Carrots w/ Eagle Pack

I give Casey carrots as treats - he doesn't get doggy biskets. He likes them, he's not much of a chewer (bones, etc) so I like that he crunches the carrots.

I feed them raw, straight out of the fridge.

  First of all, I love the pic of your dog; he's so cute. Carrots have to be well cooked in order for a dog to digest them. If you're going to feed them raw, they have to be pureed. It won't hurt to feed your dog raw carrots that haven't been run through a food processor but they won't receive any nutritional value from them. Basically, if you can see pieces of carrots in the stool, you're not cooking them enough. It won't hurt to feed your dog a small amount of carrots but there's no need to feed him more than a tablespoon or two a day. Any brightly colored fruit or vegetable is a good source for antioxidants and a small amount can be fed daily provided it's been cooked or pureed. Other good things to add are a raw or lightly scrambled egg, cottage cheese, some raw or cooked meat without seasonings and the fat trimmed, yogurt, cooked fish, but only small amounts so you don't upset the balance of the kibble.

Carrots are great addition.

I would use raw form for assisting in keeping the teeth clean, and as a snack.

I would use steam/cooked form for actual nutrition...yes carrots DO provide great nutrients, but I wouldn't feed them as the ONLY veggie day in and day out.

Get yourself some canned green beans - no added salt kind, and add some of these to his meals as well.

I give mine baby carrots as a treat. As Jessiesmom said, dogs don't really get any nutrition from it because it goes right through their system. But, it's very low calories and fun for the dogs to chew.

Well, now, wait.  Carrots are really high in vitamin A, and I'm not sure what problems too much of that can cause but it can cause something.  Unfortunately, I'm one of those people who remembers the no no's of certain foods, but rarely the WHYS of it...it just goes on either my DON'T FEED or LIMITED AMOUNTS mental list and stays there, but the details get lost in the aging gray matter.  But, I do know there is a problem with too much Vitamin A, and Callie is the one who could tell us exactly WHAT it is.

Yep, carrots are a fine treat.  I use baby carrots myself now and then.  I also include a small amount, now and then, in my homecooked, pureed and cooked.  For an animal to get any real benefit from added veggies, they should be varied, and not the same old stuff every time. My guys go wild for kale or okra, beets, you name it, they love their veggies.  But, ONLY carrots, and again, something to do with the Vitamin A.....not a good idea.

dogs can't really digest carrots though so they won't get much vitamin A out of them. I think if you're going to supplement kibble it's best to stick with protein sources, meats, fish, etc. and skip the veggies which dogs don't really need.

My dogs digest the carrots just fine, as long as they've been allowed to cook along with the their chicken.

If a veggie is pureed or cooked, their bodies don't have to try to "break it down" so yes, they can get some benefit from it.  Veggies are chock full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidents, so they sure don't HURT and might be a help.

However, I would like to hear the whole story about WHY someone recommends adding carrots to every meal.

glenmar

However, I would like to hear the whole story about WHY someone recommends adding carrots to every meal.

That's what I was wondering. It's the first time I've heard that one.

Veggies are chock full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidents, so they sure don't HURT and might be a help.

they might hurt. I've heard from several sources that kibble is over-supplemented with vitamins and minerals to compensate for the fact that most dogs eat far less than the bag suggests. And too much of many vitamins and minerals is as bad as not enough. Besides, veggies are great for species like humans that are supposed to eat them and can digest them, but why would they be great for a carnivore that can't digest them without lots of human help?

 Carrots have beta carotene, which is the water soluble form of vit a. Cod liver oil (and liver in general) has the fat soluble form, which is what can cause problems. The worst I've seen from carrots is babies noses turning orange when they eat carrot and sweet potato all the time.

The eagle pack holistic already has carrots in it and the non holistic has beta carotene.  I don't think you need it