Watercubs & Kivisilmän

working show-quality newfoundlands

(feeding, vegetable mash, feeding tables)
 

Making the vegetable mash

The vegetable mash is given to dogs so that they get the essential vitamins etc. that a wolf would get from the prey's stomach. The vegetables must go through the freezer, so that the cells break and the dog is able to use the vitamins. Dogs are not able to break the plant cell walls themselves.

We give the vegetable mash daily, so that the dogs get enough water-soluble vitamins (secreted very quickly). The dog is also easy to keep hydrated by adding some water into the vegetable mash. You can also add oil, such as salmon oil,  to the mixture if you think your dog's coat is too dry. The oil also helps the fat-soluble witamins to dissolve.

It is not necessary to give the vegetables daily, but often is enough. You can give almost any vegetables and fruits you can think of. You should NOT use tomatoes, avokados, onions, grapes. They are dangerous for dogs.  You can add the green ends of carrits into the mixture and the outer shells of corns, so you do not need to be too careful in what you put in.

It's much easier to make large batches every once in a while than make smaller ones more often. The big bucket full of vegetable mash lasted two adult Newfies 3 months. We used:

2kg bananas              1kg peas
4pcs salad                 1pcs iceberg salad
2kg kiwi                    3pcs mangos
2kg brussels sprouts    2pcs melons
8kg apple                  2 pcs maize
2kg carrots                5 pcs mandarines
6pcs cucumbers          7.5 kg oranges

As a rule of thumb:
1/2 fruits
1/2 vegetables
Variety is important!

Vegetable mash is also good, because it is “soft” food to balance out the diet of meaty bones. It will bring fibers into the diet to make the feces better.
 

The best way is to pack the vegetable mash into 1l milk cartons or ice cream boxes. They are easy to store in the frige until all of it is used.

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(c) Salmelin