In the below thread, Connie seems to suggest that freezing zucchini and other summer squashes (after peeling) adequately breaks these vegetables down for feeding.

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=34&Number=228438&Searchpage=1&Main=22229&Words=freeze+vegatables&topic=0&Search=true#Post228438

Does this technique (freezing) apply to all vegetables such as romaine, spinach, etc.?

Right now, I steam vegetables (whenever I decide to give a bit to my dog), but if freezing works just as well, I would definitely prefer to do that.

SM

Once a month or so, I buy zuccini, spinach, parsley, celery leaves, etc., and beef and chicken liver and gizzards, and I put them all in a blender and make this veggie/organs slop, and then freeze it in a bunch of containers (about a cup each). Then the veggies are frozen and broken down, the organs flavor the veggies so Kasey loves them, and it's convenient to just thaw a container out and feed over the next few days.

Just an idea!

Romaine might break up into mush. But give it a shot.

No, it doesn't work with all vegetables. Some have to be blanched first. Think of it in terms of the cellulose in the vegetable walls. Broccoli, for example, is obviously very stiff and cellulose-y.

But it works for many of the ones I feed to make them more "bio-available." (I think that term is OK there, but don't quote me.) Young tender ones already are.

Oh, and if summer squashes are young and small, no need to freeze or even peel. But the big ubiquitous zucchini that are everywhere all summer -- you want to get rid of the thick outer peel or freeze and see what happens.

Freezing is my primary method for "processing" veggies for my dogs. Call me lazy. I find it way easier than cooking or creating puree.

I haven't found a veggie yet that it didn't work adequately for. (My very unscientific method is looking at poop. If I don't see any recognizable vegetable pieces in poop, then they got some nutrition out of it.

For broccoli (or any other tough item) I chop coarsely (maybe quarter-inch size pieces?) and freeze. Works just fine. My dogs get a lot of the stems and trimmings from our veggies--kale stems, broccoli stems, celery trimmings, ends of asparagus, etc. I just keep a large zip-lok bag in the freezer and it is the canine "compost heap." chopped trimmings go in, freeze, then a small handful gets sprinkled on top of dog meals. Not every meal--I only feed fruits/veggies maybe every third meal.

Easiest method of all is to just buy frozen fruits and vegetables when they are on sale--or buy the giant bags at a wholesale club. Strawberries, blueberries, sliced peaches, peas, green beans, sliced carrots...all favorites here.

How long do y'all have to freeze them?

Just 'til they are frozen solid. A few hours, or overnight would be enough. It's just freezing the water in the item, and there's not that much water there.

As everyone knows, when water freezes, it expands. So, when the water in the cells of the plant freezes, it expands, breaking the cell walls which are made of cellulose--the substance that dog's can't digest. Breaking the cell walls is what enables the dogs to have access to the nutrients inside the plant cells. Otherwise, they pass through largely the same as they go in.

That's why when you thaw frozen veggies, they are not the same as when they were fresh (usually). They are mushier. The more water in the fruit/veg the mushier they are after freezing. Green beans, not that much water. Strawberries, all water.

Cooking and pureeing also do the same thing. (So does chewing with human molars, and digestion in the guts of ruminants and herbivores/omnivores that have the ability to break down cellulose.)