Turns out your hatred of Brussels sprouts as a kid may have helped your family dog live longer: A new study found giving dogs table scraps can actually be GOOD for them. But it doesn't apply to all table scraps.
Researchers at the University of Helsinki say scraps made of NON-processed foods are better for dogs than most dry food, which tends to be highly processed.
They looked at the diets of more than 8,500 young dogs and puppies, and asked their owners what kind of health issues the dogs experienced.
Around 20% ended up with digestive issues later in life, like vomiting, diarrhea, and low appetite. But dogs that regularly ate table scraps were 23% less likely to have those issues.
Giving them human food as a meal can also be good. Puppies that ate things like meat, fish, and eggs a few times a month were 22% less likely to have problems. So whether it's human food or dog food, avoiding processed stuff is key.
They also found one thing that was even worse for their digestive system than dry food was. Dogs that were given RAWHIDE CHEWS as puppies were 117% more likely to end up with digestive problems.
Source: USA Today