Feeding Raw Vegetables

[Sam the man]

I have bought a mini food processor from Big W for Sam's raw vegies. However he wouldn't eat them. Maybe I'd processed them too much. I'd used carrot, zuchinni & some green leafy vegetable (boc choy?). Before this I'd just grate up some carrot, apple & zuchinni and mix it in with the mince and most would get eaten. Now I've started giving him chunky meat instead of the mince. How do I do the raw vegies so he'll eat them? Should I try and mix it in with the meat more? I like to give him raw vegies a couple times a week. What are the best vegies to use. He does have some fruit at other times during the week.

Thanks Glenda

[Hazz]

Any chance of going back to mince - it'll aid in the mixing and the dog can't sift though.

Green leafy vegetables such as spinach or silverbeet should make up most of the vegetable matter.

[Trisven13]

I use bok choy, celery or silverbeet as my green vegetable staples and add to that carrot, sweet potato or pumpkin and also apple or pear as a general rule.

Fruit over summer was often rockmelon or watermelon depending on price.

[Poppy's mum]

Mine like carrot and apples but I usually feed them separate to the rest of the meal ie on top or as a snack.

[*Avanti*]

I grow a lot of my own vegies and my dog gets some of them. I grate zuchinni, carrots he likes to chew up whole ones so I figure that would be good for his teeth. Is silverbeet ok? I thought it had some sort of acid in it and should be cooked?

[koolietas]

Koolie gets veggies most days, organic mostly. All go through the juicer and he gets both the pulp & the juice. I freeze into daily portions and I have enough from each batch to last about 2-3 weeks. I give him a variety but generally includes: spinach, lettuce, carrot, apple, pear, capsicum, parsley, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, silverbeet, bok choy, wombok, cauliflower etc.

[Sam the man]

Any chance of going back to mince - it'll aid in the mixing and the dog can't sift though.

Green leafy vegetables such as spinach or silverbeet should make up most of the vegetable matter.

I might try and chop the meat up finely and see how that goes.

Glenda

[Incavale]

Our dogs are fed whole raw carrots in the evening after their regular meal which includes grated or cooked vegetables. They help themselves to fruit off the trees.

[kamuzz]

Koolie gets veggies most days, organic mostly.

All raw?

[malsam]

if your dog don't eat the vegi by itself, what most people do is use liver and processed together with the vegi. Anyway they don't chew on liver so u can have the meat cubes intact.

I've also used blackstrap molasses, honey, garlic, ginger or anything that have a strong smell like kelp, alfalfa all possible. Even meat jerkies powder that are left behind from your treats and sprinkle on top will work as well.

[Hazz]

Anyone grating/chopping vegies are wasting their time, dogs are unable to breakdown cellulose (the cell wall of all plant cells), pulverising or juicing is the only ways to effectively damage the cell wall to allow your dogs to have access to the good stuff

Cooking vegetable's greatly reduces their effectiveness also.

[koolietas]

Koolie gets veggies most days, organic mostly.

All raw?

You betcha...

[MontysMum]

Monty loves whole apples and carrots I think he thinks they are a bone he gets so excited. He also likes lettuce cores - the cruncy bit not the leafy bits. He also eats raw tomato, watermelon, kiwifruit, rockmelon, and soy & linseed bread... He's a weirdo

edited to add pic of his fave... whole apples

Edited March 28, 2007 by MontysMum

[kamuzz]

Anyone grating/chopping vegies are wasting their time, dogs are unable to breakdown cellulose (the cell wall of all plant cells), pulverising or juicing is the only ways to effectively damage the cell wall to allow your dogs to have access to the good stuff :p

Cooking vegetable's greatly reduces their effectiveness also.

So putting them in a food processor is also a waste of time?

My ESS seems to be permanently constipated and it was suggested that adding veggies to his dry food might help. but after reading this thread I'm more confused than ever.

[Hazz]

No food processing (pulverising) is fine provided you continue to blitz the veg down to pulp consistency

[Akitaowner]

yep - you have to puree the veggies

i buy some pet mince and mix it 50/50 with my veggie mix - then freeze in a muffin tray into portions chuck them in a bag in the freezer - feed them frozen!

dogs LOOVE them!

i use - a homebrand diced veggie mix, acv, kelp, vit c, garlic, eggs + shell, anything else thats laying around.

i also usually add some diced organ meat - makes it easier to feed a little regularly.

[Malamum]

I pretty much put anything through the juicer to make the veggie mush for the dogs. They mainly get silverbeet, celery, bok choy, carrots, zuccini, pumkin, apples, pears.

I've never had a problem with my two eating their veggies but if you dogs is not eating it maybe try mixing in a tin of sardines and drizzling the juice all over the veggies. I bet they won't be able to resist then.

[Sayreovi]

Ive noticed people use Avocado in the mix, i thought this contained poison in regards to dogs?