Since I plan to include posts about the fresh, whole, unprocessed, plant-based foods that I feed to my dogs and how those have benefited their health, I want to make it clear that I am not a Veterinarian, and that you should discuss with your Veterinarian any dietary changes you are considering for your pet. I ran my idea to feed fresh fruits and vegetables to my dogs for weight loss and maintenance by my Veterinarian before I made those changes in their diets. My dogs get plenty of fresh, whole, plant-based treats along with their dry dog food (I use Blue), and occasionally I add fresh-cooked brown rice or sweet potato, or canned pumpkin. I never feed them any processed treats, human or doggie.

I would also like to point out that should you and your Veterinarian decide to add fresh whole plant-based foods to your dog's diet, that you do so very gradually and start out in very small amounts so that their little systems adjust to the changes without discomfort (for them or you).

Here is a list of plant-based foods that you should NEVER FEED TO YOUR DOG:
Apple seeds
Avocado
Garlic
Grapes, rasins, & currants
Hops
Macadamia nuts
Mushrooms
Onions
Persimmons
Pits from peaches and plums
Rhubarb leaves

For a complete list of ALL things you should NEVER FEED YOUR DOG and why, go to: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=1030

Sena is 10 years old and is a female German shepherd and cattle dog mix. Sena loves to eat. Fortunately, she also loves fruits and vegetables! Like many humans, Sena fell into the trap of eating too much of the wrong kinds of foods (doggie treats in her case) and became obese. Increasing her intake of fresh vegetables and eliminating unhealthy, high-fat dog treats helped Sena to drop 21 lbs and maintain her healthy weight and beautiful coat. Sena now has lots of energy, is playful again, and loves to walk and hike.

Kona is four years old and is a female German shepherd and beagle mix. She has a ton of energy and loves to play and run. In fact, Kona trains with me for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walks - she's done many 16-18 mile walks with me, and she always makes me carry her water. Kona has not taken to vegetables the way that Sena has, so I chop hers up and mix it in with her dry food to get her to eat them.