Fruits and Veggie Snacks for Pups?

[Julie Mison]

What are some good choices of fresh fruit and / or veggie snacks for puppies? Something that might even help with teething? We've tried carrots but he is not in love yet.

Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Julie, have you read through any of our discussions yet? You can do a search by clicking "Back to the Food Group Discussions" above, and then using the search feature. We have a lot of information about what foods are okay and not so good for puppies. Most fruits and veggies are fine in moderation...puppies have immature digestive systems, and a lot of fiber is hard for them to handle. Cooked vegetables are sometimes easier to handle than raw, but the raw are fine, too. And there are some foods, like onions, grapes, and raisins, that are dangerous for dogs. Citrus fruits are not the best choices, either, due to the acidity. Check our Homecooking Section for ideas.
Some common choices are peas, green beans, lima beans, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, blueberries, and watermelon, but there are lots more. Some dogs (mine, for example) don't like fruits or veggies at all.

[Julie Mison]

Hi Karen,
I've read through some discussions but just learning about the search feature. We are feeding him Wellness 3x a day but wanted to see what and how much other "snacks" to add. Thanks for the information above.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Using fresh fruits & veggies as treats is a good idea, but go slow. I know Lynne freezes some fruits for cool summer treats, and her doodles love them.

[Julie Mison]

love the idea of freezing treats...would you put them in a food processor first with some water?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Julie, try this discussion, it involved freezing yogurt with fruit for treats:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/yogurt-...

Hopefully, Lynne will pop in here with more suggestions.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Julie, my Jack loves frozen broccoli straight from the freezer. You can blend then with yogurt into a smoothie and freeze in ice cube trays and give it to them just like that to lick thaw. My guys also like the dried fruits, mango and pineapple are the favorites. Dried sweet potato slices are another fav. Basically, they want whatever I am eating. But not every dog likes these things. You have to play around and experiment. Remember no grapes or raisins.

[Beth davis]

Tillly loves almost any veggie i give her. She likes letuse, carrots, peas, bananas to name a few. She also loves yogert and ice cream.
She likes to eat the apples and figs off my trees too.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have found that Murphy will eat just about any fruit or veggie. Not crazy about banana's tho. Loves watermelon, blueberries, apples, strawberries, and just about any veggie. Corn isn;t really a biggie at my house as there is very little nutritional value to it and it comes out just like it went in....whole. Can't be comfortable. Just experiment. It's so fun to watch them enjoy thier food so much.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A bit of nutritional info for humans and dogs...corn is not nutritionally classified as a vegetable. It falls into the grain category. (So when you yourself are checking to see if you're getting your daily allowance of fruits & veggies, don't count corn or white potatoes, lol.)
Corn is also a really lousy food for dogs, so it's good that Murphy doesn't like it.

[Adina P]

Other than real crunchy/hard veggies like carrots I don't imagine that fruits/veggies would make much of a difference with teething. I don't think you need to 'add snacks' at all, except for fun or as training rewards.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Apples, apples, apples. My dogs come running when they hear me cutting one. I give them teensy pieces.

[Michele Barton]

A word of caution: Many years ago my GR, who seemed to have a cast-iron stomach, ate 9 apples while my DH was pruning our apple tree. I swear the dog actually turned green, she was so sick. Even something good for them can turn bad when eaten in mass quantities! It's good that you give them small amounts, Allyson.