It is only understandable that you may want to give your dog a treat from time to time. Of course, there are treats that are good for your dog.
What we must not lose sight of is the fact that your dog is an omnivore. What does that mean? It means that your dog can eat both meat and vegetable. That is the reason why your dog does so well on dried dog biscuits.
What Can I Give My Dog As A Treat?
However, that does not mean your dog should only eat dried dog food. The savvy thing to do is to add fresh meat to his food. On top of that, you should also consider adding fresh vegetables and maybe even fruit.
Most dogs love vegetables. Two things that make vegetables so good for your dog are that they are low-fat and low-carb. Believe it or not, just like us dogs can eat too many carbs.
Carrots are good for your dogs and they love to chew this wonderful colorful crunchy vegetable. They also like broccoli and cauliflower.
Apples are fine, but you must remember to remove the pips as they contain small amounts of cyanide. But, many dogs like to eat apples that have fallen in the garden. The amount of cyanide in apple pips is very low. That being said, it is always best to err on the side of caution.
How Can I Get My Dog To Eat Healthy Snacks?
Dogs love to play as much as they love to eat. When you want to encourage your dog to have a healthy diet, it is a good idea to buy some fun toys.
One of the toys that almost all dogs love is the Kong toy. The company has been in business for a long time and produces innovative dog toys that your dog will love.
Kong toys are one of the best ways to encourage your dog to eat healthy snacks. They are open and easy for you to stuff. One of the best things about Kong toys is that you can stuff them will all healthy stuff. So, if your dog is a carrot lover, you can fill your dog’s Kong toy with carrots.
What If Raw Vegetables Upset My Dog’s Stomach?
Some dogs are sensitive to raw vegetables. If you do think that your dog may be ones of those dogs that have a sensitivity to raw vegetables, you can steam your dog’s vegetables.
It would be tempting to boil the vegetables. But, there is a major downside to boiling your dog’s veggies. It applies to the veggies we humans eat as well.
When you boil vegetables much of the nutritional value is lost into the water. Sure, the water in which you boiled your veggies makes a great feed for your house plants, but the veggies will not be as good for your pooch.
The smart thing to do is to invest in a food steamer. They come in different layers and you can steam different vegetables in each layer. It goes without saying that you can share your dog’s steamer. Steamed vegetables are good for you as well.
Steamed vegetables will keep fresh for a couple of days in your fridge.
Can I Freeze Steamed Vegetables?
Yes, there is no reason why you can’t freeze steamed vegetables. Before you go ahead and put them in the freezer, it is important to let them cool down completely.
If you don’t let them cool down, they will go very soggy. They will go a little bit soggy anyway, so it is best to try to reduce the amount of moisture by letting them cool.
Do they taste as nice? To be honest, they may not taste as nice. If you really want to spoil your canine friend, treat him to some freshly cool steamed vegetables.
One thing is very important. Make sure that you don’t feed hot vegetables to your dog. They have very sensitive mouths and can easily burn their mouths. Anything that goes into your dog’s feeding dish needs to be cool or lukewarm.
Dried Vegetables
If your dog loves crunching, you could invest in a dehydrator. They are becoming very popular additions to a lot of kitchens.
You can use a food dehydrator to prepare vegetables for your dog. It takes longer than steaming them and does require more energy, but it is a great way of drying vegetables. Of course, you can use your food dehydrator to make healthy snacks for yourself as well. Food dehydrators are used to make vegetable crisps and are very easy to use.
They are more expensive to buy when compared to steamers, but a great bit of kit to have in your kitchen.
