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Which vegetables/fruits are safe for dogs?
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Member Since:
14 June 2012
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25 February 2013 - 9:34 am
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I would like to incorporate some vegetables (and maybe fruit) into Willow's diet, both because she always seems hungry and because she seems to love to nibble on plants outside.  I have been doing some reading to find out what is safe to give her, and now I"m just confused.  I read the broccoli is safe, and then see something that says only in very small amounts or it is toxic.  I read leafy greens are safe, and then that they are not good because they are too high in something called oxalates.  I do give her a few raw carrot slices and some apple and she loves both of them.  Does anyone have or know of a reliable list of things I can give her? 

 

Thank you,

Carol and Willow

New Haven, CT
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25 February 2013 - 11:09 am
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No onions, grapes, or raisins.  Besides that (and what comes to me now), go for it!  Jackson enjoys apples, bananas, carrots, swiss chard, broccoli, purple potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, cauliflower, parsnips, clementines, blueberries, and brussel sprouts.  At any one time, he is never getting more than 1/2c of these.  He probably gets just a few pieces, chunks, florets, sticks - so, much less than 1/2c!

Enjoy!

ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12.  Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ!  No side effects.  We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments.  He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors!  Our love. Our funny little guy!

On The Road


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25 February 2013 - 11:49 am
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There is indeed a lot of confusing info out there! When you start home cooking it's a great idea to start slow and make sure you know what will and won't cause GI upset.

A few sources we've found include:

Feed Dogs Better with Home Cooking Recipes from the Dog Food Dude

Dr. Dresslers Dog Cancer Diet e-book

Learn Raw Feeding Basics

Canine Nutrition Books for Beginners

 

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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25 February 2013 - 12:39 pm
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Thank you so much for the information and links.  I'm not looking to start home cooking, I just want to add some vegetables and maybe some fruit to Willow's diet to bulk up her kibble so she's not always so hungry, and maybe a little bit raw as treats also.  I'm desperately trying to keep her weight down because she already has severe arthritis and I don't want it to be hard for her to get around.  I'm also hoping it will stop the outside nibbling because I'm always afraid she'll nibble on something that will end up being toxic. 

 

So is it more about amount given than type as far as GI upset and toxicity?  Or is broccoli, for example, not really toxic?  I checked the Cancer Diet report from Dr. Dressler and broccoli is recommended. 

 

 

Fort Wayne, IN
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25 February 2013 - 1:28 pm
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Of all the veggies, broccoli is what Libby gets the most.  I semi-home cook for her.  She gets part kibble and part home cooking which is usually chicken, a little chicken liver mixed in, about 1T steel cut oatmeal (cooked), a little sweet potato and a bit of cottage cheese. On top of that I will add about 6 blueberries or a sardine. All this probably equals a cup of home cooking along with a cup of kibble.  We weighed her after 1 week of eating this way and she didn't gain an ounce.  

I've given her spinach and a little parsley, also.  She will eat apples and oranges but hates bananas.

I have the Feed Dogs Better book by The Dog Food Guy (I bought it through Tripawds).  It has a lot of great treat recipes in it along with main meals. He will even give you a conversion of some ingredients if you want to make it for your family, lol.  Libby's current fave is pumpkin ice cream!  Pumpkin puree, low fat plain yogurt and chicken livers.  Yum (to her, anyway) :)

 

Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13.  Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14.  She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self.  Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14

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25 February 2013 - 3:15 pm
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There is definitely confusing info out there.  Some people say tomatoes are bad, but I think this is because the rest of the plant contains plant alkaloides which ARE toxic.  Oh, and the green ones are toxic too, but red ripe are fine.  Mine often get pilchards in tomato sauce with their kibble and they love it.

 

Grapes, raisins, onions, macadamia nuts, chocolate, green/raw potatoes and avocado are all that I can think of that are bad for them. 

 

I don't know what they mean by green leafy veg containing oxalates - rhubarb contains oxalic acid which is poisonous, but I can't think of any dog that would eat it by the stick, and even then it's fairly safe unless they eat the leaves.  Most fruit and veg contains some oxalates, and it's usually only a problem if you have a medical condition which requires you to avoid them, but gosh, if green veg contained high levels of toxins I think I'd be dead by now!

 

 

On The Road


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26 February 2013 - 9:08 pm
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I have the Feed Dogs Better book by The Dog Food Guy (I bought it through Tripawds).  It has a lot of great treat recipes in it along with main meals.

Paw shucks, thank you! Would you like to do a review about it for our Nutrition blog ?

As for raw veggies...from what I understand, dogs have a harder time processing raw veggies, so any that you give should be pureed realllly finely. For us, cooking the heck out of them is just easier. But if you're just looking for foods that can be filling without adding calories, raw green beans, carrots and celery are great treats to give. Bananas, apples and oranges are also super nutritious and yummy.

 

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Fort Wayne, IN
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27 February 2013 - 7:03 am
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jerry said

Paw shucks, thank you! Would you like to do a review about it for our Nutrition blog ?

 

Hi Jerry! Shortly after getting the book, I wrote a couple of lines with my opinion.  I can't find it now but it is where the book is offered for purchase.  If you would like me to do something else, I'll gladly give it a try. :)

Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13.  Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14.  She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self.  Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14

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27 February 2013 - 12:10 pm
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Thank you again for all the great advice.  Yesterday Willow tried a little bit of cauliflower mixed in with her regular food, and today a little bit of broccoli.  She loved them both.  I haven't tried anything other than raw carrot and apple as a snack, but want to be careful not to do too much at once and cause GI upset.

amya said

All this probably equals a cup of home cooking along with a cup of kibble.  We weighed her after 1 week of eating this way and she didn't gain an ounce. 

Was this cup of home cooking a substitute for a cup of her kibble, or in addition to what you were already feeding her?

 

 

 

Fort Wayne, IN
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27 February 2013 - 12:28 pm
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willowsmom said

amya said

All this probably equals a cup of home cooking along with a cup of kibble.  We weighed her after 1 week of eating this way and she didn't gain an ounce. 

Was this cup of home cooking a substitute for a cup of her kibble, or in addition to what you were already feeding her?

No, not a substitute.  It is in addition to her kibble.  I would also have to say it's a generous cup, depending on how many veggies I add.  I just finished cutting up cooked  parsnips, beets, brussels sprout, shiitake mushrooms and red & yellow peppers.  I have all this in a plastic container in the fridge so I can just scoop it out at meal time.  

It's a good idea to go slow as you are, so you can tell what, if anything upsets her tummy.  May I suggest adding a little extra protein to your pups kibble as well.  Chicken, chicken livers, lean beef, etc. to bulk up those muscles needed to be a tripawd.  She's well on her way if she's rockin' the broccoli and cauliflower. :)

Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13.  Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14.  She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self.  Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14

My heart lives at Rainbow Bridge
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27 February 2013 - 6:35 pm
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Trouble loved green beans.  You can use canned, frozen, or fresh.  If you buy canned, look for no salt added.  I started giving them as a filler to try and pull weight off her.  She also loved broccoli stalks, carrots, pumpkin, and carrots.

Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul.  Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.

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1 March 2013 - 10:21 am
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There is a great discussion going on over in the LinkedIn Dog Lovers group with some ver thorough answers:

WHAT RAW VEGETABLES ARE SAFE FOR DOGS?

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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26 January 2013
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3 March 2013 - 3:46 pm
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My 95# black lab is 18 days post amputation and watching her weight is paramount now. I stopped buying expensive fattening treats that I do not trust. Once or twice a week I chop a couple raw sweet potatos, white potatoes, broccoli stems, carrots and an apple or two into a big zip lock bag and store in the fridge for my lab and corgie/jack russell mix. They love these treats and do not care that it's not a fancy little heart shaped mass produced treat...they just want something from my hand. It's healther, safer and less expensive.

Hail to all of our Tripawd's and families!

Mic

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19 March 2012
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3 March 2013 - 5:43 pm
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My mom gives us anything and everything when it comes to veggies, some we like some we don't! In the veggie mush that she makes for us she sticks to the everyday variety, carrots, squash, brussell sprouts, cabbage, kale, spinach, eggplant, sweet potatoes...she limits the mush to 3 different veggies, just keeping it simple for us, she mushes most of it raw, she kinda sticks to the rule that if she can eat it raw she gives it to us raw, like burssell sprouts and sweet potatoes, she doesn't eat raw, so she cooks them up for us. She had a wonderful vet tell her the 3 things to stay away from for dogs is potatoes, tomatoes and onions, so we don't get that in our mush, but if those items are in food my mom cooks for herself and she shares with us then we get some, but it isn't in big quantities, just a taste and we are fine with it. Some of us in my pack like lettuces, but most don't so that stuff my mom will give those of us that like it as a snack! If my mom eats grapes we get a grape, i think the key to anything is moderation even with dogs, we get raisins if my mom eats raisins but we get one or two, not a handful! Keep it simple and keep to what you are comfortable with! Oh and we get all kinds of fruit also, apples, berries, bananas, melons...whatever is on the menu, but the fruits don't get added to our mush they are more like treats!

NC
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26 February 2013
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20 April 2013 - 12:38 pm
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Just bumping this thread up to share my boneheaded move & provide a reminder to everyone. rasberry

I snacked on some raisins last night out of a big box of them that had about half of them gone, so there was about 1/2 pound left when I left the box on my nightstand & left the house this morning.  When we got home at lunchtime the box was torn apart & just about empty on the floor.

Not knowing WHICH dog had snarfed them down, I called my vet cousin & asked her what to do.  She recommended giving BOTH dogs hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting, which worked after 2 tablespoons each.  Turns out it was my quad-pod, Kismet, who ate them.  I should have known, because we had a storm last night & she refused her dinner, so she must have been starving this morning, but she's never really been a food thief, so I expected it to be Kermit.

I felt pretty bad having to make them both retch & puke, but the bottom line is this: Dogs that have a reaction to raisins or grapes can have a reaction after just one or two of them, it's not always an issue of quantity.  No one really knows exactly why some dogs react & some can eat them with no problem.  But if they DO react, it can cause serious kidney failure, so unless you KNOW that your cancer-patient dog has had them before & didn't have a reaction, it's NOT worth the risk to give them ANY. (or stupidly leave them where they can get at them!) Our fur kids have enough to fight without kidney failure on top of it all!

Lesson learned around here! blush

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