Ok, I know most people on this forum feed veggies, in some form or another, as at least a small portion of their dog's diet - I do as well and just like the idea - but I've been hearing a lot from some people that vegetable nutrients have no importance to dogs. Basically, they do no harm, but they aren't necessary. I've read that BOTH - "wolves eat the stomach contents of their prey" AND "wolves do NOT eat the stomach contents of their prey if they can avoid it". I've been told by some people who USED to feed veggies that when they stopped adding veggies they saw absolutely no difference in their dogs.

Feeding veggies definitely takes more time and energy than not (pulping and all) and while it makes me feel like Oscar is getting a more balanced diet, if the only real benefit is some peace of mind for me, I might re-think my dog's diet.

For reference, I feed a ground mixed veggie mash of (varies from week to week but will include at least 3 at a time of the following): various dark leafy greens, green beans, broccoli stems, carrots, zuccini, celery, winter squash, beets and strawberries (I know the high sugar fruits & veggies should not make up the bulk of this mix). Flax seed oil is also added to the veggie mix, but I'd like to switch to salmon oil. I give about 1/4 cup of this mash on top of chix leg quarters and various organ meat. Mornings I'll give a few spoonfuls of fresh yogurt and occasionally a raw egg. (Oscar is a Rhod. Ridgeback and weighs a strong, lean 93lbs.)

Anyone have any real examples of veggies that made a big difference, or other opinions? - feel free to comment on the diet as well...

~Natalya

Having seen videos of Yellowstone timber wolves eating both whole small prey (including stomach contents, of course) and also some of the stomachs of large ruminants, as well as ripe berries and some young tender greens, I try to replicate this to some degree.

I don't put a ton of time into it; I get tender produce without a lot of stiff cell walls (cellulose), which dogs don't process very well. I give some blueberries (low sugar), for example, and maybe parsley and tender greens, or soft summer squashes. Whatever seems easily digested and easy to feed.

Of course, green tripe is great!


Bottom line: I'd rather not withhold something the animal would eat on his own. I don't feed much produce but I also don't think of it as optional.

P.S. I think fish oil is very important.

I make veggie glop twice a month. Even if it ends up having no real "benefit" to my dogs, they love it.
I add all kinds of stuff, canned fish (rinsed well of course), yogurt, molasses, pumpkin, ACV, fruits....you name it and if it is okay to feed, it goes in there.....
I actually enjoy putting food together for my dogs and getting it ready for storage. I do all this knowing my dogs are in great health and they will love whatever is in their dish.
Produce and the other ingredients are of minimal cost to me so I figure, what the heck.....
I also have been following the THK ingredients panel and learning all kinds of other things I can add to my mixture. It makes for variety for them.

Today is food day, so far I have packaged turkey necks, cut up 2 cases of whole chickens, made meatballs out of ground chicken (bone in), hamburger and some cubed pork.

Cut up livers and kidney, packaged some tripe (YUK) and am now boiling rice and skinless breasts for a dog that has an upset tummy and is on medication.

Once that is done, I will make veggie glop.

I also pre-packaged 24 meals and labeled the baggies with the dogs name and AM or PM feeding. I have to be gone for two days so the kennel help will feed and this makes it super easy for them.

One day a week is committed to dog food and cleaning house and baking some treats.....just so hubby feels taken care of too.

(YEP, I am a freak....hee hee)

Making a veggie pulp is definitely annoying.

I think that Connie's advice on the matter is excellent and provides the perfect middle-ground in terms of veggie feeding.

I do believe that dogs benefit from the vitamins, antioxidants and phytochemicals that fruits and vegetables have to offer.
Unless you're feeding your dogs whole freshly killed wild prey (including its fresh blood, organs, stomach contents etc.), chances are their diet is going to lack some of the nutrients that wolves would get in the wild.

By feeding the tender greens and berries in small quantities, you include the beneficial nutrients from the plants in the dog's diet without overloading and stressing the dog's digestive system with large quantities of indigestible plant matter.

However I'm a lazy person (people like Carol make me look really bad, haha) so I came up with an easy and convenient way to regularly include small amounts of fresh veggies and fruits into my dogs' diet without having to make the pulped mix.

I regularly feed fresh whole rabbits to my dogs, so what I do is offer a variety of vegetables and fruits to the rabbit and let it eat its fill right before I kill it. The dogs eat up the whole rabbit - stomach and guts included - so they ingest all the plant matter that the rabbit consumed. It's already ground up, mixed with saliva and all of the rabbit's digestive juices and enzymes which makes it very easy for the dogs to process.

Doesn't get any more natural than that... and the rabbits do all the pulping and mixing work for me

(I give my rabbits some fresh fruits, vegetables and wild grasses almost every day - I just add in some extras right before I kill them so that my dogs get their share as well).

 Quote: Carol Boche

I actually enjoy putting food together for my dogs and getting it ready for storage. I do all this knowing my dogs are in great health and they will love whatever is in their dish. Produce and the other ingredients are of minimal cost to me so I figure, what the heck.....

(YEP, I am a freak....hee hee)

So good to know I'm not the only one!!

Whenever I tell people what I feed my dog they look at me like I've just walked out of the nut house! But I also actually really enjoy taking the time to divy up and process fresh ingredients because it makes me feel like I'm taking the absolute best care of my 4-legged boy. Our freezer is filled with bagged individual servings of meat mixes and big containers of veggie mush. For 2 vegetarians (my boyfriend and I), we have more animal parts in cold storage than most meat eaters!

I've thought about molasses - and honey - as well, but never tried it. It always seemed like too much pure, raw sugar... maybe it's minerals are good in small quantities. It's all about balance, right?!

What about brewer's yeast?

~Natalya

 Quote: Yuko Blum

I regularly feed fresh whole rabbits to my dogs, so what I do is offer a variety of vegetables and fruits to the rabbit and let it eat its fill right before I kill it. The dogs eat up the whole rabbit - stomach and guts included - so they ingest all the plant matter that the rabbit consumed. It's already ground up, mixed with saliva and all of the rabbit's digestive juices and enzymes which makes it very easy for the dogs to process.

WOW - you get the prize! I'm not sure how that makes you lazy, exactly - I would say raising and killing rabbits just for your dog is actually amazingly involved, and a very nice idea (though I don't think I personally could do any of the slaughtering...). It's brilliant really, fits in with the whole subsitence farming idea and if I could do it I totally would. Cheers!

*Handsome dog too - you can tell he eats well...

~Natalya

Thank you Natalya!

As for the lazyness factor, well... let's face it, it's a LOT more fun to breed, raise and play with bunnies than it is to be elbow deep in vegetable mush once a week (yes, I went through that back when I first switched to raw)

Anyway, you can reduce your workload by sticking to the veggies and fruits that Connie suggested. Tender leafy greens and berries are certainly much easier to process and pulp compared to huge quantities of the tougher root vegetables (like carrots).

It's also easier on the dogs (less gas too, a bonus!!) and more nutritious.

Oh and of course you can always donate some table scraps to the dogs. I share bits of meat, fish, vegetables and fruits with my dogs from just about all my meals. That way they end up getting extra variety than only the dog food that I prepare for them (which already has quite a bit of variety to begin with! My dogs are spoiled, lol).

Either way, don't worry too much. It sounds like you're doing a great job feeding your guys a healthy diet.

The details are just that... details. You won't notice an earth-shattering difference in your dogs from the minor diet modifications that we're discussing here

If I thought my husband would not strangle me, I would raise my own food. However, me killing the food and him killing me are the two things that stop those thoughts.
I stay away from the gas producing foods as well. I do add a little once in a while if I have some in the fridge that needs to be used up.

Lol, poor Carol.

Now definitely don't go and get killed on us!!

Don't you have like 6 dogs now? With two brand-new little puppies?

If your husband is ok with that, what's a few rabbits added to the mix?


(Oh and COOL picture!!!! My dog would never sit still for something so undignified, hee hee)