaul of the patchwork of state, federal and industry manufacturing standards and regulations, no increased transparency and accountability — not even something as simple as printing the name and contact information of the actual manufacturer on pet food labels — and no revisions to pet food labeling laws. The Food and Drug Administration still does not have the authority to issue mandatory recalls. I wouldn't freak out about it if it was a 'one of' thing but if the child is really intent on it, I'd put it away to prevent a recurrence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 I don't know what to think about the whole China connection. I'll speak to my husband about only putting down the food and water when the baby isn't here. (He's irresistable attracted to the water dish too...). It is in a difficult spot to pull baby away from (under a shelf behind the table) so it's probably best to just take it away. He's torn up one book and pulled the cover off another today, too. (Sigh). There are no parents, at least not at the moment. He spends his time with me and my mother (his grandmother). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My 12 month old nephew is now staying with us for a 1/2 day every day (except Sundays). He usually makes a beeline for the dog's dish where he happily dumps it out, transfers it to another container, and...occasionally...puts one or two kernals in his mouth. My husband saw this and became alarmed. I think two or three "bits" of dry dog food won't hurt him. But will it? What's the thinking out there? Thanks! Perhaps, switch to an organic or all natural dog food while nephew is in house. The brand Merrick carries cat/dog, we use cat and I know it has lots of veggies in it. Thank perhaps you dont have to worry as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Yeah, I live on a farm and you wouldn't believe the things my little one gets into. However, the thought of a baby crawling on the floor even near dog food - blech! No, I would not let that happen. I also agree with a previous poster - there is no reason it should. No dog ( okay, very few) actually needs food sitting out. You feed it and 10 minutes later, put the bowl and the rest of the food away till tomorrow. Problem solved and dog AND baby are healthier! Dog water is another problem. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Our vet feels free feeding is best for dogs who are snackers during the day (not all are). Our doctor doesn't think it's a risk if the baby gets a few pieces of dog food. Not that we give it to him for a snack, but I'm just not going to worry if he gets a few pieces. There's no reason to. Babies get into things. Just pick the dog bowl up when he gets into it and direct his attention elsewhere. Really, a few handfuls of dog food aren't going to harm him. And yes...I think pet food is an irresistible draw to all babies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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