With ABC’s “War on Waste” television show highlighting how wasteful we are, here are some simple ways to stop wasting fruit and vegetables and improve your dog’s health as well.

Rather than throwing out ripe or wilting fruit and vegetables, feed them to your dog. Also consider including raw fruit and vegetable scraps and peelings as well as the vegetable pulp from juicing in your dog’s diet.

Can dogs eat raw fruit and vegetables?

As dogs are omnivores, fruit and vegetables should form part of their diet. Feeding dogs raw fruit and vegetables is generally safe, keeps them healthy and free from vitamin deficiencies.

Fruit and vegetables are highly nutritious, containing a wide range of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients including the following:

Betacarotene

Betacarotene is converted to Vitamin A in the dog’s intestine. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin with anti-oxidant capabilities. The dog requires vitamin A for healthy eyes, immune system, skin health and to maintain mucous membranes in the body. As a fat soluble vitamin, vitamin A is stored in the dog’s body thus can be a potential source of toxicity.

Betacarotene is found in green leafy vegetables, carrots, corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and squash.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E, like vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin with anti-oxidant properties. It is required for healthy hearts and must be included if dogs are fed a diet which is high in essential fatty acids. Vitamin E prevents rancidity in the dog’s body. Vitamin E in commercially prepared dog food is susceptible to destruction from exposure to high temperature and oxygen.

Raw food sources of vitamin E include sweet potato, pumpkin, broccoli, and some green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant. It is required for a healthy immune system and collagen synthesis. While dogs are able to synthesize Vitamin C, during times of stress (including weather related stress) or exertion, the dog’s body’s need for the vitamin may exceed its capacity to produce it. Providing a dietary source ensures vitamin C is always available in abundance to the dog.

Most raw fruit and vegetables are good sources of vitamin C.

B group vitamins

B Group vitamins are abundant in green leafy vegetables and root vegetables. These vitamins play a role in most of the body’s systems including the nervous system, immune system, and the endocrine system (functioning of the thyroid and adrenal glands). B group vitamins also contribute to maintaining healthy skin and hair, internal organs and eyes.

Minerals

Fruit and vegetables also provide a range of minerals including (but not limited to) iodine, calcium, iron, copper, phosphorous, manganese, potassium, selenium and more.

Enzymes

Raw fruit and vegetables contain enzymes which breakdown the fruit and vegetables into biologically available nutrients for the dog. Enzymes are easily destroyed by heat so feeding fruit and vegetables raw allows the dog to benefit from them.

What fruit and vegetables can you feed dogs?

Generally, any fruit or vegetable that you are not going to eat can be fed to dogs with some exceptions. Avoid feeding onions, grapes, potato, and rhubarb.

Also try and provide your dog a good variety of fruit and vegetables so they consume a balance of nutrients over time.

Try including the following above ground vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, spinach, kale, pumpkin, sprouts, squash, and cucumber. Remember you can use the outer leaves and stalks that you might otherwise throw out.

Below ground vegetables may include sweet potato, carrots, beetroot, ginger, and small amounts of garlic.

You can also include leftover and wilted herbs like parsley, rosemary, chives, dill, coriander, lemon grass, and thyme.

With fruit, use whatever is overly ripe and you won’t eat. Try bananas, apples, pears, berries, kiwi fruit and melons. Avoid feeding too much citrus.

How to prepare vegetables for dogs

Fruit and vegetable nutrients are contained within the cell walls which are comprised of cellulose. Dogs do not have the necessary enzymes in their gut to break down cellulose. Therefore, for dogs to access the nutrients in fruit and vegetables they need to be crushed (or cooked which destroys many vitamins and enzymes).

Vegetable pulp from juicing is an ideal way to feed fruit and vegetables to dog. For vegetable scraps and peelings or fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be wasted, they can be juiced or processed to a pulp in a food processor.

For more information about preparing vegetables for dogs please see https://www.fullstride.com.au/blog/tipsforaddingvegetablestodogsdiet

Fruit and vegetable pulp can be prepared daily or in bulk and frozen into daily meals for the dog. Approximately 10 – 15% of the dog’s diet can comprise the fruit and vegetable mix.

I hope these tips have given you some ideas to wage your “war on waste” fruit and vegetables. Share your tips to avoid wasting fruit and vegetables and nourishing your dogs. Leave me a comment or share on the Full Stride Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/FullStrideCanineMassageTherapy/

Until next time, enjoy your dogs.

Sources

Billinghurst, I (1993), Give your dog a bone:the practical common sense way to feed dogs for a long and healthy life, Warrigal Publishing, Bathurst NSW.

Earle, I.P Nutritional Requirements of Dogs Available from: http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=IND43893693&content=PDF [20/8/2015]

Freeman, L.M, Chandler, M,L, Hamper, B.A.& Weeth, L.P, 2013 “Current knowledge about the risks and benefits of raw meat based diets for dogs and cats”, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Vol.243, No.11 1549 – 1558

Hesta, M, Ottermans, C, Krammer-Lukas, S, Zentek, J, Hellweg, P, Buyse, J, & Janesses, G.P.J (2009) “The effect of Vitamin C supplementation in healthy dogs on antioxidative capacity and immune parameters” Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition No.93. 26-34

Royal DSM, Vitamin C. Available: www.dsm.com/markets/anh/en-us/compendium/companion animals/ vitamin c.html [3/6/2015]

Schultze, K (1998), Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet Hay House, Sydney, NSW