Dog Friendly Fruits and Vegetables Guide

As I mentioned in my first blog I love to stretch my dog food by adding assorted whole foods that I have in the house. I also am a huge fan of using vegetables and fruits for dog treats. They are cheap, easy, and I know exactly what I am feeding. No label deciphering needed.

Pup Produce

Here is all the produce I feed my pups along with what prep if needed, to keep them safe.

• Broccoli and Cauliflower – They can eat the whole stalk, but I have found that cutting them into bite-size pieces makes them more appealing to my little dog, MaHoney.
• Carrots – Baby carrots are my dogs’ favorites. I just buy the pre-washed organic bags from the store and serve. They go nuts for them.
• Fresh Beans – This includes green beans, snap peas, and string beans are all great treats. My pups love them whole or shelled.
• Tomatoes –  Cherry tomatoes are most popular, but any other variety of work. They can’t eat the stems due to it being toxic to dogs so I just pinch those off.
• Apples and Pears – I do core the these due to the seeds being poisonous to dogs.
• Melons – Just watch out for the number of seeds due to many leading to a blockage. Also, the rind is better left for the yard waste bin, it can cause tummy upset.
• Bananas – Just peel and serve.
• Berries – Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are all wonderful anti-oxidants. Be warned though; once your dog’s get a taste for them your garden will never be safe again. Sportydoo, my lab, gets all of them before we can.
• Greens – Lettuces, beet tops, carrot tops, and kale, are all great for my dogs. The only thing is my pups have a hard time with their floppiness. So, I usually chop then add them to their meat.
• Beets – If I am feeding farm beets, not sugar beets I am good to go.
• Cucumbers – I just slice into bite-size pieces or serve as a healthy chew toy.
• Pumpkin –  Raw, cooked, or even the seeds are all fair game for my doggos.

Well, there it is. An easy list of common fruits and vegetables that you can add to your dog’s diet today. It is not a complete list by a long shot, but I would be true to my name if I wasn’t a little lazy.

One word of caution: If your dog is not already used to eating fresh produce go slow. It will take time for their guts to build back the digestive enzymes it takes to fully digest them. Or in other words, they will get the runs if you feed too many at first.