# vegetables?



## Robh

Our 6 month Puppy has developed an insatiable taste for carrots both raw and cooked. What other vegetables and suitable/popular for Vizslas?


----------



## Lisa

Catan will eat just about any vegetable or fruit (except apples) but he loves cucumbers. I'll peel a cucumber for dinner and he'll sit and patiently wait to get the peel.


----------



## jp

I once "accidentally" left diced jalapeno peppers unattended along the edge of the counter in front of professional counter surfing Penny. Licked clean. 

On a less spicy note, she loves greens, and will stick her head into bags brought home from the farmer's market to steal pieces of lettuce, kale, etc. But then she also likes to eat flowers, weeds, sticks, anything outside as well.


----------



## Vespasia

Hally gets a raw food diet which contains a lot of veggies, so my opinion is certainly biased.....but most veggies are totally fine for dogs! The major ones to avoid are onion and garlic (is that even considered a vegetable?), otherwise you're pretty much fine.


Pumpkins are highly nutritous in a dog's diet, so think about that this Halloween!


----------



## Dubyajay

Charlie loves carrots as well. I have heard though to only give them veggies if they are frozen or boiled, not raw as they don't digest them as well raw.

We also give Charlie a pumpkin digestive supplement in with his kibble to help with digestion. It helps firm things up- and he loves it.


----------



## Lisa

I've heard that grapes can be very toxic to dogs. Does anyone know if this is true?


----------



## Moose

our Moose LOVES vegetables. his favourites are carrots, lettuce and broccoli stems. he hates mushrooms, he likes red/green/yellow peppers, he enjoys apples, loves pumpkin, cherry tomatoes, green beans, etc. 

Not sure about grapes for dogs...I've heard a few things but nothing confirmed. 

Moose could be dead to the world asleep upstairs, and if he hears me rip some lettuce leaves and get out the cutting board, he's running and salivating at my feet.


----------



## minnere

Pacer's favorites are carrots for sure but he will also eat other veggies. That is actually how we taught him to roll over, by giving him veggies! He is very aware that we get all of those delicious treats our of the fridge. Every time we open the fridge, guess who is sitting right underneath the doors (except he doesn't really fit under the doors any more so he tries to put his head in the door). 

I too have heard that grapes can be like chocolate to dogs. I've never seen any research or anything though.


----------



## treetops1974

Rio too enjoys carrots and any crunchy veggies. But given the choice I think he prefers fruit. He loves apples, bananas, pears etc. One thing he really enjoys, especially in the summer are ice cubes.

I found out the other week that he also enjoys (whole) sirloin roasts ... buts that's another story for another thread ;D


----------



## Robh

thank you all for the advice. so I should be cooking the food rather than offering it raw?


----------



## Moose

bahahahahahaha whole sirloin roasts ..... oops ;-)


----------



## Blaze

Blaze used to love raw carrots and apple when younger but is primarily a carnivore these days. He did enjoy a half of a french baguette last night as i turned my back washing the dishes. Yeah , good thing i have that counter surfing issue _*all*_ under control with my two and a half year old!! :


----------



## Mercutio

Merc LOVES bananas but other vegetables have to be mushed up.

I was under the impression that onion, garlic, tomato and grapes were bad for dogs as well as macadamia nuts and chocolate (although i find it difficult to share chocolate with anyone let alone my dog )


----------



## Penelope

Penny loves our vegetable garden. Her favorites are tomatoes and green beans. She's snuck a few jalapenos and that's been pretty funny. In the house she'll munch just about any veggie, though she's not a fan of celery or basil.

She even goes into the compost heap to find the rotten veggies we've tossed out.


----------



## Robh

thank you all for your feed back!


----------



## Dandys Girl

Our vet at the University Vet School recommended veggies especially for our older Vizsla. A dog's digestive track is much shorter than our own so for them to get the full benefits of the vitamins, she recommended that we puree the vegetables. When it is in large chunks it tends to just pass through as fiber which is good but kind of a waste. Our rescue clearly had never been fed veggies because he turned his nose up at the oh-so-popular carrots and anything else we tried (avoiding onions, grapes which can contribute to renal failure, etc). We got him used to veggies first by cooking them in some low-sodium chicken broth, then eliminating that and adding some ground up chicken to the veggie mix. Now he likes vegetables so much he'll eat the slurry plain and will eat the vegetable mix and leave the kibble! 

Our V gets a mix of cooked sweet potatoes (loves them!) or yellow squash, spinach, green beans, peas and carrots. I buy big bags of frozen veggies (canned often have high levels of sodium) and thaw them in some warm water. Then I just puree everything in the food processor, parcel it out into tupperware and freeze until it's time to use and I mix it with brown rice. You can also cook them some if that makes it easier but like for our own diet, raw retains the most and most absorbable nutrients. We see GOOD improvement in our senior; he has a glorious shiny coat, his eyes look clearer and he obvious feels good, too. Be warned that as they adjust to vegetables they get gassy. Once they are used to it this gets better, but we found that even though it still happens it is MUCH less stinky that a strict kibble diet. Whew! That made your eyes water. 

Though I am a strict vegetarian, I don't think that's healthy for a dog so we make sure he gets a vet-approved kibble and meat protein based snacks. The veggies help for a balanced diet, fiber, and a low calorie addition. Particularly for older dogs, more veggies can help them feel full without packing on excess weight.


----------



## Robh

This is great info. Have you got any guidance on how much to feed a day and have you reduce the amount of kibble you put down? Is there any need to be concerned about over loading on any particular vitamins? Also, do you add any other supplements such as fish/flaxseed oil or garlic?


----------



## Mischa

We have been doing this for Mischa when we thought she might have had a UTI again. I got fresh cranberries and pureed them raw in a blender with carrots. Ever since them I've been blending what we refer to as "goop" to go with her kibble. Zucchini, bok choy, carrots, broccoli, etc. 

I've also recently been feeding her a bit of plain organic yogurt to help with her digestion. She gets a bit gassy every evening and oh my god is it toxic.


----------



## Robh

approx how many grams or ounces of veg per day?


----------



## Mischa

I give about 3 tablespoons twice a day. I could be wrong but in my opinion you can't really eat your way to an overdose of vitamins from vegetables or get fat. 

Oh and a tablespoon of plain organic yogurt. 

Oh! Also, I wouldn't advise feeding your V garlic or onions. Along with grapes, and obviously chocolate. 
http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/storytemplate_process.cfm?story_no=257

There is debate about garlic and how you have to control the dosage. Mischa's healthy and I personally would prefer to avoid it altogether


----------



## Moreteyne

Rob...

No need to cook the veggies but they do need to be blitzed to release the goodness. If you feed raw whole , not a problem but they will not all be absorbed, check out the poop, you will notice orange flecks that have passed through.
Cooking is fine but heat destroys a lot of the goodness so it is not needed.


----------

