Vegetable Food for Dogs

Vegetables are a rich source of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber and if you're a human you probably already know the importance of getting your nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day. But what about your canine best friend? What are the best vegetables for dogs?
With increasing concern about preservatives and other harmful chemicals in commercial dog foods, more dog owners are preparing their dog's food at home from scratch. As long as a dog is being supplied with a well balanced diet, this may be a safer option than giving them standard, non-organic dog foods.
Although some would argue that vegetables are not a necessary component of a dog's diet, vegetables supply disease preventing phytochemicals that your dogs may not be able to get from other sources. Plus, many of the positive benefits of vegetable consumption were noted through animal studies. Although vegetables aren't a required component in a dog's diet, the phytochemicals found in such abundance in vegetables may help to prevent some of the chronic diseases seen in dogs just as they do in humans.
When you're considering the best vegetables for your dog's diet, it's important to be aware of ones that are potentially harmful to dogs. Two that should be avoided are garlic and onions since they're known to cause anemia in dogs if consumed in high enough concentration. Other vegetables that can potentially have adverse effects on dogs include avocados, tomatoes, and wild mushrooms.
The other problem with feeding vegetables to dogs is they may have problems digesting them. To make them more digestive system friendly, cook them by steaming in a steamer. Using the steam method will preserve more of the healthy nutrients and phytochemicals than most other cooking methods will. If your dog appears hesitant to eat the vegetables you place in his bowl, try pureeing them in a blender before adding them to his food bowl. Limit vegetables to no more than a quarter of your dog's food intake a day and serve them along with a high quality source of protein.
The best vegetables for dogs from the standpoint of health benefits would be the cruciferous ones such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, although these are some of the most difficult to digest. Always serve these vegetables cooked to increase digestibility. You can also serve your dog cooked green beans, zucchini, and squash as well as green, leafy vegetables such as spinach. It's probably best to avoid the higher glycemic vegetables such as potatoes since they're more limited in health value and may help to promote weight gain. It's best to add vegetables to your dog's diet gradually since sudden dietary changes can precipitate stomach upset or diarrhea.
Source: voices.yahoo.com
![]() |
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food, Hi Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison & Venison, 30-Pound Bag Pet Products (Taste of the Wild)
|
You might also like:



In terms of meat byproduct dog foods
2006-11-09 14:32:58 by sparkalinaI would say yes. Corn is used as fiber and if you're paying for "high quality" meat based dog food and they use a filler such as corn, then you're not getting your money's worth.
Dogs assimilate all kinds of grains, all of which providing fiber, protein, and other nutrients.
In the case of vege food, they are mixing the various vegetable proteins that dogs can assimilate into the food.
My dog food uses cornmeal as the third ingredient. But soy is the first. Some dogs don't do soy, just as some people don't do it well, so testing various foods is important. Same with corn
Allergens in your dogs food
2010-02-02 14:18:08 by OCStilesNow to address the grain and allergy angle. Dogs can actually develop allergies to a food over time. This is why you see so many alternative meat sources on the market for dogs and cats, its not all just gimmicks and sales tactics. You may look at a bag and think I dont even get to eat pheasant, so why should my dog? the reason is that for whatever reason, he has developed an allergic reaction to whatever proteins are in his food. Often times, yes, this is because of corn gluten being used as a protein in the food, the sad thing is, most companies dont pay attention tot he fact that a vegetable derived protein cant become a BCAA in a digestive system, the animals body treats it as a CARBOHYDRATE!!! But i digress, To carry on, as someone else suggested, EVO is a very high protein...
Ol roy is the lowest tier of dogfood
2009-11-02 21:19:41 by SvonAt least in my mind, its shear and absolute garbage. I understand that 10$ for 20 pounds looks like a good deal but in reality you have to feed more of it a day for the same nutritional value that you would get out of feeding a high quality, meat based food. Ol Roy has very little in the way of meat in it,my weight it is mostly vegetable based.
the first ten ingredients look like this:
Ground yellow corn, soybean meal, ground whole wheat, corn syrup, poultry fat, Meat and bone meal, Chicken by-product Meal, Rice, Animal Digest.
Corn appears twice, along side of Soy, and ground wheat the trifecta of Canine Allergies.
Please upgrade your dogs food.
I bought one for $5
2010-01-29 10:33:43 by killa_beezFrom linens and things. Its plastic and has a cup that fits on top and weighs up two and half pounds. I originally bought it for baking but then started using it for the dogs and its worked well for about two years. Its similar to the one on the link below.
![]() |
Hill's Science Diet Mature Adult Savory Stew Beef and Vegetables Dog Food Can, 12.8-Ounce, 12-pack Pet Products (Hill's Pet Nutrition)
|



![]() |
Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Chicken, Vegetables and Brown Rice Stew Adult Dog Food, 13.2 Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) Pet Products (Castor & Pollux)
|
![]() |
Melissa & Doug Cutting Food Toy (Melissa & Doug)
|
Related posts: