Can a Maltipoo Eat Human Food? What’s Safe and What’s Not?

There is nothing quite like reaching the end of another busy day with your evening meal to look forward to. You sit down, ready to tuck in, but wait – you suddenly have a pair of puppy eyes staring hard at your every move. You watch their eyes as they track every mouthful of food while hungrily sniffing the air. Whilst slightly off-putting, you can’t resist sharing with your best friend. But before giving into temptation and feeding your pooch be sure to understand exactly what human foods are safe for dogs and which should be avoided at all costs.

Maltipoos can enjoy some human foods with no ill effects. These include plain meats, cooked eggs, some dairy, and fish. Food items including chocolate, ice cream, alcohol, onions, and garlic are dangerous for dogs. Treats should also always be included in their daily calories.

There’s a saying: “Kindness doesn’t cost a thing” Well, that’s not always the case, especially when it comes to sharing your dinner, as you will find out if you do feed your Maltipoo an unsafe food item. It will cost, and probably quite a lot! Let’s break our food down into something easily referenceable so you know what you can and can’t share with your dog. Please note we are focusing on non-fruit items. Our sister article What Fruits Can a Maltipoo Eat? Our Guide, will cover fruit items in more detail.

Table of Contents

Safe Human Foods for Maltipoos

Beef: Unseasoned and plain cooked beef is absolutely fine for Maltipoos.
Bread: Whilst not containing much nutritional value, bread is safe for dogs. Just be mindful of the calorie content and don’t use it as an everyday treat.
Broccoli: Dogs can eat this raw or cooked from time to time and it is full of healthy vitamins.
Carrots: Perfectly safe and usually loved in the canine world, they can be served raw or cooked. They are great to freeze too for your teething puppy.
Chicken: Plain chicken is fine for dogs, it can be a good food source if your dog has an upset tummy as it’s quite bland and light.
Cooked eggs: Dogs tend to enjoy a cooked egg now and again and they are full of healthy nutrients and taste yummy.
Corn: Your dog will happily eat a spoonful of corn and it’s OK for them to do so. Just don’t attempt to feed them off the cob in case of any choking episodes.
Dairy: Products such as cheese, milk, and cottage cheese are acceptable for dogs in small amounts. Of course, if your dog is lactose intolerant you should avoid these. You can read all about potential allergies in Doodles in our article Do Doodles Have Sensitive Stomachs.
Green beans: These can be eaten by your dog raw or cooked and are a good source of iron and vitamin K.
Peanut butter: unsalted peanut butter is safe for dogs to have in moderation but do not feed it to them if it contains xylitol as this is toxic to dogs. 100% nuts is the best PB you can feed to them.
Peas: Some dog food brands contain peas, and they are safe for your dog. Frozen peas are great to add to interactive treat toys.
Popcorn: Although perhaps not the healthiest treat option this is safe for dogs to eat as long as it’s plain. You need to be careful and watch out for un-popped kernels which are a choking hazard.
Pork: Cooked pork is fine in very small amounts as the fat can be hard for dogs to digest properly.
Salmon: Yes please! Salmon helps keep the coat healthy and has healthy vitamins that are good for your pooch.
Shrimp: They are full of healthy nutrients so yes shrimps are safe for your dog to have occasionally. Not too often though as they are high in cholesterol so if consumed too often it can cause problems with your dog’s weight and health.
Sweet potatoes: These are fine from time to time, again just consider the extra calorie content.
Tuna: Again, tuna is beneficial for your dog’s coat and skin, and also contains healthy vitamins.
Turkey: As with chicken, plain turkey is fine but best to remove the fat first as we all know it’s not good for us and this is the same for your dog.
White rice: Known for its binding qualities, rice can be a really good option for dogs with tummy troubles. Dogs with diabetes should only have occasionally as it can cause blood sugars to rise.

Unsafe Human Foods for Maltipoos

Alcohol: A big no – very dangerous for dogs to consume any sort of alcohol.
Chocolate: Loved by humans but capable of killing dogs – that’s the harsh truth. Generally speaking, the darker the chocolate the more toxic it is. You can buy dog-friendly chocolate in some pet stores.
Cinnamon: This potentially won’t cause issues in small amounts but it can be dangerous if ingested in large quantities.
Coffee: Another product loved by humans but again not suitable for your pooch. Dogs cannot have anything containing caffeine.
Coconut water: Some coconut is OK for your pooch provided it’s a rare treat. However, coconut water should be avoided due to the high levels of potassium present.
Garlic: A tasty ingredient to so many dishes but in the doggy world garlic is a no-no. This is due to the fact it is toxic to dogs.
Ice cream: Honestly, it’s best avoided as it has no nutritional value to dogs. Definitely keep it away from your lactose intolerant dog. It’s super high in sugar too.
Nuts: While some nuts are OK to give dogs they do pose a choking hazard. Others, such as macadamia nuts are poisonous to them so always do your research first.
Onions: Unfortunately, all parts of the onion are toxic so before handing your leftovers over to your dog be sure it doesn’t contain any onion.
Raw eggs: there have been a lot of interesting arguments surrounding raw eggs and the majority say not to feed them to dogs. This is because of the risk of salmonella and biotin deficiency. However, if you can be sure that your eggs are salmonella free they can be a tasty treat for your dog, shell, and all.
Salt: Avoid anything salty for your dog as it’s just not natural or good for them.
Xylitol: This sugar substitute is found in lots of food items and is highly toxic to dogs so always check the ingredients of products first.

Is Human Food Better for Maltipoos than Dog Food?

We’ve looked at what dogs can safely eat and what they need to avoid to stay healthy. The next thing to ask is: could a dog live on just human food or would there be consequences? Put simply dogs have a completely different digestive system to humans and the fact is a lot of food just isn’t suitable for them. Human foods contain too much sodium, fat and some are toxic to them.

We have established what you can treat your Maltipoo to with human food but it’s important to remember to feed relative to their size and requirements. Overfeeding can have health implications and Maltipoos are prone to weight gain due to their toy status. If you do treat your pooch, then give them a bit less somewhere else in the day. We know that eating all our meals each day and snacking on top inevitably leads to piling on the extra pounds. It’s no different in the world of dogs.

Many dog owners have turned towards raw feeding with their dogs with foods including organ and muscle meats, raw eggs, and dog-appropriate fruit and vegetables. Owners believe raw feeding promotes better health in many ways and keeps stools regular. It is always recommended to have a chat with your vet before going down this route as every breed and dog is different.

Possible Issues with Human Food

Weight gain: As previously discussed you should always follow your breed’s recommended daily food allowance to maintain their health. Dogs are not known for showing restraint when it comes to food portions.
Food Intolerances: Some human foods might cause issues with your dog and should be slowly introduced and taken away again if problems such as diarrhea occur.
Encouraging Begging Behavior: Feeding your Maltipoo dog titbits straight from your plate can lead to unwanted expectations. Always wait until you’ve finished your meal before handing over any scraps and they are best placed in their dog bowl.
Toxic Foods: Some foods are just simply not suitable for dogs as we’ve looked at in length above.

Final Word

By all means, treat your furry bundle to the odd scrap of food but just bear in mind everything you’ve read in this article. Toy dogs need a strict daily allowance of calories to maintain a healthy weight so overfeeding them won’t do them any favors. It’s also important to remember they need to burn off these calories in the same way humans do so a daily walk is essential. To sum up, enjoy giving those tasty scraps but remember kindness can kill in this instance so there needs to be a happy medium.