When it comes to your dog's diet, vegetables can play an important role in promoting health and longevity. However, the key lies in understanding the right types, amounts, and preparation methods to ensure your canine friend gets the most benefit.
Let’s dive into everything you need to know about feeding vegetables to dogs.
Why Feed Vegetables to Dogs?
Vegetables are a natural part of a canine diet, providing essential nutrients, fibre, and antioxidants. In the wild, dogs would consume greens and plant matter through their prey's stomach contents or directly from nature.
Adding vegetables to your dog’s meals can:
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- Support digestion and gut health.
- Provide vitamins and minerals missing in food.
- Help detoxify the body and strengthen the immune system.
- Balance body pH.
- Help to optimize your dog's temperature with cooling or warming properties.
How Much Vegetables Should Dogs Eat?
The amount of vegetables depends on your dog’s diet and metabolism:
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- Raw or Cooked Diet: 10–30% of their meal should consist of vegetables.
- Kibble Diet: Add 10-30% of veggies and add as much of fresh or cooked meat as possible to optimize your dog's health.
Consistency is not necessary every day—balance the vegetables intake over a week instead.
Why Some Dogs Dislike Vegetables
Dogs often prefer calorie-rich foods like meat over vegetables. In nature, they consume pre-digested plant matter from prey, which tastes different from raw or steamed veggies. To make veggies more appealing:
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- Chop them finely or puree them.
- Steam tougher vegetables like broccoli or beets.
- Experiment with different types to find what they enjoy most.
- Add FeelGood Omega 3 that most dogs' will love.
Best Vegetables for Dogs
Start with a mix of about 50% leafy greens and 50% non-leafy vegetables. Adjust this ratio based on your dog’s constitution—dogs that tend to run hot can benefit from more leafy greens, which have a cooling effect. Conversely, dogs that get chilly should have fewer cooling greens and a higher portion of warming vegetables.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are nutrient-dense and help detoxify your dog’s body.
Examples include:
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- Lettuce
- Dandelion leaves
- Cilantro
- Beet or carrot tops
- Sprouted seeds
- Bok choy
- Basil
- Parsley
Note: Spinach and swiss chard should be fed sparingly due to oxalates, which can lead to kidney issues if consumed in large amounts.
Dogs instinctively understand the nutritional and detoxing power of leafy greens, and this is why they may also eat fresh grass.
Non-Leafy Veggies
These vegetables complement leafy greens:
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- Cooling: Broccoli, celery, cauliflower.
- Neutral: Carrots, beets, green beans.
- Warming: Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, yams, ginger.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a great addition to your dog’s diet! Cooking them before feeding improves digestion and enhances their health benefits.
Shiitake mushrooms are neutral, while most others are cooling. Wild, edible mushrooms are ok as long as you are able to reliably identify them.
Other Options
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- Asparagus: Rich in vitamins B6, C, E, and K; best served steamed or grilled.
- Zucchini: Low-calorie with bone-strengthening nutrients; steam before serving.
How to Prepare Vegetables for Dogs
1. Raw or Steamed?
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- Raw veggies retain more nutrients but may be harder to digest.
- Steaming softens veggies like broccoli or zucchini, making them more palatable but raw and chopped up veggies are ok.
2. Chop or Blend:
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- Chop finely or use a food processor for better digestion.
- Juicing is fine if you mix the pulp back in for fiber. Do not use juice only as it lacks fiber.
3. Mix with Meat:
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- Combine veggies with ground meat or chunks to encourage picky eaters.
- Add omega oils like fish oil for flavor and extra nutrients.
Can Dogs Eat Fruit?
Yes, but in moderation (less than 5% of their diet). Fruits can be fed with protein meals to avoid glucose spikes. Low-sugar options like blueberries and other berries are ideal.
Vegetables to Avoid
Some vegetables are toxic or harmful to dogs:
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- Onions
- Chives
- Corn Cobs
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Unripe Tomatoes
Is garlic safe for dogs?
Garlic also belongs to the onion family, however, there is no reason to panic if there is a small amount of garlic in treats or food. I have not seen any negative effects result from small amounts of garlic.
Can dogs eat avocados?
Yes, but only the flesh of the avocado can be safely fed to dogs.
The avocado tree and fruit contain persin, a natural fungicide that can be toxic to dogs. However, the highest concentrations of persin are found in inedible parts such as the avocado leaves, skin, and pit, and very little in the avocado flesh.
Are Nightshade Vegetables OK?
Tomatoes (ripe only), potatoes (cooked), peppers, and eggplants are generally safe in small amounts. Avoid unripe tomatoes and sprouted potatoes due to toxins.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Broccoli, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts and cauliflower should be cooked to maximize their benefit.
Should we use dog supplements in addition to vegetables in our dog's diet?
I give our essentials to my dog Pax and recommend them in general. Unfortunately, modern agricultural practices and soil depletion have led to a point where, even with a variety of vegetables, our food often lacks the nutrients needed for a balanced diet.
To ensure a balanced diet:
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- Provide all-natural, plant-based minerals with GreenMin.
- Add all-natural certified organic multivitamin SoulFood.
- Include dog specific dairy-free pre/probiotic digestive support GutSense.
- Promote cell repair, support the nerves and brain, and reduce inflammation with mercury-free and sustainable FeelGood Omega-3 oil.
Proof of this can be seen in the transformation of dogs when they are given the Fab4 essentials.
Read the reviews to see what other dog lovers have observed.
If you are wondering whether your dog is deficient in minerals, you can run a HairQ Test to check their levels for minerals and heavy metals. You just need to mail in a sample of your dog’s hair and we email you the results when they’re ready.
Regardless of whether or not you feed organic or non-organic veggies, nutrient and mineral depletion is highly likely without providing all-natural essential supplements.
Click here to get the Fab4 essentials.
Final Conclusions
Vegetables are an essential part of a healthy canine diet when chosen and prepared correctly. Aim for variety over time rather than sticking to just one type of vegetable. Whether your dog prefers raw greens or cooked root veggies, experimenting will help you find what works best for their unique needs.
By adding the right mix of vegetables alongside quality protein sources and supplements, you’ll provide your dog with the foundation for a long, healthy life!
© Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM
