17 Month Old and Dog/Cat Food

Oh my goodness!!
Why don't you put your animal's food somewhere else where your baby can't get to it?? We have two enormous cats and their food is kept upstairs in the laundry room.

I realize that I am probably overprotective (mother of four, no less) but the very idea of my child getting close to an animal's food source seems really unhygenic to me. Doesn't dog food contain bone meal?? YUCK.

Please consider just feeding your animals someplace else.

This will probably sound kinda silly, but what did you do to teach the dog/cat to stay out of or away from the baby's things? The same approach worked for both our cats & son! LOL

We just kept redirecting. They could examine each others' things, but we were very clear that this is the kitties' and this is the baby's (we didn't have dogs until my son was 2). I think it's a curiousity phase for both when they find something new.

If our son was playing in the food, we gave him his own food, like cheerios or something so it was a similar size/texture but safe for him to eat. If he was playing in the water, we gave him some water in a bowl in the bath he could play in without making a huge mess all over the floor. Again- that's theirs, this is yours.

It took a couple of weeks of consistent redirecting, but after that it wasn't a problem. By the time my son was born, the cats knew they were no longer allowed in the baby's room unless we were with them. At 3, my son started volunteering to feed the cats, and has recently (at 4.5) started feeding the dogs too. He'll be the first to get on to any of the pets for messing with something that's his, and he'll give them their toy instead.

My brothers also had a tendency to eat the dog/cat food when they were young (up until 5 or 6, when they'd start daring each other to eat it!). If it makes you feel any better, they never got sick. It just grossed out my sis & me, so I think at that point it was more about the shock factor/reaction.

Hi,

My son did the same thing...both dog and cat food. We now keep the kitchen off limits 90% of the time with the help of gates. We keep both the dog and cat food in there. I had a problem with my dog eating the cat food. On our island, we have 2 shelves on the end. On the bottom shelf at floor level, we keep the dog bowl and water. On the shelf just above it (maybe 2 feet off the floor, about the same height as the gate) we keep the cat bowl. It works out for us because the dog won't jump on the shelf to eat the cat food, and the baby can't get in the kitchen to eat any pet food! My cat can jump over the baby gate to get in and out of the kitchen. If your cat has that ability, it may work for you too. You could just buy an inexpensive set of plastic shelves at Wal-mart.

Get the food out of reach (put it away) and schedule timed feedings for your animals. This will be work for you and change for your pets, but it's neccessary for the time being.

My son is the same way he loved to eat dog food, and he now knows he is not suppose to eat it, but if he finds a milk bone he will go hide so he can munch on it, haha. At night after he goes to bed the pet food comes out and stays out till we wake up in the morning. They(pets) will figure out when feeding time is. My son now wakes up in the morning and runs to the dog food to put it up. As far as water we have a bowl outside, my dogs know to scratch at the door if they want a drink. You can do something similar with the cat's water by keeping it in the bathroom and he'll learn to go to that door. I just got tired of cleaning water on the floor all the time. He still gets on all fours and drinks water from the dog dish outside. He will get a mouthfull from the dog dish and go spit it out in his water table. Why he does this I don't know but its hard to kep a straight face. He has never been sick either. Don't worry too much about it just tell him no and cup your hand under his mouth and tell him to spit it out. He will outgrow it.

I don't have any advice since I've never owned a dog. But,I saw on a show the other day that human intestines aren't made to digest dog food? Something about ground bone meal in the dog food that would irritate human intestines? Not sure... But, I guess if it was irritating your son you would've known by now...

If there is dog food left in a bowl all day, you are most likely over feeding the dog. Depending on the size of the dog, the amount of food they need is listed on the bag. The dog should be fed and after each meal, the bowl should be removed and cleaned.(This info comes from my hubby who has taught nutrition at a Vet tech program). This also discourage ants and other insects:)

My daughter liked to eat pet food and play in the water. We have found that if I let her help me feed the pets and we make it a big deal that the food is for the pets then she lets it be. We also feed the pets smaller amounts during our meal times so that there is no food just sitting around. You may want to consider feeding them at night.

R.
www.roxannebruce.pureromance.com

It's so great to hear of another boy who loves pet food! I actually called the people at Purina when my now 20-year-old used to nibble the kitten chow all the time. They laughed, and told me that while it wasn't a recommended diet for humans, there were no ingredients that would harm my son. Is it possible to feed the pets outside? If not, you might try giving them food just once or twice a day, and not leaving the leftovers around to tempt your son. Just cut down the amount of food put out until they "clean their plates". It's easier to train even an old dog than a little boy!

i am happy to report all 3 of my children and a few others in my family have eaten dog food and cat food and have survived. just keep telling him that is for the animals and try giving him a snack--- actually they have 'scooby snacks' that are bone shaped grahm crackers!!give him those!!

My kids are older now, but when they were toddlers we never had that issue because the we fed the pets on demand. This means a scheduled feeding time and only give the portion of food they eat. Pets grazing all day is not healthy for them. No leftovers in the bowl!

It is healthier for your pets and your son!

And move the water OR administer discipline when he plays in the water and makes a mess.

Hi K.
You are very lucky to be staying home with your little one.
Have you tried changing your animal feeding times- try feeding them after he is asleep then picking up the animal dishes .......playing in the water will not hurt him and soon he will stop- just keep letting him know it is for the dog and cat and not for him. then give him his own little water dish to splash in- the novility will soon disappear.
Tell me about your home business.
Good luck and blessings