How can I get my dog to eat fruits and veggies?

I'd like to start out by saying that I do give my dog a kibble with fruits and veggies, give her pumpkin, and have given her some veggies chopped up.
 
I always think it is interesting when people site the fact that their dogs will eat veggies and fruits as evidence that a dogs NEEDS them.  My dog will eat Senior horse feed, cat poop, horse manure, and hay.  Does that mean that I should be feeding her these things?
 
My horse will eat hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza, and I have heard a disturbing number of people say that their horses will munch on dead animals if given the chance, yet nobody would suggest adding these things to their diets.
 
I just find it interesting.

wolves eat the intestines of their prey which is usually partially digested vegetable matter.

I add them for balance through variety's sake.  The joints of meaty bones that are readily available to me are short, by analysis, in a couple things that some veggies provide, like antioxidants.  Antioxidants are vitally important to very hard working dogs in today's polluted world, so I don't mess around with that one.  Even Ben gets a little taste in his fish, though he is technically on the prey model diet, which means no supplementation, just animal products,.

I make a puree which I mix with their grain mash or kibble breakfast, plus their daily fish and egg on egg days.  They scarf down the fish and don't notice anything else - including bitter greens which might be in there.

Just a couple tablespoons of puree is plenty for my dogs.  For dogs with less of an exercise load, a tablespoon or so every few days will provide similiar benefit.  It's like my vet says - veggies sure can't hurt - and at the very least they keep things moving![]

You know, that sounds an awful lot like an omnivore. Hmm ...
 

him/her

 
Her.
 

No I don't have any science for this, just a lot of reading generally consenting opinions.

 
Then, it's not science. The documentary that I saw called "Global Wolf" did, in fact, show a wolf eating something like a wild berry off of a bush. Someone else countered with "well, you don't know that the wolf actually absorbed it." Refuting a video-documented fact by simply suggesting that it didn't absorb the food does not prove that food was not absorbed. My dog eats grass. No amount of semantics and rhetoric or general consenting opinion can change that.

Yes, but seeing a wolf eat abluebaerry is not exactly science either.  As I said, my dog eats a variety of things that she finds (she will often eat and then vomit up hay and horse hoof clippings), but that does not mean that her body is meant to have them.  If that were the case then horses would not eat plants that kill them (and they do) even in otherwise lush and healthy pasture.

Maybe our dogs dont need them, but most of us humans are omnivores and I think that makes us want to feed our dogs the same. Now I dont want her to become a vegetarian I just think it would be nice to be able to share my brocolli or carrots with her. More for my benefit than hers []

why do you want them to eat  them

why wouldnt i eat them? They taste good, are good for us and they make healthy treats. Its a fact that its better to munch on a carrot stick than to eat a bag of potato chips

I found out Romeo will eat anything if it means there is Kiwi at the bottom of the bowl, that is how I got him to eat other fruits, now he likes all kinds orange, banana, papaya, anything that ends in berry, apples, pineapples,  eaches and pears. 

Veggies though were another story, he will eat them but not too pleased.  I have quit feeding since he eats at least 1lbs of raw green tripe a week.  On occasion he would eat sweet potatoes and carrots but he is allergic to them, he likes garlic but I don't give too much maybe 2 or 3 cloves per week,

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

I try to be clear. If you don't like, don't read. DOGS DON'T NEED VEGETABLES IN THEIR DIETS. How's that? crystal clear. NO NEED TO EXPEND ANY EFFORT IN TRYING TO GET THEM TO EAT VEGETABLES. if they happen to like some veggies, ok, fine, feed them as treats.

 
This is the most insane thing I have ever heard. Dogs of any breed in the wild WILL eat vegie matter. WHY because it is in the instestine of the prey. To say they do not is absolutely idiotic. Dogs of any breed require more than just protine and iron to survive. That is a basic fact. Even the major suppliers will put vegie matter in the food, not that I think Kibble is enough, but veggie matter is in there at least.
 
Just like humans, dogs require a balanced diet, meat, vegies, ect. ect. I tell you what, for the next 3 months you just eat meat, meat  and only meat, I'll visit you in hosptial to say hello. Imagine what your dog is going through if you really believe this and feed your dog this idea.

As Callie always says, "Dogs don't like lumps"


You mush it up, and they'll more than likely eat it, especially if you add in a spoonful of fish oil, or a tidbit of fresh meat. My dogs *love* fruits and veggies, and will go into the feild and dig up sweet potatoes, pick pears and figs off of the ground, tomatoes off of the bush, etc. I have to watch, b/c Emma is allergic to pears. She loves them, and will scarf them, given the chance.

ORIGINAL: Romal

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy


I tell you what, for the next 3 months you just eat meat, meat  and only meat, I'll visit you in hosptial to say hello. Imagine what your dog is going through if you really believe this and feed your dog this idea.

I am sorry, but [sm=rotfl.gif].  Is not funny, but it is.   Wether we feed veggies or not or fruit or whatever else..kibble, raw, bread and water, it all comes down to we are just trying to do what is best for our dogs and that is what matters.
 
 
oops, I meant "whether" not a castrated ram...lol...I am dying over here. Do you guys ever have days that you wake up feeling goofy and laugh nor no reason at all? well that is me today, the people at work say I am "certifiable" because I am either laughing or smiling all the time or talking about my favorite subject : Romeo. []

ORIGINAL: Romal

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

I try to be clear. If you don't like, don't read. DOGS DON'T NEED VEGETABLES IN THEIR DIETS. How's that? crystal clear. NO NEED TO EXPEND ANY EFFORT IN TRYING TO GET THEM TO EAT VEGETABLES. if they happen to like some veggies, ok, fine, feed them as treats.

This is the most insane thing I have ever heard. Dogs of any breed in the wild WILL eat vegie matter. WHY because it is in the instestine of the prey. To say they do not is absolutely idiotic. Dogs of any breed require more than just protine and iron to survive. That is a basic fact. Even the major suppliers will put vegie matter in the food, not that I think Kibble is enough, but veggie matter is in there at least.

Just like humans, dogs require a balanced diet, meat, vegies, ect. ect. I tell you what, for the next 3 months you just eat meat, meat  and only meat, I'll visit you in hosptial to say hello. Imagine what your dog is going through if you really believe this and feed your dog this idea.

 
Playing the devil's advocate, this may be true, but surely you acknowledge that the balence that is right for a dog is different than what is right for a person, so comparing them would be useless.