I got a call from a woman the other day whose dog had some negative effects from eating vegetables. She was confused about what to do next, since she knew vegetables were a healthy addition to any diet, including a dog diet.
After talking with her a bit more, we concluded too many veggies were introduced all at once. Too much stress on the dog’s belly.
We worked through it and found a better, more cautious approach.
Here is what I always suggest: When introducing any new food, do it very slowly. This means if you have a small dog, you may only want to try giving him a teaspoon of the new item. If you have a big dog, it may be more like a tablespoon or two. If he does okay with it, hike that up 2 teaspoons / 2 tablespoons after a couple days, and keep increasing like this in very small increments until you reach the serving size that is appropriate for your dog’s size, age, health status and other factors.
It is always better to go slowly and work your way up, instead of giving too much of a new food, and having your dog get sick. This leads not only to your dog being uncomfortable, but it also scares many dog parents away from including high quality items like vegetables into their dogs’ diets.
Don’t give up! With patience and persistence, you and your dog can experience the many joys of a great diet. One of the best ones is seeing your dog live a healthy, well nourished life.
Contact me if you need help.