What vegetables can dogs eat? A safe list for older dogs

Dogs can eat many vegetables in small amounts, served plain. Carrots, green beans, peas, pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini, cucumber, celery, broccoli and cauliflower are all generally tolerated. Dogs must not eat onions, garlic, leeks, chives, shallots or scallions in any form. If your dog has eaten any of those, call your vet or an animal poison control line now.

A dog on a complete and balanced food does not need vegetables. They are an extra: a low-calorie treat, a way to bulk out a bowl for a dog who is watching their weight, and a source of fiber. For an older dog that can be useful, with a few cautions covered below.

Vegetables dogs can eat

Introduce one new vegetable at a time, a little at first, and watch for vomiting, loose stools or itching over the next day or two.

Vegetables dogs should not eat

• Onions, garlic, leeks, chives, shallots and scallions. The whole onion family is toxic to dogs. It damages red blood cells and can cause anemia. Raw, cooked, dried and powdered forms all count, including onion or garlic powder in broth, gravy, baby food and seasoned leftovers. Signs can take several days to appear.
• Wild mushrooms. Some are deadly and they are hard to tell apart. Treat any mushroom eaten in the yard or on a walk as an emergency.
• Raw or green potatoes, and potato plants. They contain solanine, which can make dogs ill.
• Tomato leaves and stems, and unripe green tomatoes. The green parts of the plant contain a similar toxin.
• Rhubarb leaves. Very high in oxalates.
• Corn on the cob. Plain loose kernels are generally tolerated in small amounts. The cob is a common cause of gut blockage.
• Pickled, canned-in-brine or seasoned vegetables. Too much salt, and often onion or garlic.

If you are not sure a vegetable is safe, do not feed it until you have asked your vet.

How to prepare vegetables for a dog

• Plain. No butter, oil, salt, sauce, cheese or seasoning.
• Washed, with stems, seeds, pits and tough skins removed.
• Cooked soft, for most. Steaming or boiling makes vegetables easier to digest. Raw chunks often pass through looking much the same as they went in.
• Cut small. Pieces should suit the size of the dog and how well they chew. Dogs who gulp need them smaller still.
• Mashed or pureed if you want to stir them into food.
• Frozen is fine. Plain frozen vegetables with nothing added are as good as fresh. Check the ingredient list of any mix, because stir-fry and soup blends often contain onion. Canned ones only if the label says no salt added.

Vegetables to add to dog food, and how much

Green beans, carrots, zucchini and pumpkin are the usual choices to add to a bowl, because they are low in calories and most dogs accept them.

Keep the amount small. Vets commonly advise that treats and extras together, vegetables included, stay within about a tenth of a dog's daily calories. Beyond that, the extras start to dilute the complete food your dog relies on for protein, vitamins and minerals. Too much fiber at once also causes gas and loose stools.

Start with a spoonful mixed into one meal and build up over a week or two if stools stay normal. Your vet can tell you how much suits your dog's size and diet. If you would like vegetables to be part of a fully home-cooked diet, that needs a proper recipe. See homemade dog food for senior dogs.

Vegetables for older dogs

Weight control

Older dogs burn fewer calories and gain weight easily. Low-calorie vegetables can replace biscuits as treats, and a vet may suggest using some to bulk out a reduced meal so the bowl still looks full.

Do not cut back the main food and fill the gap with vegetables on your own. That reduces protein and other nutrients along with the calories, and older dogs lose muscle quickly. A weight-loss plan should come from your vet. See weight management for senior pets and why an old dog gains weight.

Fiber

A little extra fiber can firm up soft stools and ease mild constipation, both common in older dogs. Plain cooked pumpkin is the vegetable most often used for this. A change in stools that lasts more than a day or two, or comes with blood, vomiting or straining, needs a vet, not more pumpkin.

Teeth

For a dog with worn, loose or missing teeth, cook vegetables until soft and mash them. Skip hard raw pieces.

Kidney disease

Several vegetables are low in phosphorus, which can make them better treats than meat or dairy for a dog with kidney disease. Potassium is the complication: some vegetables are rich in it, and dogs with kidney disease can run high or low. Ask your vet which vegetables, if any, suit your dog's bloodwork. A dog on a prescription kidney diet should not have extras added without the vet agreeing. See what to feed a dog with kidney disease.

Bladder stones

Dogs who form calcium oxalate stones are usually told to avoid high-oxalate foods. Among vegetables, that commonly means spinach, beets and beet greens, Swiss chard, sweet potato and rhubarb, and some vets add green beans. That is not a full list, so ask your vet before giving any vegetable to a dog who has had these stones. Dogs on a prescription diet to dissolve or prevent stones should have no extras at all unless the vet has cleared them, because additions can undo what the diet is doing. See bladder stones in senior dogs.

Diabetes and pancreatitis

Starchy vegetables such as potato, sweet potato, peas and corn affect blood sugar more than green ones do. A diabetic dog needs meals that are the same from day to day, so agree any vegetable additions with your vet first. See diabetes in senior dogs. Plain vegetables are low in fat, which generally suits dogs who have had pancreatitis, but only if nothing fatty is added in cooking and your vet is happy with extras alongside their diet.

How to get a senior dog to eat vegetables

If your senior dog does not eat vegetables, that is fine. They are not missing anything as long as their main food is complete and balanced. If you would still like to try, for weight or fiber reasons:

• Cook them soft and serve slightly warm. Warm food smells stronger, and an older dog's sense of smell is weaker.
• Puree and stir a small amount right through the regular food.
• Start with the sweeter ones: carrot, pumpkin, squash or a little sweet potato.
• Offer small pieces by hand as a treat, in place of a biscuit.

Do not make vegetables appealing with butter, gravy, cheese or salt. If your dog is refusing their normal food as well, the vegetables are not the issue. The senior pet nutrition guide covers feeding older pets in general.

When to call the vet today

Call your vet, an emergency clinic or an animal poison control line now if:

• Your dog has eaten onion, garlic, leeks, chives, shallots or scallions, or food seasoned with them. Do not wait for signs. Pale gums, weakness, fast breathing and dark or reddish urine can appear days later.
• Your dog has eaten a wild mushroom, green or raw potato, rhubarb leaves, or the leaves or stems of a tomato or potato plant.
• Your dog has swallowed a corn cob or a large piece of raw vegetable and is vomiting, straining or not passing stool.
• Your dog is choking, gagging or struggling to breathe after eating.
• There is repeated vomiting or diarrhea, or blood in either.
• Your dog is straining to urinate, passing only drops or passing bloody urine.
• The belly is swollen and tight, or your dog is retching without bringing anything up.

Do not try to make your dog vomit unless a vet or poison control tells you to.

This article is general educational information about feeding vegetables to dogs, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs react differently, and a vegetable that suits most dogs may be wrong for a dog with kidney disease, bladder stones, diabetes or food allergies. Check new foods and amounts with your veterinarian, and call your vet or an animal poison control line at once if your dog eats anything from the onion family.