Dogs are omnivores, which means that they are able to eat both meat and plants. Most commercial kibble products and treats now contain some sort of fruit or vegetable to use as filler, so you don’t necessarily need to add fruits or veggies to their diets. However, it won’t technically hurt them either.
Fruits and veggies can be good stomach fillers if you are trying to take weight off a dog. The most popular veggie I hear thrown around to take up space in a dog dish is green beans. Be careful not to cook them in any oils or sauces if you are looking to avoid calories. Other safe fruits and veggies that are dog-safe include apples, bananas, blueberries, melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, peaches (not the pits!), pears, pineapple, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Spinach, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are safe for dogs to eat. However, try to avoid giving them if they have been sautéed in butter or oils, particularly if you are feeding these foods to assist with weight loss. Peas are another very common ingredient in dog foods. They are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K, and are high in iron and potassium. I am interested in seeing if the amount of peas used in some commercial diets that were linked to the rise in cases of cardiomyopathy is a real thing or not. Until then, I am not feeding my dogs a lot of peas.
While commercially produced mushrooms like white mushrooms and shiitake are fine for dogs to eat, you should avoid letting them forage for wild mushrooms out in the wild. While most will only cause them vomiting and or diarrhea, who needs the aggravation!
Veggies that your dog should avoid include anything in the onion and leek family. Onions, leeks, and chives contain allium, which can cause red blood cells to rupture in dogs and lead to anemia. All parts of an onion can lead to this poisoning, so it is best to keep them out of your dog’s diet and out of their reach. While avocados are all the rage in the human diet, you should avoid giving them to your dog as the skin, pit, and leaves contain persin, which results in vomiting and diarrhea. The fleshy insides of the avocado that we eat may not contain as much persin as the rest of it, but it is very rich and can cause upset stomachs. As for fruits, you should also avoid feeding your dogs cherries. Cherry pits contain cyanide, which is a toxin. Unless you are going to remove the pits for your dogs, they do not need to eat cherries. And of course, avoid grapes at all costs.
If you are feeding a commercial brand kibble, most likely your dog is getting some level of fruits and vegetables already in their diet. As opposed to overfeeding proteins, fruits and veggies are perfectly safe to give as treats and very helpful in managing weight loss.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email: heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
