Dogs Eat Veggies Too

Not my dog, but looks like our dear Tobasco
who died a few years ago!

I've been toying with the idea of making homemade dog food; I've done a little research and spoken with friends who make or have made their own. Part of the reason is because we make some much waste with fruits and vegetables - I compost as much as I can, but not being much of a gardener I run out of places to put the compost-like substance I create! If it was higher quality, I would share with all the neighbors. I digress. The next best thing I decided would be not to create so much to put in the compost bin. If I can divert some small bits of veggies and fruit to our dog's bowl that will solve our problem.

Our son must have heard me discussing this, because I walked into the kitchen the other day and he was smashing dog treats to mix with cut carrots. He told me "put this on your blog, Mom."

Since I had already researched this a little, I ran to get my "safe foods" list. So we added a little pumpkin puree that was in the fridge (and may go bad before I use it.) Then chopped apples from a half-eaten apple my son had decided he didn't want earlier in the day. Get the picture... there's always a little of this and a little of that around the kitchen. If you don't make smoothies, then the dog may appreciate the food!

We put everything into a blender, added a little water to get it to mix. I think my blender/food processor is on it's last legs after too many batches of peanut butter! Anyway, we added it to his food and he gobbled it up. Not to be gross, but I waited a few days to post this just to make sure he didn't get sick or leave unhappy poop all over the yard. So far so good!

Lots of foods are safe for dogs. Lots of foods are not. Be sure to only feed them fresh fruits and vegetables, not processed foods or foods with added salt, sugar or sauces. Dogs can also eat rice, other grains, beans and plain meat.

Here's the best link I've found. This person is not a vet, but has done lots of research! If you search for homemade dog food, you'll find tons of options. Just be sure to double-check the information.

So far we've discovered that our dog does not like carrots. Unless they are too small to detect. He will pull out every carrot bit otherwise and leave it beside his food bowl. At this point, I'm only supplementing his dog food when I have leftovers, but it's a win/win for the family.

Here are some food combos we've tried:

Apples, broccoli, spinach, black beans and carrots

Apples, water, pumpkin, treats - put it through a
blender and strainer!

Action Alert: Dogs need healthy food and exercise just like we do. (Cats too, but sorry I have no experience with them.) Store-bought food can be great. I was told to check the ingredients and make sure the first one is not grain. If the food is beef & rice for example, the first ingredient should be beef.

For Further Reading: 10 People Foods for Dogs and Dog-Approved People Foods (these lists are a little easier to get started with, the link above is great but almost overwhelming!) and How to Choose A Healthy Dog Food