What to feed street dogs in India (and what not to)
Checked against 4 sources
Plain rice, roti without ghee or salt, boiled egg or boiled chicken, and plain dal are all safe for a street dog, in the same small amounts you'd give a pet12. Never give chocolate, onion or garlic (even cooked into a gravy), grapes or raisins, cooked or raw bones, or anything with xylitol12. Where and how you feed matters too: under the national ABC Rules, 2023, an RWA or society can agree a feeding spot and time with you, but can't stop community dogs being fed altogether3.
Call a vet now, even if the dog seems fine — some signs only show up hours later .
- Good, everyday food
- Plain rice, roti (no ghee, salt or sugar), boiled egg, boiled chicken, plain dal, or dry dog food if you have it12
- Never
- Chocolate, onion & garlic (even in a gravy), grapes & raisins, xylitol, cooked or raw bones, alcohol12
- Feeding spots
- An RWA or Apartment Owners' Association must agree a feeding spot with feeders, away from play areas, entrances and staircases3
- At the spot
- No littering, and feeding times set to disturb children and senior citizens the least3
The printable version of this guide is a free PDF. Get it at thapki.app/guides/food/what-to-feed-street-dogs/
On this page
Good, everyday food for a street dog
- Plain rice or roti, torn into small pieces — no butter, ghee or salt1.
- Boiled egg or boiled, boneless chicken, plain, with no spice12.
- Plain dal, cooked without onion, garlic or a heavy tadka1.
- Dry dog food or biscuit kibble, if you can get it — a more complete meal than any home food2.
- Parle-G and similar plain biscuits aren't on any poison list, but they're sugar and little else; rice or roti is the better everyday choice, and large amounts of fried or sugary scraps are a known trigger for pancreatitis in dogs24.
Never feed a street dog this
- Chocolate — toxic even in small amounts; the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous12.
- Onion and garlic, cooked or raw, even hidden in a gravy, sauce or pre-made paste12.
- Grapes and raisins — can cause sudden kidney failure, in any amount, even in a sweet12.
- Xylitol, found in some sugar-free gum, mints and "diet" sweets12.
- Cooked or raw bones — they splinter or get stuck and often need surgery to remove12.
- Alcohol, or any food with alcohol in it2.
Feeding spots, hygiene and the law
India's Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 give feeders real standing. Rule 20 makes it a Resident Welfare Association's or Apartment Owners' Association's job to help arrange feeding for community dogs in its area, not to block it3.
The same rule sets out the courtesy that keeps everyone comfortable: a feeding spot that's "mutually agreed upon," kept "far from children play areas, entry and exit points, staircase" and places children and senior citizens use most; feeding times set the same way; and a rule that the "designated feeder shall ensure that there is no littering at the feeding location"3.
In practice: feed at the same spot and time each day, clear away any uneaten food and wrappers straight after, and keep the area as clean as you'd want it if it were outside your own door. If an RWA disagrees with where you feed, Rule 20 says the dispute goes to a committee, not to a flat ban on feeding3.
If a street dog eats something toxic
Checked against vet sources. Not yet reviewed by a vet.
- Call a vet now, even if the dog seems fine — some signs only show up hours later12.
- If you can, take the wrapper or a photo of what it ate, and say roughly how much and when.
- Don't try a home remedy, and don't try to make it vomit.
- See when to go to a vet now for the fuller list of emergency signs.
Get the printable feeder's card (PDF)
One A4 card: what's safe, what's never safe, and the feeding-spot etiquette from India's ABC Rules, 2023. Leave your Play Store Gmail and mobile number below and the download starts right away.
Your download should start in a moment. Open the chart if it doesn't.
Not fully clear yet
Official sources disagree or leave gaps on these. Confirm before you rely on them.
- The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 are framed around dog population management and rabies control; Rule 20 uses the broader term "community animals," but we found no part of the rules written specifically for cats. See what to feed stray cats for that.
- We found no Merck, ASPCA or PDSA page that tests Parle-G or other Indian biscuit brands by name; the biscuit note above applies their general sugar/fried-food caution, not a finding about that specific product.
Sources and how we check
Facts checked against the official and veterinary sources below by Thapki. Not yet reviewed by a vet. Written with AI help from the sources below, then checked line by line; the Thapki team reads and approves every page before it goes live. How we check