The "little guy" is 42lbs at 6months old. Don't know how big he is actually going to get. Didn't mention it before but he especially likes the little apples because he completely hides them in his mouth from the dobe and us <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> . When we loose interest or spend some time looking for his apple he will drop it at out feet so we can through it again to get the game restarted.

He was 24 lbs at 12 weeks but lost 25% of his weight from the parvo so there is no way of knowing how much that has effected his current weight.

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.....ANy other gems while we're talking about it?

I've fed grapes too, before the fairly recent discovery that dogs had died from liver failure after eating a lot of grapes (or especially raisins).

This is a pretty good list, but don't forget that chocolate (esp dark) and cocoa mulch are way up there on any list:
http://www.decadentdog.com/poisonous.html

So glad this topic came up. Are tomatoes bad for dogs-- other than a concentration of the seeds? - My 10 year old male GSD loves tomatoes. He will steal them off the counter whenever he gets the chance and out of the garden if he can. I don't let him have them very often. But they are definitely a real treat for him. He will eat fallen apples too, as many as he can get. I rake alot. Poop scooping is a real thrill during apple season.

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So glad this topic came up. Are tomatoes bad for dogs-- other than a concentration of the seeds? - My 10 year old male GSD loves tomatoes. He will steal them off the counter whenever he gets the chance and out of the garden if he can. I don't let him have them very often. But they are definitely a real treat for him. He will eat fallen apples too, as many as he can get. I rake alot. Poop scooping is a real thrill during apple season.

Ruth,

I do give ripe tomatoes sometimes. My dogs love cherry tomatoes, although they had to learn that there was food inside there --- they'd roll 'em around and "phooh" them out. But once I nicked one so they could tell there was actual food in there, they ended up being very fond of them!

However, I double-checked before posting this, and got authoritative backup. Here's one:
http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dtreat.html#Veggie%20snacks
saying that ripe (not green) tomatoes are fine as treats.

I tend to believe that produce (with exceptions) of the soft ripe low-sugar type is fine for dogs. JMO. I believe that wild canids do eat fallen ripe fruits, young greens, and berries. I also think they eat even sturdier produce in the form of partially-digested prey contents. In addition, it's such a great way to get antioxidants and other micronutrients.

And finally, there's research indicating that lutein (abundant in tomatoes as well as greens, egg yolks, and other foods) is beneficial to dogs in exactly the way it benefits humans (especially eye and prostate health).

OTOH, there is evidence that the nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, etc.) aggravate arthritis pain in some individuals. They don't cause it, but some arthritic people notice increased pain after eating them. It might do the same thing in arthritic dogs.

I'm not a health professional.

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i had a dog who liked to gorge on fallen apples. one day we were visiting some friends and we heard a noise and suddenly there was a steaming hot pile of fresh apple compote on the kitchen floor! it actually smelled like dessert.

i tried to keep him away from the apple trees after that. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

ROFLMAO

I had such a laugh nat that! Thanks <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

John

Kudos for taking in the wee pup, thats awesome! For what its worth, I have an 2 year old female here who is crazy for apples. She's crazy for balls too, but she is every bit as excited to fetch an apple as she is a ball. Actually we love the using the apples when we send her into the pond to retieve them... they float really well unlike the tennis balls which sink after she's mouthed them a little (usually just a few tosses and their done!). Its funny to watch her b/c once she's chased the apple a few times and it starts breaking apart in the water she doesn't know which piece to retrieve... so she starts to trying to fit all the pieces in her mout at once <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />. Anyway, we've never had any adverse effects from our dogs eating apples (maybe a little 'apple sauce' on the kitchen floor every once in a while... as was previously posted <lmao at that>.... all good things in moderation, I guess <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.

Connie,

Thanks for your response. I have wondered about this dog's appetite for tomatoes and other undog-like foods. Your posts are always so chock full of good information and documentmentation. Thanks for that link. This male of mine is a real omnivore and will eat almost anything. He also likes an occasional blueberry and is a real good keeper.

What about acorns? We have 3 large oak trees in our backyard and in the Fall, they probably drop thousands of acorns. I've caught our pup nibbling on a them once or twice, but I wasn't sure if it was harmful. Don't really know what I could do about it unless I got out there and raked three times a day...

Thanks!

Adrian

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What about acorns? We have 3 large oak trees in our backyard and in the Fall, they probably drop thousands of acorns. I've caught our pup nibbling on a them once or twice, but I wasn't sure if it was harmful. Don't really know what I could do about it unless I got out there and raked three times a day...

Nibbling, not so bad........ but some dogs swallow them whole and, like small pine cones, they can cause intestinal blockage.

Can you keep him away from that area?

Glenn, good for you taking in a pup, and dealing with Parvo to boot. While we love our GSD's here, we equally love our rescues!

On the topic of fruit - I'd be interested in feedback on mulberries. We have several large mulberry trees in our yard. Last year when we were feeding kibble (Royal Canin for the GSD), the GSD GORGED himself on mulberries. I mean it was scary. To the point where his poop was like Mulberry jam (had to laugh about the apple compote story!). Other than the soft "jam like" stool, it didn't seem to make him sick.

We started raw feeding in January. This year, the GSD certainly ate some berries now and then, but not anywhere close to the scary quantities of last year. I've read things over the years that suggest humans and dogs can "crave" seemingly strange things due to other nutritional deficiencies. One story that comes to mind goes back to the days of paints containing lead, where children would try to lick/eat the paint which was tied to some sort of nutritional deficiency.

It's really just curiosity on my part - could there be any connection between the change of berry behavior, and change in diet? Or maybe just an odd coincidence with a young dog.

Thanks!
Beth