# Sweet Potato



## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

OK, so I have been trying Zappa out little by little with different meats served a la raw. I am wanting to switch him completely to raw. He does well with sweet potatoes in his prepared food and I would like to add them into his regimen for fiber. Do I need to cook the sweet potatoes?


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## Doc (Jan 13, 2009)

Only if he asks you to ...

I would start him on chicken backs in the morning and evening for a week.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I always *thought* that "processing" veggies a little was best for dogs for providing the most nutritional value. Can't tell you why, but that's the impression I'm under.

For Elsa, we cut it with skin on into big chunks, cook it for awhile, and just mash it a little bit with a fork.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Thanks doc. I did try him on chicken. He had issues with it in bagged food but does great with it raw. He also does well with raw beef but cannot have that in a commercial diet either.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Thanks GSDElsa. I feel better if he has some sort of fiber.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

Sweet potato is a staple in my kids' diet. I boil, bake or nuke them, depending my schedule. But yeah, they eat a lot of sweet potatoes. They LOVE them, and it helps make things like greens a lot more palatable.









The reason why you need to process (cook or puree) vegetables and fruits is that dogs don't process cellulose much at all. So if you don't break down the cellulose for them, then pretty much what goes in is what come out. It doesn't harm them, but doesn't do them any good.

Ever give your dog a raw carrot and see the chunks the next day? Looks the same, doesn't it? That's because it is!










Whether your dog "needs" fiber is idiosyncratic: it depends on the dog. Many dogs do fine on a diet that doesn't have much fiber. There is a whole school of thought that dogs don't really need veggies at all. 

If it makes you feel better, do so. I DO feed veggies and fruit (and I DO think dogs need them), but I worry more about a balance of nutrients, and the fiber takes care of itself. 

The important thing is to know WHY you're feeding what you're feeding, with regard to your dog's nutritional requirements.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

And there is alot to learn. It can get confusing too. I saw on the BARF site that they have a suppliment that can be ordered. I want to do the best for Zappa, so what is the best to suppliment the raw? What works best for you guys?


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Sweet potato is a staple in my dogs' diets too. I bake and peel them.

There is no one suppliment for raw feeding. It all depends on what's actually lacking in the diet and that's what you need to add.


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## sleachy (Aug 10, 2001)

I don't usually give my dog any veggies at all. Once in a blue moon, I do bake up some sweet taters. The dog eats em right up...and, strangley, my cats LOVE em!


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

I stick with white potatoes mainly b/c of cost, but will throw in sweet potatoes from time to time. I do cook them by peeling boiling then mashing. Peeling will depend on how much fiber the dog can handle, some do fine with it, others not so much. I find the addition of potato adds a good amount of potassium and for me avoids the need to supplement that nutrient.


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