Why Vegetables Should Be a Part of Your Dog’s Diet

Holistic Nutrition with Dr. Harvey’s® Veg-To-Bowl

An important change is underfoot in the relationship between pet parents and our 4-legged friends. Humans, as a species, are beginning to truly recognize the importance of the animals in our lives. Many Americans, the majority in fact, who share their lives with companion animals think of them as family. 

According to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll from 2009, 50% of American families consider their pets to be full members on equal footing with humans and an additional 36% consider them a part of the family but not full member. That’s a whopping 86%, and surely those numbers have increased in the past six years.

In turn, pet parents are considering the social, medical and nutritional needs of their dogs and cats more thoughtfully than ever before. More and more of us are taking our responsibilities to heart and are making better choices for our dogs and cats. In 2014, pet parents spent over 55 billion dollars to keep their pets happy, healthy and well-fed. In 2015, that number is estimated to top $60 billion. As pet parents, we’re putting our money where our mouths are and this is fantastic news for the fuzzballs we love so much.

As we change our thinking and begin to acknowledge how important our companions are, many pet parents are beginning to understand what many experts have been saying for decades: good, wholesome, natural food is one the most important things you can provide your dog. High quality nutrition is fundamental to helping them stay healthy, happy and ready for whatever adventure awaits today.

“Improper nutrition leads to poor health, which causes our dogs and cats to experience discomfort, pain and unhappiness, and this directly and negatively impacts our relationship with them. Four-legged or two, we both suffer when an improper diet is fed to our dogs.”   ~ Bernard Lima-Chavez, Dog & His Boy

But here’s the thing. Finding high-quality wholesome nutrition doesn’t require endless hours of thumb wrestling with the search engine on your phone to tell you what you instinctively already know: a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and other whole foods, naturally or organically grown and harvested, free of synthetic anything-  such as additives or coloring agents- and made with biologically appropriate ingredients is EXACTLY what your dog needs. It’s true for us and it’s true for them.

Dr. Harvey’s Veg-To-Bowl

The deaf dogs here at Dog & His Boy are huge fans of Dr. Harvey’s products and so are their two dads. I have sung the praises of Dr. Harvey’s before and I will continue to do so– because I truly believe in the wholesome food and treats, herbal supplements and all-natural grooming products they create. Dr. Harvey’s is as dedicated to educating pet parents as they are to cultivating healthy, innovative food and treats. Dr. Harvey’s is also committed to supporting homeless animals and animal welfare programs and initiatives. A great example of their philanthropy is their current Project Potcake campaign. Dr. Harvey’s has been doing all this good work for over thirty years.

Oh, and they have a clever sense of humor. Vegetable, Veg-To-Bowl, Vegetable, Veg-To-Bowl. Get it?

I subscribe to rotational feeding principles but much of our deaf dogs diet is based on Dr. Harvey’s Veg-To-Bowl and the reasons are simple:

Veg-To-Bowl is created to meet all of my dog’s nutritional needs naturally with human-grade vegetables and herbs that are sourced in the United States and then manufactured and packaged in Dr. Harvey’s own facility here in the United States. It is free of preservatives, chemicals, dyes and coloring agents, fillers and, importantly, it contains no By-Products. Zip, zero, nada.

Do you know what a By-Product in your dog’s food is?  You should!
Read this article by PetMD for more information.

Veggies, Veggies, Veggies: The Ingredients Say It All

Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Potatoes, Broccoli, Peas, Green Beans, Zucchini, Beets, Parsley, Lecithin, Alfalfa, Dried Kelp, Ground Flaxseed, Calcium Citrate, Dried Ground Fenugreek, Dried Ground Fennel, Dried Ground Ginger, Dried Ground Peppermint…and the list goes on. These are wholesome, natural vegetables and herbs with well-known health benefits.

Why dehydrated? According to Dr. Harvey’s, “(D)ehydration and freeze-drying allows us to use these pure ingredients without using toxic preservatives. Leaving out preservatives and any synthetic additives is critical to our process.”

Preparing this wholesome, grain-free food is incredibly easy. Each meal is prepared freshly at feeding time. You mix the appropriate amount of Veg-To-Bowl with water, oil and a fresh-cooked protein source. Dr. Harvey’s recommends rotating protein and oil sources, which aligns perfectly with my rotational feeding philosophy.

Though it’s prepared fresh, mixing some veggies and herbs with water and oil can hardly be called cooking. You all know that I’m a frat boy who only has a kitchen because it came with the house. I don’t cook. Ever. But preparing a fresh meal for my deaf dogs is something I can do easy and confidently.

Sometimes, I feed Edison and Co. Veg-To-Bowl with some fresh-cooked chicken, salmon, turkey or beef. Other times, I add the Veg-To-Bowl to a high quality kibble made with novel protein sources, to which I may or may not add fresh-cooked meat. Though you can certainly prepare Veg-To-Bowl fresh at every meal, I’ve found that if I make a double-batch, I can refrigerate half of it and use it tomorrow. Veg-To-Bowl also fits perfectly with a raw diet feeding approach, which is something I’m just starting to explore.

Veg-To-Bowl is easy to prepare, fits into different feeding philosophies including raw and rotational diets and it is probably the most nutritious dog food I’ve discovered. It provides me with peace of mind that I am exponentially increasing the nutritional value of a rotational feeding schedule with high-quality, wholesome, natural ingredients.

In addition to Veg-To-Bowl, Dr. Harvey’s also offers other food products. I think I’m going to try the Oracle line next, which includes freeze-dried raw USDA meats. It comes in three flavors- chicken, beef and tripe- and is available with grain or grain-free. This seems like a perfect way to get my feet wet with raw feeding with the help of a company I trust completely.

What is your favorite Dr. Harvey’s food? What do you think of rotational feeding or raw diets? Do you think it’s important for brands to make consumer education a hallmark of their mission? Let me know in a comment below!