9 Vegetables You Should Add to Your Dog’s Diet Today

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On my journey as a raw feeder, I’ve gone back and forth on whether I should add vegetables to my dogs’ diet. Ultimately, I decided that vegetables were an important part of my dogs’ diet because they provide five amazing benefits:

1 – Vegetables provide additional nutrients. Although many believe (and I drank this Kool-Aid, too) that an 80/10/10 diet is all our dogs need. But I’ve learned firsthand that this isn’t true for all dogs. For instance, meat from grass-fed animals is more nutritious than grain-fed animals. There are many ways a raw diet may be nutrient deficient, and I believe adding vegetables to my dogs’ raw diet fills those nutritional gaps.

2 – Vegetables are a great source of fiber. Gut health is important to me because I’m raising a dog with digestive issues and food sensitivities. At a time, Rodrigo was rapidly losing weight because his body wasn’t absorbing nutrients in his diet. Adding a natural source of fiber (along with a digestive supplement) slows the digestive to allow his body to better absorb the nutrients in his food.

3 – Vegetables are a great source of antioxidants. The high rate of dogs being diagnosed with canine cancer is shocking. I often look at my four dogs and think that two or all four could have a cancer scare, which freaks me out. So anything I can add to my dogs’ diet to help fight off cancer cells is a good thing.

4 – Vegetables are a great ingredient in a weight loss diet. My girls tend to put on weight easier than my boys, so they eat less food. I add vegetables, usually green beans, to their dishes to keep them from feeling full. They love them, and green beans are a low-glycemic and low-calorie treat.

5 – Fermented vegetables are a natural source of probiotics. I don’t ferment vegetables often; pureed vegetables are equally beneficial for the gut. My dogs get fermented foods through other sources (raw goat’s milk, kefir, fermented fish stock), so fermenting vegetables isn’t necessary for my dogs now.

Ways to Add Vegetables to a Dog’s Diet

There is a lot of talk about the cellulose wall of vegetables. People believe that unless the cellulose wall of a vegetable is broken through predigestion (or puree or lightly cooking), then the vegetable’s nutrients cannot be absorbed by a dog’s system. That being the case, I add vegetables to my dogs’ diet in two ways:

9 Vegetables I Add to My Dogs’ Diet

1 – Broccoli

Although broccoli is a pain in the butt to feed to my dogs (chopping it up creates a mess), it’s a must-have in my fermented blend because broccoli fights cancer while reducing the impact of toxins on the system. Broccoli is high in vitamin K, calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium, all supporting healthy teeth, bones, and nails. Nutrients in broccoli also support heart health, while fiber supports gut health.

2 – Green Beans

When I began adding green beans to my dogs’ diet, it was to promote weight loss. Replacing food with green beans reduces the calories in the meal while helping my dogs feel full. But that’s not the only benefit of green beans for dogs (and humans). Green beans help to fight cancer thanks to the antioxidants and vitamin C present. Green beans are a low glycemic vegetable, making it great if we’re feeding a keto diet, if a dog has diabetes, or if a dog needs to lose weight. Green beans are high in vitamin K, helping to support strong bones and teeth. And the fiber in green beans boosts digestive health.

3 – Cabbage

To be honest, I add red cabbage to bring some color to my ferment blend – a 100% green ferment is boring. But it’s not just about looks with red cabbage as it is rich in vitamin C, which supports a strong immune system and the ever-present, cancer-fighting antioxidants help to fortify the system against damage caused by free radicals. The nutrients in red cabbage reduce chronic inflammation, making this a great food for dogs with arthritis and allergies, both inflammatory conditions. And finally, when fermented, cabbage is fantastic for gut health due to the natural probiotics added to the diet.

4 – Zucchini

Zucchini is my favorite vegetable, and I often saute it with yellow squash (listed below) and mushrooms. Yummm, now I know what I’ll have for dinner tonight. Zucchini isn’t just delicious, it’s also high in vitamin C and antioxidants, decreasing inflammation and protecting the system from inflammatory diseases. Zucchini supports gut health, eye health, improved metabolism, and a healthy weight, and I read that it may balance the thyroid. Most nutrients are in the skin, so I include them when making a puree or fermenting vegetables for my dogs.

5 – Celery

I don’t often add celery to my dogs’ diet, but researching the benefits of each vegetable makes me wonder if I should start again. What I’ve always loved about celery was that it’s a low-calorie, high-moisture food, making it a perfect food for dieting. But that’s not all. Celery helps lower inflammation, supports liver health, improves digestion, reduces bloating, and prevents urinary tract infections. It’s amazing that this vegetable, which, to be honest, doesn’t taste all that great, offers so much support.

6 – Collard Greens

I grew up eating collard greens, one of my favorite meals. Of all the cruciferous vegetables, collard greens are my favorite because they aren’t as bitter as many other leafy greens. Or maybe they are, but the way my mom cooked them made them wonderful. Whatever the reason, collard greens are rich in antioxidants, help to detoxify the system, support heart health, and this fiber-rich food is great for digestive health. Collard greens are high in vitamin A (reduces inflammation) and vitamin K (supports healthy bones). And they help the system burn fat. I’ll take two bunches, please.

7 – Garlic

Before you scroll down and leave a comment about the dangers of garlic, please know that garlic is great for dogs (and humans). It takes a tremendous amount of garlic to result in toxicity, and to avoid this risk, I’ll share the dosage below. For now, let me share why I add garlic to my ferment:

Garlic ruins the taste of dogs to fleas and ticks, acting as a natural repellent.
Garlic in the bloodstream helps to boost the immune system while killing off cancer cells.
Garlic strengthens the liver to do a better job detoxing the system.
Garlic offers natural antibiotic properties that help to kill parasites and fight viral, bacterial, and fungal infections.
Garlic supports heart healthy while reducing cholesterol.

But how much garlic is safe for dogs? Dr. Pitcairn shares the safe dosages in his book, The Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.

For dogs that weigh between 10-15 lbs – 1/2 clove
For dogs that weigh between 20-40 lbs – 1 clove
For dogs that weigh between 45-70 lbs – 2 cloves
For dogs that weigh between 75-90 lbs – 2.5 cloves
For dogs that weigh more than 100 lbs – 3 cloves

When adding garlic to my veggie mix, I add 5-6 cloves (not whole bulbs) per 8-quart bowl of vegetables shared by several dogs weighing 60-75 pounds. Far less than the above recommendations by Dr. Pitcairn, which allows room to add more if I’d like.

8 – Yellow Squash (Summer Squash)

The reason I add yellow squash to my dogs’ vegetable blend is a must-have because of the color. Hey, I like a pretty ferment. But squash brings more to the menu than just a pretty face. Scroll back up to zucchini for a refresher on the benefits since these two vegetables are related. I didn’t add above that zucchini and squash are both sources of starch, which has received a bad rap thanks to processed pet foods. But no worries, these two vegetables are low in calories and natural sugars.

9 – Asparagus

Asparagus are known for making your pee smell, but they are probably one of the most nutritious foods on this list. Like the other vegetables, asparagus are rich in antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory properties, are a great source of fiber, and are rich in vitamin K (supporting bone health). But that’s not all! Asparagus act as a diuretic, which helps to rid the body of excess sodium. And Asparagus have a nutrient called inulin, which acts as food for the good bacteria in the gut.

Alternative to Fermenting Vegetables

I had a vegetable garden this past summer, growing all the vegetables I ferment for my dogs and artichokes for myself (love artichokes) and berries that the dogs ate straight off the plants. I was fermenting a huge batch of vegetables monthly, and I’m still working my way through those vegetables because I alternate them with base mixes by Dr. Harvey’s. Raw Vibrance, a grain-free base mix created to balance a dog’s raw diet, and Paradigm, a low-carb and low-glycemic, green super-food premix.

Raw Vibrance and Paradigm are made with dehydrated vegetables and other foods (raw goat’s milk, shiitake mushrooms, and more) that I give to my dogs regularly, making them a fantastic addition to my dogs’ raw diet; adding variety and more nutritional balance.

Why I Use a Base Mix

Years ago, someone told me I was using a base mix because I was too lazy to learn how to make my dogs’ raw meals. While I disagree with the statement that I’m lazy, I am thankful to the blunt individual because her statement inspired me to dump the base mix and transition to DIY raw feeding. Today, I use a base mix to ensure that the diet I feed to my dogs meets my dogs’ nutritional needs:

A quality base mix provides nutritional balance (or gets you closer to balance).
A quality base mix saves me time and money.
A quality base mix allows me to add the best ingredients, formulated by professionals who believe fresh is best for our pets.

Using a Base Mix in Meal Prep

I’m on a budget, so I signed up on Dr. Harvey’s website for the newsletter to receive notifications about their specials; I scored recently with a 6-pound bag of Raw Vibrance. The serving recommendations for the base mix are for individual meals. When mixing up a batch of raw that will feed my dogs for several days, I use one cup of base mix for every 8-quart mixing bowl.

Base Mix vs. Supplements

When I use a base mix, I add fewer supplements to my dogs’ diet, choosing supplements to support my dogs’ health. Three supplements that I add to better meet my dogs’ nutritional needs are:

Sources for This Blog Post

Dr. Axe has a long list of vegetables and fruits with nutrients and benefits.
The Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, The Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats