Is your dog getting fat from baby food dropped under the highchair? You’re not alone.
The moment our 9-month-old daughter started sitting in her highchair to eat solid food, our dog’s life changed forever.
Throwing food is just one of the many challenging 9-month-old behaviour changes we’re dealing with right now.
A few months into weaning, his secret was out: our dog has gained 2.5kg.
If you have a pet vacuuming up dropped scraps, here is our story, what our vet actually said about highchair weight gain, and how we are getting his weight back under control.
Meet the Hoover: Our Wirehaired Jack Russell
Our dog is a 6 year old wire-haired Jack Russell. He’s a nightmare at times, but we love him to bits. He gets plenty of exercise with atleast two good walks every day.
His regular diet is/was pretty strict:
- Breakfast & Dinner: One-quarter tub of Harringtons wet food with a slack handful of dry food (which we call his “rocks”) from Burns.
Normally, that keeps him at a healthy 10kg.
BUT THEN, our daughter moved into the highchair, and he suddenly found himself working a part time job as the kitchen floor cleaner.
The Highchair Clean-Up Crew
Since baby started eating at the table, the dog has been in high demand. He sits directly underneath her, waiting to catch every single piece of food she drops, spills, or aggressively throws.
We use the Tutti Bambini Nova highchair. It’s brilliant, but because of its specific leg design, finding a food-catcher net that fits is almost impossible. We even looked into those popular Catchy food catchers, but they don’t make one compatible with our highchair yet. We messaged them to ask if one was in the pipeline, but never heard back!
Honestly though? I doubt a food catcher would even stop him. It would probably just hold the food a little higher up, bringing the daily buffet even closer to his nose.
We do honestly try our best to stop him. I catch food mid-air, block him, and we pick up scraps off the floor. But He’s fast, and she is a ruthless random food flinger.
Broccoli trees, toast crusts, carrot slices. If it leaves her tray, it hits his mouth before it even touches the floor.
⚠️ WARNING: Toxic Baby Foods to Watch Out For
While a dropped piece of carrot or pancake is harmless (besides the calories!), we had to get really strict about toxic foods. Before letting your dog near the highchair, make sure your baby isn’t dropping any of these dangerous items. Hopefully you, as a dog owner should know all this, but it’s easy to get distracted when you’re feeding your child:
- 🍇 Grapes, Raisins & Sultanas: Highly toxic to dogs and can cause sudden kidney failure. Watch out for baby snacks containing raisins!
- 🧄 Onions & Garlic Powder: Commonly found in pre, made baby food pouches, savoury snacks, and toddler meals. Can damage a dog’s red blood cells.
- 🥑 Avocado: Can cause stomach upset and vomiting in dogs.
If your baby is eating anything containing those ingredients, move the dog to another room and put up with the whining.
Facing the Scales at the Vet
After months of dog getting his highchair buffet, it was time for his regular check up.
I knew he had put on a bit extra, but I didn’t know the exact number.
I walked him up to the vet’s scales: 12.5kg.
Oops.
I felt like a schoolboy standing outside the headteacher’s office ready for a stern talking to.
I was fully prepared to be lectured about pet obesity and bad parenting.
The Surprising Reaction From the Vet
We went into the examination room, got his regular booster injections, and then the vet asked how the dog was doing in himself.
I confessed: “He’s doing great with our 9-month-old, but he’s putting on weight. He used to be 10kg, and now he’s 12.5kg.”
And then, the unexpected happened. The vet laughed.
He looked at me and said, “It’s great, isn’t it? Having a dog to clean up after a little one!”
He then told me a story about how he and his wife stayed at a fancy, no dogs allowed Airbnb with their grandchildren.
He said it was awful because he had to sweep and mop the kitchen floor three times a day, it ruined his week, and he couldn’t wait to get back home to his own dogs!
As for the weight gain, he completely understood. His view was simple: as long as you know why your dog is putting on weight, and you’re actively taking positive steps to help them, it’s all part of family life.
3 Ways We Are Stopping the Highchair Hoover
Leaving the vet, I realised three things: vets are realistic, this probably happens to almost every pet owner during weaning, but we still have to take action to make sure my little dog doesn’t become a little barrel.
If your dog is getting fat from baby food too, here is how we are tackling the problem:
- The “Out of Bounds” Rule: During messy meals (like spaghetti or rice), we put the dog behind a baby gate or in the hallway until the baby is finished and wiped down.
- Deducting Highchair Calories: If the dog has a “successful” shift under the highchair eating dropped crusts or veg, we reduce his evening bowl of dry food to compensate.
- Using a Splash Mat or Wipe Clean Floors: Our floors are composite wood flooring, so like tiled floors are easy to mop up quickly.
Final Thoughts
The dog is officially on his new diet regime. He might not be thrilled about missing out on his daily highchair buffet, but I’m happy about it, the dog is going to be healthier, and we’re slowly getting his weight back down to 10kg!
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