It can be hard for pet parents to resist the sad eyes of their beloved pooch starring up at them begging for human food.

Sherry Woodward, an animal behavior consultant for Best Friends Animal Shelter, says giving in is a costly mistake. Best Friends is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping to rescue animals in distress. The organization led the rescue mission during Hurricane Katrina.

“I had an experience with a (Yorkshire terrier) that was given bacon every morning for breakfast,” she says. “Anything greasy, fatty or salty is not good. The dog would end up skipping meals, waiting on the bacon.”

The pooch was eventually diagnosed with pancreatitis.

Woodward says human food has fat, grease and spices and these things can cause dogs to have upset stomachs, bloating and gas.

Additionally, she says, humans eat fatty and greasy foods "and, as a country, are overweight."

Most Serious Threats

Although dogs should not eat human food, Woodward says, there are a few foods that can pose the most serious threats to their health. This list includes alcoholic beverages, caffeine, chocolate, fat trimmings, raisins and grapes, chicken and turkey bones, onions, macadamia nuts, salt and sugar.

Woodward says alcoholic beverages can cause a coma; caffeine may adversely affect the heart and nervous system; chocolate can be toxic; fat trimmings can cause pancreatitis; raisins and grapes can damage the kidneys; and nicotine can affect the digestive and nervous systems.

As for salt and sugar, “It’s just like with humans, animals don’t need them because there is no real benefit,” Woodward says.

If you feel that you must give a pooch food from the table, vegetables, such as broccoli and carrots, have minimal nutritional value and are OK for dogs to consume.

"They serve as good roughage for dogs," she says.

Nevertheless, Woodward says consulting a veterinarian is crucial when deciding what type of dog food a pooch should be fed.

No Bones About It

Many have likely heard that bones are not good for dogs, but some masters continue to give them as treats.

Woodward said cooked bones are brittle and become shards in a dog’s mouth and digestive system, leading to health complications.

Jamie Wolf, a pet lover, advocate and doggie day care owner, also does not believe that dogs should be fed human food.

"I feel it leads to a lot of problems -- health and behavioral problems," says Wolf who owns Pet Lover Central in Boca Raton, Fla.

She adds that feeding a dog human food teaches a pooch how to beg. Human food is also nutritionally unsound for them.

Wolf says dogs that are given human food are typically overweight.

At her doggie day care, she encourages her clients to resist making their dogs "little humans."

Even though pet parents may want to give a little bit of eggs or burgers, they should realize that there will be serious consequences.

"Everything has a much bigger affect on them," she said. "One serving of bacon is like a week's worth for them."

Wolf says that she can spot a dog that is not receiving proper nutrition because it is eating human food or poor quality dog food because of shedding or a poor coat. She says what is going on in the inside will show in the dog’s appearance. This could also mean cloudy eyes.

As with humans, dog’s diets determine longevity.

"What you feed them really determines their life span," she said.

Stop Your Beggin'

Woodward says that it is not too late if pet parents have been slipping their pooch a few scrapings from the table.

“Stop rewarding them,” she says, to correct the bad behavior. “They do what works, and if it doesn’t work, they don’t do it.”

Setting the human’s and dog’s mealtime together but in different areas of the home can also correct the behavior.

Woodward adds that if a pet parent cannot resist rewarding a pooch, she should buy a toy that can be filled with dog food or treats that have a nutritional value and “spoil away.”

A Kong is filled with food or treats and keeps dogs busy because it takes energy and time for the dog to get to the inside.

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