Best Vegetables and Fruits for Dogs – Dog Food
Hello, we want to talk about pet food today. I mean best food for your dogs. In this post we shall feature Best Vegetables and Fruits for Dogs – Dog Food.
The question you may be asking right now is, do dogs eat vegetables at all? Some people believe dogs don’t need vegetables because they are carnivores by nature. The Idea of feeding vegetables to flesh-eating animals sounds odd to some other people.
But according to Vet. Victor Dobias, it pays to feed vegetables to dogs. Most vegetables are relished with excellent vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients that you might not get from your usual dog food. They provide a cleansing effect to the liver and organs of the dog, and they also alkalize the dog’s system.
Assuming that you want to feed vegetables to your dog, what percentage is best? Some dogs like vegetables, and some dogs don’t like vegetables at all. If you decide to add vegetables to your dog feed, include only 10-25% per diet. According to Veterinary doctors, It is better to granulate the vegetables before feeding them to the dog (i.e chop the vegetables into smaller forms). It helps it digest faster.
YOU MAY READ HERE 7 FOOD YOU SHOULD NEVER GIVE YOUR DOGS
So, Which vegetables are best for your dog?
Best Vegetables and Fruits for Dogs – Dog Food
Most vets recommend that vegetables in the dog diet should be raw. But you need to cook some vegetables, too, before you feed them to your dog to help with easy digestion. Dogs are carnivores that find it hard to digest some vegetables with high cellulose content. Cooking such vegetables help break down the cellulose to ease digestion. Here are some nutritious vegetables that you can now include in your dog food.
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Carrots
Carrots are a good source of vitamins and phytonutrients. They help dogs’ immune systems, and they equally help with blood.
Allowing your dog to chew on carrots can improve their teeth and provide additional fiber for their meal. You should cook the carrot before feeding them to your dog to ease digestion because they are difficult to digest. You can feed them a bit of carrot once in a while, but don’t indulge them.
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Cucumber
Cucumber has high water content. It makes it a good source of hydration to include in your dog food. Cucumbers are low in calories which prevents your dog from gaining weight.
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Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes contain a high amount of dietary fiber that helps improve digestion in dogs. Feeding Sweet Potatoes to your dog would help prevent constipation. You may have to cook the sweet potatoes to make it easier for your dog to eat.
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Pumpkin
Pumpkin can serve as excellent dog food, especially if your dog is suffering from a digestion problem. Pumpkins are rich in potassium, vitamins, and fiber which offer a huge health benefit to your dog.
Some other vegetables that work well for your dog include yam leaves, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and squash. It is best to cook these vegetables before your dog feeds on them.
However, avoid excess tomatoes, cabbage, and onion leaves. A lot of dog diseases grow on starch. Therefore, avoid vegetables high in starch and sugar.
Here are some other good vegetables to feed your dog with. Green peas, green beans, zucchini, and asparagus.
Best fruits for dogs
Adding fruits to your dog’s diet is an excellent idea because fruits are excellent sources of antioxidants, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. It is great for their strength and immune system.
Fruits also help combat constipation in dogs. Another benefit of adding fruits to your dog food is the hydration qualities of fruit. During warmer seasons, you can offer fruits to dogs as snacks.
However, you need to know which fruits they would eat and the ones that supply the best nutrients. Which fruits can you give to your dog?
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Apple
Apple is number one on the list because of its high nutritional value. Some say that an apple a day keeps the doctors away. You can give apples to your dog with the skin removed. But if you want their meal to contain some fiber content, leave the skin intact.
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Pear
Like watermelon, the pear has 80% water content, which positions it as an excellent source of hydration in your dog’s meal.
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Banana
Banana is also an excellent source of vitamins, calcium, and potassium, which gives the dog agility. It is also very rich in fiber if you want more fiber content in your dog’s food. You should be moderate when feeding bananas to your dog.
Excess of ripe bananas can cause constipation. It is also important to avoid feeding banana peel to your dog because dogs find it hard to digest banana peel. Half a banana is enough for a mature dog.
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Mangoes
Mangoes are very rich in vitamins. If you want to feed mangoes to your dog, you need to remove the peel before giving it to them to help improve digestion.
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Strawberries
Strawberries contain antioxidants and vitamin C, which improve the immune system of your dog. To keep your dogs healthy and agile, it is best to slice some pieces of Strawberry into their meal.
Strawberries also help keep your dog’s teeth shining white because it contains enzymes that can do just that.
Best Vegetables and Fruits for Dogs – Conclusion
Every fruit that you feed to your dog must be fresh. Dogs are not carnivorous animals. Therefore, if you give them excessive vegetables or fruit, you may hurt their health.
Moderation is essential when feeding vegetables and fruits to your dog. Thanks for reading. Please, share and subscribe to our notification to receive alerts on new posts.
