Learning About Vet Services

Dogs benefit from eating a nutritious diet. A big part of your pet's diet is the vegetables they eat. This is why you should check to see if the dog food that your pet currently eats contains vegetables. If it doesn't, you can go ahead and add in vegetables yourself. Here are six vegetables that will provide your dog with important vitamins and minerals.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates and fiber. It also provides your pet with a healthy source for vitamin B6, vitamin C and beta carotene. If your dog enjoys a lot of physical activity, then sweet potatoes can help to give them a lot of energy. You can add sweet potatoes to your pet's diet by first boiling them and then chopping them up into small pieces before adding them to your pet's food.

Carrots

Carrots provide a rich source of vitamin A for your pet.  Vitamin A helps to keep the retina of your pet's eye healthy so that they can enjoy good vision. You can either cook the carrots or give them to your pet raw. Either way, chop up the carrots into small pieces and add them to your pet's food. In addition to adding carrots to pet food, you can also give carrots directly to your dog, alone. 

Try adding flavor to the carrots by lightly sprinkling them with sugar and salt to give them a nice taste. If your dog shows any aversion to eating carrots raw or cooked, you can try juicing the carrots, since your dog may like the juice better.

Green Beans

Green beans are a rich source of vitamins and fiber. You can cook green vegetables and chop them up and add them to your dog's food. Green beans are great for overweight dogs because they are very low in calories, so if your dog is overweight you can give them half a bowl of pet food mixed in with half a bowl of green beans to help to control its weight.

Pumpkin

You can add pumpkin to your dog's food to increase their fiber intake. Pumpkin is especially helpful if your dog is older and finds it difficult to have regular bowel movements. You can either cook the pumpkin yourself and add it your dog's food or you can buy canned pumpkins.

Adding or making sure that the vegetables listed above are included in your dog's food is a great way to ensure that your dog receives all the necessary nutrients for good health. You can also talk with a veterinarian or animal clinic, such as North Lexington Veterinary Clinic, to find more information about keeping up a healthy diet for your dog.