fruit and veg for dogs?

[meltoadhall]

can i give fruit and veg to my dog as the occasional treat, not as a replacement for his normal dog food but just as an occasional treat or reward

[Snappy]

Yes, if they'll eat it! Carrotts are the most common treat. Never give grapes, raisins or onions though as they're poisonous

[jon1968]

We used to give ours the plate scrapings from the Sunday roast and the odd rogue sprout would get in her bowl - obviously covered in gravy so she gobbled it up - the smell she eminated soon after was rotten!!

[andyjevs]

Yep....we'll often give ours a carrot or even an apple core is made short work of !!!!

Same again about the sunday roast scrapings although i'm not a lover of too much gravy for the dogs as it is very salty

[drgnrdr]

Common Foods That Are Harmful Or Even Fatal to Dogs
Many common foods are actually harmful or even fatal to dogs. Some of these (listed below) will surprise you. Others are things you would never give your dog purposefully, but now you will be more careful to not let them be in your dog's reach. And some just need to be limited to small amounts.

Avocados (fruit, pit, and plant) are toxic to dogs. They can cause difficulty breathing; fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart; or pancreatitis.

Onions destroy red blood cells and can cause anemia, weakness, and breathing difficulty. Even small amounts can cause cumulative damage over time. This includes onions or chives - raw, powdered, dehydrated, or cooked.

Large amounts of garlic cause the same problems as onions.

Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill him. If the dog doesn't eat enough at one time to be fatal, he can be severely damaged by eating just a few grapes or raisins regularly.

Tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias. Tomato plants and the most toxic, but tomatoes themselves are also unsafe. (All parts of the plant except the tomato itself are also poisonous to humans.)

Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures and death.

Caffeine (from coffee, coffee grounds, tea, or tea bags) stimulates the central nervous and cardiac systems, and can cause vomiting, restlessness, heart palpitations, and even death within hours.

Diet products containing the sweetener Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Unless treatment is given quickly, the dog could die.

Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. These symptoms are usually temporary.

Walnuts are poisonous to dogs.

[drgnrdr]

Chocolate can cause seizures, coma and death. Baker�s chocolate is the most dangerous. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. But any chocolate, in large enough amounts, can kill a dog. An ounce of chocolate can poison a 30-pound dog, and many dogs will happily consume more than this. The symptoms may not show up for several hours (and so might make you think all is well), with death following within twenty-four hours. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous.

Apple seeds, cherry pits, and peach pits, pear pips, plums pits, peaches, and apricot pits contain cyanide, which is poisonous.

Too much salt can cause kidney problems. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may then drink too much water and develop bloat, which is fatal unless emergency treatment is given very quickly.

Too much fat or fried foods can cause pancreatitis.

Ham and bacon contain too much fat and too much salt, and can cause pancreatitis. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may drink too much water and develop a life-threatening condition called bloat. This is where the stomach fills up with gas and within several hours may twist, causing death.

Raw liver or too much cooked liver (three servings a week) can lead to vitamin A toxicity. This can cause deformed bones, excessive bone growth on the elbows and spine, weight loss, and anorexia. Check the label of your canned dog food to be sure that it does not contain liver if you are giving your dog liver also.

[drgnrdr]

Wild mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma, or death.

Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin, which can deplete your dog of biotin, one of the B vitamins. Biotin is essential to your dog�s growth and coat health. The lack of it can cause hair loss, weakness, growth retardation, or skeleton deformity. Raw egg yolks contain enough biotin to prevent the deficiency, so this is not a problem with raw whole eggs. Raw egg yolks could contain salmonella, so you should get your eggs from a reliable source or cook the eggs.

Grains should not be given in large amounts or make up a large part of a dog�s diet, but rice is generally safe in small amounts.

Cooked bones can splinter and tear a dog�s internal organs.

Dogs can't digest most vegetables (carrots, green beans, lettuce, potatoes or yams) whole or in large pieces. Potato peels and green potatoes are dangerous.

Dairy products are high in fat, which can cause pancreatitis, gas and diarrhea. A small amount of non-fat, plain yogurt is usually safe.

Pennies made from the 1980s to today contain zinc, which can cause kidney failure and damage to red blood cells. A dog that consumes even one penny can become quite sick, or even die, if the penny is not removed.
This is from Dog tips tricks and Insight on the Internet. A carrot or such is okay, for teething dogs a frozen carrot is fun, I use this to educate only, hope you find it that way also. ~/:\~

[jon1968]

Blimey, didn�t know that! Thanks DR. My dog was a walking hoover and would�ve eaten anything put in front of it I think!! Fortunately none of the above deadly or really nasty items applied but she definitely had a bit of potato and a cast off bit of chocolate once in a while.

[shaneystar2]

Good grief.......my Shaney loves a raw carrot.. although that is all I give him in the way of raw veg. He will hound me for a carrot.He adores a bit of apple now and again. He is the master of the yoghurt pot licking out and is really fond of a digestive biscuit... and loves a tidbit of bacon.

[meltoadhall]

sorry I asked :(

[noxlumos]

Really sorry Drgnrdr but my dog's staple diet consists of nearly all of those things and this one is 14 and I've never lost a dog under 10.I'm not saying that your info is wrong just perhaps a little exagerrated especially since many dry dog foods contain vegetables especially carrots.

[mw]

crickey thats a big list.

My dog loves dried bananas but she loves anything orange - satsumas are her favourite. I dont think veg are bad for dogs as its in most of the dried foods.ie. pease, sweetcorn and carrots rice etc.

My cat however loves peas..lol

[annavc]

My old Golden Retriever was a fiend when it came to peanuts, had at least a few a day and died of old age at the age of 19. Our Staffie Cross was similarly addicted to cheese (extra mature chedder in particular) and also lived to about 17 with no health problems.

[drgnrdr]

Jon1968: it doesn't say potatos are bad it's the PEEL and green ones. Chocolate is not good and the darker the choc the worse it is.

Shaneystar2: carrots are fine most veggies are okay, they just say dogs don't digest them as well when raw. Apples are fine it's the Core, the part with the seeds (Andyjevs gave to dog) that is not good.

noxlumos/mw: When veg are processed with kibble it doesn't come out raw anymore, so it is easier to digest, we grind ( jaw works up and down and side to side) most of our food, we don't try to eat most things whole, most dogs on the other hand don't really sit and grind food to a pulp, they bite off pieces and swallow, it doesn't say carrots are bad. Look what happens when we eat corn?

annavc: Dairy in certain amount can cause bad things to happen, I don't think, of course I assume here, that anyone makes yougrt or cheese the MAIN part of your dogs diet. As a treat it may be okay depending on your dog, everyone is different, just like people some are lactose intolerant. It can cause some dogs to have diarrhes or gas and pancreatic attack I know of a couple of dogs it did just that and when the vet asked questions it came down to ice cream every nite the dog licked the bowl clean, and the other gave dog fat from table scraps. It did not mention peanuts, if they are salted nuts you might want to make sure not to give them alot.

It says "may" and can" cause, I only put it on here cuz the question was asked. If I can keep my dog from having any of these things from happening then I will avoid it. It was only meant to educate nothing more, if you want to risk it go ahead you may never have a dog die from kidney failure due to an accumalation of being fed too many grapes or raisins, I do not. It's your choice, use what you want throw away the rest of the info...~/:\~

[noxlumos]

Drgnrdr, Certainly no offence intended and I hope non taken, it's always interesting to hear other people's opinions about anything, but I was just questioning your sources because I know for example that lots of vegetarian dog foods contain Avocado for example as well as other things which your source seems to think are toxic, I wasn';t doubting your sincerity in posting the info, it's just that there are many health scares around both human and animal. Here's a link to a veggie dog food whose main ingredient is avocado for example.

http://www.vegetariandogs.com/

[drgnrdr]

No offense taken, I always am open to other ideals, I found this info on the Internet at

http://www.lacetoleather.com/dogtricks.html

There are many things in dog food that they have found that are not good for dogs, check out

http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/

right now the Vit. K supplement menadione is being removed from high quality foods due to the research that it is harmful.

Some things in moderation are fine, and I found the website interesting that you listed, but it's good if a dog is sensitive to typical meat protien, a nice alternative.

[missmooncat]

thanks a lot,I didnt realise so many foods can be toxic to dogs.So glad to have read this post thanks so much,I have been giving my dogs a few of the things listed,not very often just every couple of months or so.I won`t be giving them any of it now ---thankyou so much