[STINGER-LRSD]

I would like to start feeding Ranger a natural diet as soon as possible. I have the meat part covered as my family are all avid hunters. Venison, fish and hog meat are plentiful. (someone told me pork was bad for dogs???) I will have to purchase some poultry from time to time, but no biggy! What i am concerned about is the veggie side. Are dogs as picky and different as people when it comes to taste? Are there any veggies that seem to work well with most dogs? What veggies are best...taste aside? Ranger has been on Science Diet large breed puppy up to now. I have only recently started adding egg, yogurt, or broth to his meals on occassion.

Thank in advance.

BTW...This place is superb!! A wealth of knowledge and a priceless tool for a new GSD owner!!!

 

[DianaM]

Man, do you live anywhere near central FL? Can I order a hog carcass now and then, please? Maybe some deer, too?

Pork is fine for dogs. Mine LOVES pork.

Quote:Are dogs as picky and different as people when it comes to taste?

Yep. Mine really hates organs like liver and kidneys. Liver he'll eat if it's frozen, kidneys have to be minced and mixed with something and maybe he'll eat most of it.

As for veggies, BARF diet gives them a yea, prey-model raw diet gives it a nay. Some people do it, some don't. I give veggies as treats only, not as part of his diet. I try to have variety in the organs and meats and I am trying to supplement his organs via fishing. The fish must have heard my plans because they're conveniently ignoring me whenever possible.

Oh, when you do start, start with low variety to get your pup used to the diet. Going from Science Diet to raw may be akin to a slap in the face and a drop kick to your pup's digestive system, but it'll be well worth it. Some dogs adjust very fast, others take awhile. Renji was an easy switch and I am extremely thankful for that.

Read as MUCH as you can about this diet. Read read read, ask ask ask!

http://www.rawdogranch.com - Love that site as a resource!

 

[lar07]

My dogs used to like carrots, but after switching them to a raw, prey model diet they won't touch them. I don't even feed veggies as treats. Dogs don't digest vegetables.

 

[DianaM]

Quoteogs don't digest vegetables.

Hence the beauty of using them as treats. No worries about weight gain!

But to get them digestible for a diet, you have to blend them to a mushy pulp. Like with meats, variety is key.

 

[Wetdog]

Quote: What veggies does your puppy like?

Grass.


LMAO! Sorry just couldn't resist.

 

[Wetdog]

Quote: Liver he'll eat if it's frozen, kidneys have to be minced and mixed with something and maybe he'll eat most of it.

Ah, there's the problem Diana, you are not preparing the kidneys properly.

Place in a pan and cover with water-----then boil the piss out of them!

 

[3K9Mom]

I feed just about every sort of veggie you can imagine (avoiding stuff that's toxic like grapes & raisins, which aren't veggies, but need to be avoided).

So what do I feed? Mustard greens, sweet potatoes, broccoli, kale, collard, carrots, string beans, yams, turnip greens, Brussels sprouts, summer squash, bok choy, pumpkin, etc.

I feed very limited amounts of apple, blueberry, peach, banana,& other fruits. I limit fruits because they're heavy on sugar.

Dogs DO digest vegetables, but they have to be processed in some way. Some people grate them. Some freeze them. Some cook them. But it's not true that dogs don't process vegetables at all. I dice and cook all the veggies into a stew. I season with a few spices (rosemary, thyme, basil, a bit of garlic. Definitely go easy on garlic. Too much can cause anemia. One clove per 20 lbs of dog is the absolute maximum). Then I portion it out and freeze in zip-loc containers.

My dogs get a wide variety of vegetables, therefore a wide variety of nutrients. Because each stew is different (depending what is in season), but it gets frozen, I can mix up the batches so they get variety that way as well. And they LOVE it! I mix it with a bit of cottage cheese, and if it's a muscle meat meal, their meat gets mixed in as well. When I put the veggies down next to their RMBs, they often eat the veggies first (even if they're not mixed with anything else)!

I don't use synthetic supplements like a lot of raw feeders do, so I put a lot of thought into my veggie mix to ensure that it provides the nutrients my dogs need. And I like that it does so naturally. I know the produce I buy is mostly organic. And I know how I cooked it. It doesn't come from a pharmaceutical company or manufacturer.

Given that you're starting out with a pup (like I did), your pup will most likely develop a palate to appreciate a wider variety of foods. So he'll enjoy foods that you might otherwise not expect him to! (Some foods, like Brussels sprouts and greens will probably be too bitter to eat on their own, but mixed with yams or pumpkin? He'll likely learn to eat those just fine! And they're so healthy!)

 

[DianaM]

Quote:
Place in a pan and cover with water-----then boil the piss out of them!

Somewhere in the distance, a rimshot echoes.

 

[big_dog7777]

Going from Hills to raw. You are about to have one happy and healthy dog!!! I think the transformation will be flat out shocking to you. Pork is by no means bad for dogs, and many people including myself use pork neck as a staple RMB because it is inexpensive and "user friendly" because it usually comes cut into pieces. As veggies are not 100% necessary I really just add for variety for the most part. I like bananas as they are inexpensive and full of good stuff. I feed a half of a banana a few times per week. Canned low sodium green beans, carrots, and peas. Boiled sweet potato, and any left over fresh steamed veggies from our dinners. Add in bits of apple, strawberries, and such.

 

[Cooper&me]

Mine also like bannanas and yellow apples and carrots but turn their nose up at everything else. True carnivors at my house.

 

[DianaM]

Renji likes bananas as well. First time he had half, he scarfed it down before everything else, including the meat. That would explain his usual monkey-business!

 

[larrydee33]

Thanks there are some really great ideas on here

 

[debbiebrown]

actually some vegies are digested all depends on the celulose content. celery, green beans, beet greens, most of the green dark green vegies. carrots are not digested well at all.
mild radishes can be given, they are good for cleansing the liver. 3-4 a day are plenty for a dog.


debbie

 

[tracyc]

The cell walls of all plants are made of cellulose. So, you're partly right debbieb. Dogs cannot digest cellulose, so in order to get the nutrition from the vegetable, we have to do something to break the cell walls. Common ways of doing that are pureeing, cooking, or freezing.

Very few unprocessed raw fruits/vegetables can be digested by a dog--they will pass through nearly intact. Everything else will require some "pre-chewing" for them using one of the methods above.

So--yes, a dog can eat green beans or carrots. They just need to be pureed, cooked, or frozen.

 

[debbiebrown]

i think they can digest some vegies without cooking, the proof is in the stools "if i may be so blunt" raw carrots come out in undigested chunks, where as i have never seen raw green beans come out undigested. my dogs get plenty of them from my garden in the summer. the same with celery, since its made up of mostly water.

but, your right Tracey, most vegies need to be cooked, pureed or frozen to break down the cellulose.

debbie