Good Veggies to Use as Treats...

[shelly]

I don't give Tori any dog treats ever since her bout with the pork induced pancreatitis last April.  But besides freezing her canned food into frozen meatballs for a night time treat before getting into her crate, we steam baby carrots and give her these every once in a while. I heard sweet potatoes are also great for dogs.  Is there anything else dogs do well with?  I know NO GRAPES, RAISINS, we don't (give) CORN either...anything else?  She has such a sensitive tummy, that I'm really afraid to experiment.  Thanks!

[shelly]

Some one posted a bout a week ago about making sweet potato roasted sticks in the oven overnight... Although I'm not brave enough to leave them on overnight, I think I would like to try during the day. They said they come out a bot chewie and lasts a bit longer than a quick treat would... I'm going to try that too

[Donna K & Quincy]

I did the sweet potatoes a couple of days ago for Quincy. Baked them for about 30mins. Then turned off the oven and left them in until they cooled. I cut them in very thin strips and they came out perfect. Some were really dry and some were a little chewy. Quincy totally loved them. I only did one potatoe and he has it all gone. Have to make some more soon.

[shelly]

You put the whole potato in? Skins off? Is there a limit of too much of a "good" thing - how long should it take to go through one potato as a treat? I never did this before... my poor golden got dry food and milk bones as treats and the occasional SMALL table scraps.

[shelly]

I searched, but can't find the exact post about cooking the sweet potatoes, but did see that people do cook carrots and sweet potatoes on the lowest setting on the oven for hours and it dehydrates them thu making them chewy. I DO like the idea of the dried fruits. I wonder though... are citrus fruits okay? (Karen?)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We had a discussion about citrus fruits here recently. The concensus seemed to be that they should be given in moderation. They aren't harmful, but they do cause the production of more stomach acid than lots of other foods. If your dog likes them, it's fine to give them small amounts, but not the peel or the white membrane inside the peel.
You can buy dried sweet potato chews...Dogswell makes them, among others. I don't recall the discussion about that, maybe I can find it though.
Dried fruits are extremely calorie dense, as I mentioned. This is good for everyone to know if you are watching your weight. They are chock full of vitamins & antioxidants, so very healthy on that aspect, but they are extremely high in calories. Bodybuilders who are trying to bulk up snack on dried fruit, because you get so many calories in such a small amount of food. So this is something to be aware of when giving dried fruit for treats. Dried fruit would also probably have the same laxative effect on dogs that it has on people. And most dried fruit has sugar and preservatives added. I think fresh is a much better choice for all these reasons.

[Bev and WILLY]

I'm not really sure how healthy it is, but I give Willy and LiLi pieces of apples and oranges as treats. They love them! They also like raw carrots. I actually think they will eat most fruits and vegetables without any problems. I do not feed the forbidden foods: Onions, raisins and grapes, chocolate, nuts, avocado and tomatoes. I'm sure there are more, but I hope they are none that I feed.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Applea and oranges are great for dogs! No peels.

[Ann Kendig]

We give raw baby carrots and apple, crasins. I have bought the dried sliced sweet potatoes. My dogs really like these and it does take them a little bit to chew them. I cut them into slivers to make them last longer as they are kind of expensive. I thought about making my own in a food dehydrator.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Dried fruits are extremely calorie dense. I have seen dried apple dog treats.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Melons are also a great choice, and most dogs love them. Watermelon and cantalope are usually big favorites, but any melon is good. Most dogs love blueberries, too. Go easy with citrus fruits if Tori has a sensitive stomach.
Bananas are the easiest fruit on sensitive tummies.
Everything mentioned here so far is fine. Stay away from onions, raisins, grapes, tomatoes, corn, and there is controversy about avocados. (And chocolate of course, but that's not a fruit or veggie) Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts give terrible gas, but are safe. I would also stay away from bell peppers, very hard to digest. Jack loves lima beans, the nut!
Green beans are the most popular and best liked veggie, and peas are a good choice, too.

[shelly]

Thanks Karen! Who needs store bought doggie treats when we can give veggies! LIMA BEANS, Jack?! YUCKEEEEE!! I'll tell you ...maybe it's age, but this time around as a dog owner, I feel so much more informed. But then again - I didn't have a "doodle" or DOODLEKISSES to look to for advice! Well, it's 2 AM here... gotta' hit the hay! Will check back to see what else comes up through the night.... But first, I think I'll go get MYSELF a treat! teehee

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I am a huge fan of veggies and fruit for treats. Peri and T go nuts for the following:
carrots
apples
pears (huge fans!)
bananas (Peri only likes)
green beans (I get the no salt added ones in a can and rinse them and heat them to add to food)
cucumbers (no peel and not the seeds - I cut around it and give them good pieces when I am making a salad or something)

Taquito has a very sensitive stomach and all of those are okay for him (except bananas - he doesn't like consistency). I stay away from citrus. They like mandarin oranges and may get them occasionally, but I usually don't have those on hand as much anyway.