Thanks to Nina for giving me some healthy dog treat ideas…..asparagus( the woody part we break off), broccoli florets/stems, cauliflower florets/stems, celery( the only thing my dog will not eat),chick peas (drain a can and keep them in the fridge for a quick doggie snack), cucumbers,peppers,radishes,zucchini and tomato. All these foods are low on the glycemic index which is the rate at which food breaks down into sugar in the bloodstream. These foods use as much energy to chew and digest as they provide, as well as great vitamins and fibre, so very healthy choices, good for people too!
My Sasha loves veggies. She used to sneak into my garden and eat the cucumbers 
Remember, it’s always a good idea to check with a vet before changing your dog’s diet. There are seemingly healthy foods that dogs shouldn’t eat like grapes & raisins – these can be, in fact, deadly to dogs.
BONUS CODE: YUM YUM
I disagree about the raisins… all our Labradors loved them and peanuts are a treat as well. As a healthy part of the diet for both dogs, Sheltie and Lab they get rice and French style green beans every day with their regular food. The green beans made the Sheltie’s eyes healthier as we were faced with giving him $85.00 worth of medicine for “dry” eye. He has since gotten 100% of tear production back. I often find my Lab sneaking the green beans out of the garden and both stand around waiting for edible shell peas and the beans when I am in the garden. I have since started giving the cats chopped up beans and that has curtailed any munching on the spider plants.
- Nancy BremnerHi Nancy, I’m all for healthy treats, but grapes and raisins are indeed VERY dangerous to dogs.
This from the poison control center:
It has recently been confirmed that grapes and raisins can cause acute kidney failure in dogs (see also grape and raisin toxicity in dogs). The exact mechanism is not known, nor is there any means to determine the susceptibility of an individual dog. While as little as one raisin can be toxic to a susceptible ten pound dog, some other dogs have eaten as much as a pound of grapes or raisins at a time without ill effects. The affected dog usually vomits a few hours after consumption and begins showing signs of renal failure three to five days later.
- JayHi Jay,
Our miniture Schnauzer Quincy loves carrots! It’s a great crunchy snack for him and he also loves to chew on ice cubes. Our Murphy, another miniture schnauzer we had who lived to be 16 1/2 loved carrots too.
We also always put a little ground beef in with his dog food and for a special treat sometimes add a bit of rice and blueberries. The dog breeder recommended this.
If we don’t add the ground beef he turns his nose up, gives us a funny look and walks away. He’ll wait an hour to see if he gets his beef and then will finally eat.We try to have a weeks supply on hand
But sometimes we run out!
- Cathy De PapeHi Jay,
I think your dog tips are great for many of us who don’t realize all the potential harms and risks out there with our loving pets. We have two bichons who are part of our family and we cherish our dogs with love and care as we do our children.
One important note for you dog Sasha and everyone else out there. The picture of Sasha in the yard looks very much like the dreaded Rhubarb plant next to her. The leaves of rhubarb contain a high concentration of oxalic acid salts. The salts can be very toxic, so rhubarb leaves should never be consumed by humans or fed to animals.
You can google this as well as other dangerous plants like hops, etc.
- Todd PanasGood eyes! Yes, that was indeed Rhubarb – thankfully Sasha was never interested in the plants (which have since been pulled out)
Thanks for stopping by the blog and sharing!
Jay
- Jay