# Vegetables?



## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Hiya all

I was just wondering if any of you RAW feeders give Veggies as well?
Which ones do you give? 

I was wondering if things like cucumber, pumpkin, celery, broccoli and cauliflower was ok to feed uncooked and mushed up in the blender? 

Also does anyone add brewed yeast or seaweed (kelp) powder to their raw diets?

Cheers


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Hi Mooch!
Everyone feeds raw differently.
I personally add ground veggies to our dogs diet (about 10%). The finer you grind them the better digestion absorption will be. Berries are great too, lots of anti-oxidants! Use veg that is low in calories and low starch. Starchy ones like acorn and butternut squash (should be cooked for digestion), carrots, peas, pumpkin (should be cooked for digestion) and sweet potatoes (should be cooked for digestion) should be kept low. Don't feed veg from Brassica family every day or it could interfere with iodine uptake. These are veg like broccoli, kale, cabbages, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli/raab, bok choy, etc. But these are ok a couple days per week. The more color the better! Sweet peppers and Asparagus are my females favorite! I always have to throw her some when grinding! Different color peppers have different nutrients (ex: red has more "A" than green) so use them all. Green beans need to be blanched or steamed to digest. Cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce greens, celery are all great for them! 
Hope this helps!


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Nope, not needed, though my guys like some stuff as treats on occasion. They will beg for frozen berries, pieces of apple, sweet potatoes, and will eat some other cooked veggies if I have some left over.

Be careful of brewer's yeast as it can cause alleriges in some dogs as can kelp.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

Yep my guys love all sorts of fruits and veggies. When we do off leash hiking we use fruits and veggies as treats for recall and other commands.


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

No, I do not unless I happen to be eating something and I decide to share. Veggies are not needed in a raw diet. Dogs cannot process vegetables unless you break it down for them.


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Momto2GSDs said:


> Hi Mooch!
> Everyone feeds raw differently.
> I personally add ground veggies to our dogs diet (about 10%). The finer you grind them the better digestion absorption will be. Berries are great too, lots of anti-oxidants! Use veg that is low in calories and low starch. Starchy ones like acorn and butternut squash (should be cooked for digestion), carrots, peas, pumpkin (should be cooked for digestion) and sweet potatoes (should be cooked for digestion) should be kept low. Don't feed veg from Brassica family every day or it could interfere with iodine uptake. These are veg like broccoli, kale, cabbages, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli/raab, bok choy, etc. But these are ok a couple days per week. The more color the better! Sweet peppers and Asparagus are my females favorite! I always have to throw her some when grinding! Different color peppers have different nutrients (ex: red has more "A" than green) so use them all. Green beans need to be blanched or steamed to digest. Cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce greens, celery are all great for them!
> Hope this helps!


Hi 
Thats great, that's exactly the kind of info I was after 
I'd never have thought they could eat peppers or asparagus  (haha maybe because I don't like them) 

It's so confusing with Veggies, the book I read (give your dog a bone by Dr Ian Billinghurst) mentioned that they are rather important to feed and that dogs enjoy them. To me it makes sense that they should have some vegetables. It just seems that most people don't bother with them. 

Thanks for your help everyone  I'll def try them on fruit too, my female seems to like strawberries


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

Verivus said:


> No, I do not unless I happen to be eating something and I decide to share. Veggies are not needed in a raw diet. Dogs cannot process vegetables unless you break it down for them.


That's what I rather thought.


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Hm the book I read suggests putting all the veggies in a blender and pulverising them. 
The idea seems to be to get it to a similar constancy of what a deers stomach content would be.
The only thing I see thats different is that if the dogs did eat a deer for example - yes it would have "vegetable" matter in its stomach but it'd be partially digested.
No way can you re create that in a blender LOL


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

You can boil then mash or blend them. We just feed them regular. Unless we have left overs and toss them in their bowls.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Wolves do not eat the stomach content of a deer. The stomach is filled with acid. They will pull out the stomachs, flip out the contents and eat the stomach itself (that is why many of us feed tripe). If they eat small game like mice or rabbits they will eat the whole animal, but even if they ate a deer's stomach content it would not be filled with most veggies that we eat. It will have grains, berries, grasses and other leaves if found in populated areas and other types of trees, pines, leaves, pine cones, etc in more wild areas. 

Myths About Raw: Do wolves eat stomach contents of prey?

For a better understanding of what wolves eat in the wild read the research done by L David Meech. 

Sharing our fruit and veggies with our dogs won't hurt them (well, most of them), but they are not a needed part of their diet. 

Billinghurst was a good beginning for many people and he had catchy titles that got people to at least consider raw feeding. Unfortunately some of his ideas were based on inaccurate information. 

Lauri also talks about this on her raw feeding pages: 

Raw Feeding


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Here we go, found this link. Don't look at it if you have a weak stomach. 

Raw Feeding at its finest-CAUTION-GRAPHIC PHOTOS


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Oh that's an awesome link thanks  

It looks like sticking with just meat is the way to go 
I'd really just like to get them off the kibble. 

Lauries website is great, but I couldn't get it to load yesterday 

Interesting comment on the Ian billing hurst books being a little outdated, that's kinda what I felt when I was reading it. It was recommended by a friend so I decided to buy it for a paper reference - I like having books


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> To me it makes sense that they should have some vegetables. It just seems that most people don't bother with them.


My guys haven't had vegetables as a part of their diet ... ever. Winnie, who is in her teens, used to get them but none of my Cresteds have ever had veggies as a regular part of their diet.

They do get green tripe ever now and then and once I find a consistent source they will get it more often.

Dogs are carnivores. They *need *meat and bones. Some might *like *to eat veggies or berries or fruit but that doesn't mean they NEED them. Heck, Kaynya likes to eat the cat poop - doesn't mean she needs to!


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

> Heck, Kaynya likes to eat the cat poop - doesn't mean she needs to!


 LOL good point  
My aunties dog used to love blackberries when we were kids, we'd be picking them and Sunny would have here nose right in there as well, picking them off the bush and eating them  I'd never buy blackberries for the dogs tho LOL they are so expensive I don't even buy them for myself 
Green tripe seems just about impossible to get here, places that sell meat for human consumptions are not allowed to have it. I know a few friends who butcher their own cattle and sheep so I may be able to get some of them.


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

I will be so jealous if you can get hold of green tripe! Amazing that it is illegal to sell here


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Bianca if I manage to get some I'll let you know 

Do you feed Raw?


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Check out the rawfeeding group on Yahoo

rawfeeding : Raw Feeding for dogs and cats!

I believe the list is still owned by the same woman and she is in Australia. Once you become a member you can ask about getting tripe in your area. WARNING, this email list is very high volume.


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Thank you Mooch! I used to feed 100% Raw but since we moved I can't source any decent prices so they are on half/half.


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Thanks lhczth 

Bianca mine are on half/half at the moment too, they seem to be doing well on it, I'm still trying to find places to buy meat in bulk.


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## shedogowner (Oct 26, 2014)

*No fruits and veggies??*

I have to say that my vet actually recommended giving the dog almost anything from the fruit and vegetable aisle because she has a gluten allergy, and we give her a high protein food. She needs something to help balance out her diet. And, she said nothing about them not being digested by the dog, as they are omnivores. Vegetables and fruits, in moderation of course, should not be an issue to them, as long as they are not the solitary basis of their diet.


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