By DR. LARRY BAKER

Millie, a 10-year-old kind-of-German Shepherd, and Bo, her playmate, a 7-year-old kind-of-Rottweiler, undoubtedly will have the opportunity to woof down some people food during the upcoming holiday season.

Have you noticed that when people give dogs or cats leftovers, or table food, they always do so with a smile? And they often look around to see if anyone else is watching. People who give their pets snacks usually do so because they enjoy seeing their pets eat. At least that’s true with Millie and Bo, the two dogs in my family.

Clients of mine do the same. And sometimes I see them after holidays.

“I don’t give him anything other than dog food,” says the husband the next day in my veterinary office.

“Oh you do, too,” counters his wife. “What about that leftover turkey you gave him yesterday?”

“That was just a bite or two – nothing substantial,” retorts the husband.

“Well, doc, that can cause him to get sick, can’t it?”

And I usually have to answer in some non-accusatory and noncommittal fashion, such as, “Well it could have, but most dogs or cats don’t get upset with a little table food as a treat. But we better give him something to settle his stomach since he’s obviously not feeling well.”

So, should you give your pet foods other than a good brand of pet food? We certainly did on the farm I grew up on. In fact, the dog, hogs and cats got all the leftovers – bones and all. But the answer from a veterinarian probably should be, “Just give him a good dog or cat food and nothing else.”

However, not all dog and cat foods are quality foods. I think you usually get what you pay for. And frankly, I believe pets that are on a poor-quality food probably can use a little extra nutrition.

The correct answer is that your pet will do fine on a high-quality pet food. Nothing else is needed. And some pets will begin to beg once they taste people food and then are such an annoyance at dinner time that their owners give in. Before long, the pet is addicted to table food.

Of course, the pet really isn’t addicted. Pets don’t open refrigerators. People do. And people become addicted to giving their begging pet table foods.

My general rule is this: Feed your pet no more than 10 percent of his diet in table food or treats, and then only if you promise yourself not to divert his entire food supply away from pet food. If you have a small pet, it seems easier to make the mistake of going the table food route entirely. And I think it’s because a little pet doesn’t need much to sustain his weight and health, and owners often feel they aren’t getting enough. A 5-pound pet usually only needs to consume 4 ounces of a good pet food daily to sustain weight and health; any more than that contributes to obesity and an unhealthy pet.

So, if you decide to reward your pet with people food this holiday season, just be careful. And please don’t ask me if I ever treat Millie and Bo to people food. I might be embarrassed.