So can dogs eat fruits and vegetables? Does giving dogs fruits and vegetables satisfy the dog’s psychology, or does the dog really need it?
Is there really no harm in eating it? Can it still be supplemented with nutrients?
The answer is: not entirely.

The reason why dogs are not suitable for eating fruits and vegetables

As two-legged animals that are omnivores and vegetarians, in addition to meat, our daily diet also needs to supplement appropriate amounts of fruits and vegetables to achieve balanced nutrition. After all, we evolved from monkeys.
The ancestor of the dog is a wolf, and the wolf is a carnivore. The digestive system of the dog has indeed changed since it followed humans, and it has become a carnivorous omnivore. But it did not become a vegetarian animal.
Here we can see the length of the small intestine:

The human small intestine is connected to the stomach at the top and the large intestine at the bottom. The total length is 5 to 7 meters. It is the digestive The longest section of the tube.

The intestines of dogs are much shorter than those of humans, one-sixth of those of humans.
This short digestive tract is a characteristic of animals that eat meat as their main food. At the same time, the enzymes that dogs use to digest cellulose and the intestinal microorganisms that can help digest cellulose are not very developed.

Dog’s teeth are not suitable for chewing food

We often eat fruits and vegetables, especially leafy vegetables and potatoes. Rich in fiber. .
Dogs do not have molars (which are human back molars with flat crowns) and cannot grind and chew these fibers. Dogs basically rely on swallowing to eat. Let’s learn about wolfing down
If these plant fibers are not processed, they will basically eat and poop. Dogs cannot digest and absorb it at all. Dogs with weak intestines and stomachs may also suffer from diarrhea, soft stools and other problems due to the stimulation of fiber.
Most fruits are rich in sugar. Eating too much can cause obesity in dogs and increase the burden on the pancreas. Some plants can also cause allergies and poisoning.
As long as the dog eats dog food that meets AAFCO standards, it can meet the dog’s needs for these nutrients (mainly vitamins). Therefore, fresh fruits and vegetables are not necessary for dogs. If they are fed randomly, they will Causes indigestion problems such as diarrhea and soft stools.

Can’t you feed fruits and vegetables to dogs if they are not suitable for eating?

Feeding fruits and vegetables to dogs requires the correct method

Method 1: According to the dog’s stomach Situation
For dogs, digesting plants requires a strong stomach.
For dogs whose stomach is too weak, who are too young, who are too old, or who are sick, try not to eat or try it. It is easy to suffer from indigestion and the gain outweighs the loss.

Method 2: Don’t overfeed

There is nothing wrong with giving fruits and vegetables to dogs as snacks, but the total amount should not exceed 10% of the total daily food, for example, one day 200g of dog food, you can eat 20g of total fruits and vegetables. Since it is a snack, if you feed it too much, you may become a picky eater.

Method 3: Feed the dog after processing

Fruits and vegetables are generally divided into three categories: leafy vegetables, roots and tubers, and melons and eggplants.
For leafy vegetables, cooking + chopping can soften the fiber, destroy the plant cell wall, and reduce irritation to the dog's gastrointestinal tract. It will also cause the loss of water-soluble vitamins, so this feeding is the most unnecessary.
Common leafy vegetables include: all vegetable leaves, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, pak choi, etc.
For root vegetables, cooking and chopping can not only soften the fiber, but also destroy the core of the potatoes. of amylopectin, turning them into amylose to improve digestibility. 80% of common sweet potatoes and sweet potatoes are carbohydrates (that is, sugar). Many high-end foods use potatoes instead of grains to provide carbohydrates for dogs. It can be said that potatoes are the most suitable for dogs to eat among all fruits and vegetables. Just pay attention to the amount. If you feed a lot of this kind of food on weekdays, you need to reduce the corresponding staple food, otherwise the dog will easily gain weight!
Rhizomes include: all edible things dug out of the ground, as well as thick plant stems. Sweet potatoes, potatoes, yams, radish, cassava, taro, water chestnuts, lotus root, lettuce, etc.
For melon and eggplant vegetables + fruits, choice is more important than how to process them.
Try to choose fruits with low sweetness, rich pectin, or fruits whose main component is starch, such as apples and bananas.
Try not to give tropical fruits. One is because the sugar is too high, and the other is easy to cause allergies, such as mango, papaya, etc.
Vegetables should also try to choose starch as the main ingredient, such as pumpkin, cauliflower, fresh beans, etc. They must also be cooked and chopped.
Also like cucumbers. You can eat it raw, but it just depends on how you eat it. Don’t ask me how I know...
Melons and nightshades include: fruits of all plants, such as pumpkins, apples, strawberries, bananas, chayote, zucchini, etc. .

Method 4: Don’t feed these fruits

It’s too complicated to remember which ones can be eaten, so let’s just remember these ones that are poisonous to dogs
Grapes and products: Dogs can’t eat grapes. Almost every shovel Everyone knows that grapes can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys
Onions and green onions: can cause hemolysis, causing anemia or kidney damage
Mushrooms: People will not eat mushrooms on the grass, but dogs will. Once your dog develops the habit of eating mushrooms, there is no guarantee that it will not eat them in the wild and cause poisoning. Simply don’t feed mushrooms
Cherrys, apricots, persimmons, and tomatoes: Although the flesh of these fruits is not poisonous under normal circumstances, some It can still kill dogs under certain circumstances. For example, cherry pits, unripe apricots, persimmons and tomatoes are all poisonous.
You are not sure whether dogs can eat fruits and vegetables: If you are not sure whether dogs can eat fruits and vegetables, don’t feed them to dogs. This is the best way to reduce the risk. If you must feed it, there will be consequences.Negative.