No more pumpkin!

[jimnconnie]

I give Bailey & Sophie each a tablespoon of pumpkin with their dinner because it is low in calories, and high in fiber, which helps to keep their stools nice & firm. Last fall it was announced that there would be a canned pumpkin shortage because extremely wet conditions had made it almost impossible to harvest the crop out of muddy pumpkin fields. I stocked up, but now we're down to only a few cans, and the 2010 crop won't be harvested until this fall. Does anyone have a suggestion for another food, or a supplement that is a good source of fiber, and that the dogs will eat? As the "Chief Stool-Collector" in our pack, I prefer firm to runny!

Jim

[bradl]

Most of your root vegetables are good - sweet potatoes, yams, rutabaga, daikon, etc.

[Hairy_Putter]

My dad gives me sweet potatoes and I love them. I have sweet potato chips which are treats and then he will also bake a sweet potato and add that to my meal sometimes. Sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber.

[Autumn & Lola]

Molly is a massive sweet potato fan. I make dehydrated chips and she loves them. She also gets a piece of baked sweet potato, if we are having them for dinner.

[jimnconnie]

Okay, sweet potatoes sounds like a good substitute. Thanks for the tips!

Jim

[Tracy A.]

you can also do another squash like Acorn or butternut- you can find it in the frozen foods with the frozen veggies- or you can cook one up in the microwave... be sure to use a knife to puncture holes in it to allowe th steam to escape or it will explode- you could make 1 up a week and freeze...use as you needed.

[Zekey's Mom]

I gave Zekey his first baby carrots (raw) last night. He wasn't quite sure if they were a treat, but tried them anyway (hey, it's food!), and liked them. Only thing is, about 8 hours later, in the middle of the night, he threw up a piece of carrot (1/2 of a baby one). Not sure if he had an upset stomach, or couldn't handle the carrot. Might have helped if he actually chewed the darn thing!

[sanford]

he threw up a piece of carrot (1/2 of a baby one).

I occaisionally notice a piece of carrot in my Cairn's poop, so I think raw carrots might not be the easiest food to digest, but they are my Cairn's favorite treat so I give them to him (every day) anyway. I don't give him the whole (or half) baby carrot...I cut them into nuggets to give as treats throughout the day. I'd like to believe that carrots are a healthy dog snack so I'll continue to give them unless I hear otherwise.

P.S. Just a guess on my part, but no matter what the food, if Zekey swallowed a piece of anything the size of 1/2 a baby carrot, he might have ended up throwing it up anyway. Lol!

[SparkyJonesMom]

Yeah, I went on a pumpkin hunt a few weeks ago and found out that I can't get it until this fall! It figures that the one time I need some, it isn't available. Haha.

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

Just an an fyi, I was in my local dog bakery getting new treats and such for Tuk and they had cans of organic pumpkin on hand. The owner was aware of the shortage and that many people couldn't find it in regular grocery stores. I'm sure it was a bit more expensiver than what you'd get at the store, but if you and your pups really love the pumpkin you might try your local specialty store.

[Hairy_Putter]

One last comment from me on pumpkin: You can get pumpkin treats or in a can especially made for canines at Vet Science. Their website is www.fruitablespetfood.com. I had it with my dinner a couple of weeks ago. (Our dog groomer carries it.)