Making vegetables for your dog

– And how many vegetables can a dog –

– Written by IC Koutzarov, owner Big Dog Company –

How do I make vegetables for my dog?

In our other blog where we talk about the health of vegetables for dogs, you read that feeding vegetables is good for your dog. You have also read which vegetables are good and which vegetables are not good and which vegetables are poisonous or which you can give to your dog in moderation or rather not at all.

But now you want to know how to prepare vegetables for your dog! And how many vegetables should you give your dog? Can you also give too many vegetables to your dog?

We will explain that to you in this blog!

Cellulose, the skeleton of the plant

Have you ever wondered how a plant can stand upright? That's because the cells are surrounded by a cell wall made mainly of cellulose . Cellulose surrounds the cell, keeping important nutrients in the cell and acting as a skeleton. It is so strong that it is not soluble in most solvents and is used, among other things, in the manufacture of paper and cardboard.

Cellulose is so strong that we humans and even cows cannot break it with our teeth!

But how can we release the nutrients from the cells of a plant?

Cows are ruminants and grind the grass (or other plants) with their jaws, releasing the nutrients. In addition, cows have special bacteria that produce an enzyme celluLASE that can break down the celluLOSE.

We humans do not have these bacteria, but we also have flat molars and our jaws also make grinding movements. In addition, we cook most of the plants (vegetables) that we eat, which causes the cells to open up, as it were.

And how do dogs digest plants/vegetables?

Dogs do not have flat molars and cannot make a grinding motion with their jaws. That is why you often see that the grass they eat comes out the back undigested.

To ensure that dogs can digest plants/vegetables, you must grind the vegetables into a fine paste. You can do this by

  • can be ground raw, for example with a juicer, blender or slow juicer.
  • If you don't have these machines, you can also cook it (briefly) and then puree it with a hand blender

How many vegetables can a dog eat per day?

If you feed your dog mainly leafy vegetables (low in calories), you can assume 10-15% of his daily intake in addition the amount of food. For example, if you give 200 grams of meat, you can add 20-25 grams of vegetables. If you give 500 grams of meat, you can add 50-75 grams.

If you have made a vegetable mixture with a lot of carbohydrate-containing vegetables such as carrot, (sweet) potato, pumpkin, etc., it is recommended (especially for small dogs) to replace part of his food with vegetables, because they already contain quite a few calories.

Now I hear you asking, my dog ​​eats chunks and will never eat vegetables in his chunks.

Of course we have a solution for that, namely making the bone broth in which you dip the vegetables . This will be discussed in the next blog.