Top 10 Healthy Vegetables For Your Dog

Have you ever thought of feeding vegetables to your dog? Most of us who loves these furry animals have at least once thought of feeding healthy foods but ended up being reluctant as we don’t know what vegetables are good and how much to give. We need to learn what kind of vegetables are good for the dogs and the portion size.

Vegetables for dogs is a healthy treat but we have to make sure to include dog-friendly vegetables. Everyone knows that Vegetables are filled with various nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. This factor would help in healthy digestion.

Dogs usually get excited when they are fed something new, so there are chances where they would gobble the vegetable and end up choking. It’s always advisable to first start feeding vegetables for dogs with few pieces in the beginning before you start serving huge portions. By doing this you may able to see there’s any adverse reactions, loose stools or any other reactions. If your dog enjoys the vegetables without any reactions you may gladly increase the portion.

There is something very important to be noticed is that it’s not recommended to add salt in dog-friendly vegetables as it may make them sick and cause dehydration. Anyway, if they end up eating some salty food there’s nothing to panic but let them drink lots of water.

Are Vegetables good for dogs?

Dogs seem to be hungry always, so if you are looking for a healthy treat, dog-friendly vegetables are a right choice. As much as they are packed with vitamins they help in digestion and other factors as well.  Feeding raw dog food vegetables is not a great idea as they don’t get the full nutrients as the humans do. Not all veggies for dogs are good to be fed raw. There are so many ways to serve vegetables for dogs such as baked vegetables, grilling them, preparing a puree, roasted, cooked and steamed. Finding out the best dog food is definitely a task.

What Vegetables are good for dogs?

Not all vegetables are dog-friendly as we mentioned earlier. Look out on how to get dog eat vegetables. It’s always better to steam, cook or make a puree. Precooked foods are easier to digest than raw vegetables. Don’t try to give the same vegetables for dogs daily but rather mix and give different ones along with some meat as well. Below let’s read how to get the dog to eat vegetables, the best dog food with some amazing dog food recipes.

The following list contains 10 best dog-friendly vegetables:

01. Broccoli Florets – Slow down the aging process

Broccoli is one of the most nutrition-packed vegetables. It is a vegetable which is rich in fiber. As nice as it looks it’s tasty as well. Broccoli contains Vitamin C, Potassium, Fiber, Protein, magnesium and Vitamin A. And its low in fat as well. That’s a lot, isn’t it!

A maximum of 10% can be included in your dog’s meal. Too much of broccoli being served can make your dog feel sick and upset its stomach. So, it’s better to be served in moderation. Broccoli acts as a good snack if your dog likes the taste of it. It helps to slow down the aging process in dog and fight allergies and cancer as well. Try out different ways to serve your dog and watch which way it prefers more. How to get dog eat vegetables is understood only by trying different ways. Too much of broccoli can probably cause gas problems so make sure to give small pieces.

Ways you can prepare the Broccoli:

• Chop broccoli into small pieces.
• Wash it well.
• Put it into a vegetable steamer and let it steam for around 8-9 minutes or until its tender and cooked but the green colors remain.

Oven roasted broccoli is another way to prepare your homemade dog treat.

02. Cucumber – Overcome dehydration

Cucumbers are a perfectly safe snack to feed your dog. Its loved by many dogs as they are crunchy. Because of the cooling factor, it contains it acts as a perfect snack for hot summer days just like for humans. People think that it contains only water buts it’s only partly true, as much as it contains water it has a lot of vitamins and minerals which makes it a dog-friendly food.

Vegetables for dogs like cucumbers make them overcome dehydration especially after you take it out for a long walk. It contains Vitamin K which is very much needed for the bones. You need your dog to be active and strong running around, what more are you thinking, serve the dog-friendly cucumbers in moderate portion. Since cucumber is also low in calorie like broccolis it helps in weight loss if your dog is overweight.

So, this vegetable filled with vitamin K, manganese, copper and potassium can be included into your vegetables to add to dog food list.

Ways you can prepare Cucumber:

• Wash them.
• Peel and cut into small bite-size pieces.
• Get rid of the seeds.
• Boil in hot water for around 5 minutes.
• Serve.

03. Spinach – Prevent cancers and restore energy

Spinach is a powerful nutrition-packed vegetable. It has an endless list of vitamins like vitamins A, B, C, K, calcium as well as fiber, potassium. No, it’s not over there’s more in the list to be followed iron, manganese. It helps prevent cancer, another great factor is that it boosts the immune system and restores energy. Sounds like the best dog food isn’t it!

Everyone who wants to feed spinach to their dogs is always considered about is the oxalate factor. Cooking it doesn’t help, but don’t worry because the serving for your dog is going to be moderate and not excessive. Limit their portions to be on the safer side.

Ways to prepare Spinach:

It’s a very pesticide vegetable so rinse it thoroughly. Cook it without adding salt or any other factors. Chop it finely so it’s easy to be digested. Mixing spinach with other meals is a good idea because it helps to maintain a healthy and balanced diet with more added nutrition.

Spinach puree is another way as well.

04. Carrots – Make teeth stronger

Here is a good news, it’s perfectly safe to feed your dog’s carrots. For dogs, this can become a regular part of their vegetable dog food as its health benefits are just amazing.

Carrots are root vegetables which are said to be good for health. It is crunchy, tasty and highly nutritious. Can we say that the color is appealing as well? They are a good source of vitamin A, fiber, potassium, antioxidants and beta-carotene. It’s in low in calorie and high in vitamins. Vitamin A is most needed for a healthy vision. If your dog can digest this it will benefit its immune system as well. Approximately one medium-sized carrot contains about 25 calories. Crunching these carrots can be good for dog’s teeth making it stronger.

While preparing veggie for the dog make sure you cut into bit sizes so they don’t end up choking.

Ways to prepare Carrots:

Try baking them- baking your own homemade dog treat is quite an easy process.

Rinse the carrots. Steam or boil in them in hot water till cooked well. Once done smash it well using a fork. Add some whole wheat flour to this and make a dough. Roll it out the dough and cut desired shapes. place them on a baking sheet. Bake it in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. These are more like cookies.

Steaming: simply cut them into strips and steam them for 10 minutes or well cooked. Drain the water and serve.

Shredded Carrots: Shredding them is also an easy and effective option as it would help to digest faster and you don’t have to worry about choking. It’s possible to shred it on top of meals to add some color to homemade dog food.

05. Brussels Sprouts – Heal wounds and improve bone strength

Brussels sprout is a vegetable which looks like small cabbage. It’s mostly neglected by people without knowing its nutrition value. They are crunchy and yummy. Brussels sprout falls to the cruciferous vegetable family which includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and collard greens. This family’s nutritional factors are very important in helping to fight cancer.

Brussels sprouts are rich in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, potassium and many other vitamins.

The health benefits of these are amazing whereas you would end up including it in your dog-friendly vegetable list. They help heal wounds, improves bone strength, improve digestion, boosts the immune system and prevents cancer.

Vegetables for dogs as Brussels sprouts are safe for dogs but it should be fed in moderation around one to two at a time. When you are purchasing brussels sprouts make sure its firm and green, because old sprouts can make your dog sick. There will be a few gastrointestinal effects. Dogs usually wouldn’t like Brussels sprouts raw so it should be cooked in an appropriate way.

Ways to prepare Brussels Sprouts:

• Remove the hard stem of the brussels sprout.
• Slice into half without adding salt or any.
• Cooking is needed as it could be tough to eat otherwise.

06. Cantaloupe – Improve vision and boost immune system

Are you in search of a healthy and tasty homemade dog treat? Best dog food is here and they are going to love it!

Cantaloupe comes from the melon family with high water content as the rest of the melons. It’s a common fact about melons are they help us overcome dehydration. It has many nutritional facts other than that as; it helps prevent cancer, slowdowns the aging process, provides antioxidants. Vitamin A as it helps in reducing inflammation, boost the immune system and help in good vision.

Cantaloupe seeds do have an important factor called omega 3 fatty acids which are edible but it’s usually discarded. This is a refreshing, tasty treat to your canine. As these vegetables for dogs contains a high amount of sugar beware if your dog has diabetics. Cantaloupe is a great source of vitamin A and C.

Ways to prepare Cantaloupe:

Peel off the outer surface as it’s known to carry harmful bacteria. Once you peel the skin cut into slices and discard all the seeds. Serve 2 to 3 slices. Its preferable to start out with 1 or 2 small wedges.

Your dog will love this raw food during a hot weather!

07. Potatoes – Good source of carbohydrates

Potatoes are safe, healthy vegetable packed with minerals and vitamins for your canines to eat. They are a good source of carbohydrates and potassium. It contains the nutrients dogs need as vitamin B6, magnesium, vitamin C, and iron.

It’s not advisable to feed raw dog food vegetables and same applies to potatoes as it is very difficult to digest. It may lead to diarrhea and vomiting. Always make sure to cook them before serving.

Ways to prepare Potatoes:

• Don’t buy potatoes that are green in color!
• Peel skin. Boil or bake without adding salt.
• Oven roasted potatoes.
• Serve in moderation.
• Either its baked or boiled your dogs will love it!

08. Green Beans – Good for overweighed dogs

Is your dog overweighed? Don’t worry we got it sorted by this amazing dog-friendly vegetable.

Green beans are great if given in sensible quantity as they are packed with fiber and can cause nutritional problems. It contains all the essential vitamins and fibers. Vitamins such as vitamin A, C, K, and fiber.

Green bean diet for dogs is a good idea if it is overweighed. All you must do is replace green beans instead of regular dog treats. Gradually increase the proportion of green beans in their diet. It is recommended to feed only 10% of green beans in its normal diet.

Green beans can be fed raw. Yes, you can. But make sure you chop them. They enjoy frozen green beans as well. Cooked beans and even canned beans but do check out the ingredients in the can as it shouldn’t contain salt. There are a variety of forms to give green beans. However, before starting the green bean diet, make sure to consult your vet.

Ways to prepare Green Beans:

• Fresh green beans straight from your garden chopped into tiny bits are perfectly okay.
• You can either cook it to make it soft.

09. Celery – Prevent diabetes and fight off cancers

It is very nutritious and low in calorie. It prevents diabetes, fights off cancer, reduces bad doggie breath, prevents obesity, osteoporosis, and arthritis. There’s fiber, vitamin A, B, C, iron, potassium, amino acids, and calcium. Vegetables for dogs like Celery can be a perfect nutritional snack.

Ways to prepare Celery:

There’s no benefit in cooking celery for dogs, so feeding them raw is fine. Chop to small pieces to avoid choking.

10. Sweet Potatoes – Promote digestive health

Here’s another root vegetable dog food packed with vitamin C, vitamin B6, fiber and vitamin A making it a superfood for your dog. It’s a powerful antioxidant and helps promote digestive health.

Ways to prepare Sweet Potatoes:

Bake: Slice them evenly. Place them on a baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees for 3hours and little more until its crispy.

Sweet Potatoe Rice: Boil rice, steam and mash the potatoes add peanut butter for flavor. Mix all and its ready. More preferred to serve frozen.

To take care of your dog well, giving a healthy diet is one of the most important things you should consider about. As much as it’s recommended to add vegetables for dogs food it’s always advisable to consult your vet before changing your dog’s diet. Know the right amount of portions to be served. Homemade dog food recipes are easy and can make it dog-friendly as well.