Won't eat her veggies! (long)

Kaybie's Mom · #1 07-12-2007, 07:04 AM

Ok, Kaybie is driving me nuts with her pickiness! Since homecooking for her, things have been going GREAT......she has put on weight and is up to 55 pounds......more than she's ever weighed......and now I get comments on how great she looks. Anyways, she suddenly has decided that she doesn't want to eat certain veggies in her doggie stew. She has ALWAYS liked green beans.....I used to even give them to her as a treat when she was still on kibble.......and now she suddenly decided they are no good and will eat around them and leave a bowl full of green beans. She also picks around some of the carrots (but she's always been a little picky about those). I've been using green beans in every stew I've made so I'm wondering if she's just getting sick of them. The problem is that she has allergies so I'm scared to add new things. I just spent over $160 in vet bills clearing up infections from the last allergic reaction and don't want to go through that again. So far I'm 99% sure she is allergic to chicken and wheat. What are the chances that she would be allergic to a new vegetable? I think I've heard that it's pretty uncommon to be allergic to veggies, but I might be crazy on that one. And I'm scared to add in something new because if she shows signs of allergies, I will end up wasting a 2 week batch of food. I can get collard greens, brocolli, spinich, and cauliflower for pretty cheap and sometimes summer squash and zuchini. Do you think those would be safe to try? Help!

**gmacleod** · #2 07-12-2007, 07:19 AM

Well, if she won't eat them, you could just stop giving them - or do so much less often. They're not an essential part of the diet, but really an optional extra (i.e. more use for lowering feeding costs than for actual nutrition).

As for trying other veggies - certainly. But I'd suggest one at a time and not making a huge quantity till you find out whether or not they agree with her and if she likes them.

ehayes21 · #3 07-12-2007, 07:20 AM

I know homecooking is a little bit more of a "science" so I don't know if this would throw it off or not, but have you tried adding applesauce? Do you mash the veggies up or feed them whole?

Kaybie's Mom · #4 07-12-2007, 07:40 AM

I wish I could just stop giving her veggies as she LOVES meat, but for the sake of cost effectiveness, I need to keep some in there. I just can't afford to feed an all meat diet right now. And she can only have beef at this point because of her allergies. I'm going try pork after a while but I need to get her 100% clear of allergies before I do that. I get the beef on sale and stock up, but it's still more expensive than chicken. Maybe I could just do more meat and potatoes as she loves potatoes and sweet potatoes.

As for adding them in slowly, it's hard because I cook two week batches at a time. Maybe I'll just have to make smaller batches until I know for sure she can handle a new veggie. Is it right that it's pretty uncommon to have an allergy to veggies or am I crazy?

As for applesauce, no I haven't tried that in her homecooked meals, but I have given her the organic non-sweetened stuff before and she didn't like it at all......walked away from it making a funny face and sticking her tongue out LOL.

I chop the veggies up in small pieces and put them in the stew.......they aren't mashed per say but they are soft from cooking for hours in the stew pot. She will eat carrots that are soft and in small pieces but she usually still picks around a few of them.

Roscoesmommy · #5 07-12-2007, 07:49 AM

What if in your next batch you just didnt put green beans in and then introduced something new by just adding it to each individual meal when you give it to her? Then, if she doesnt like it or is allergic, you wont have it cooked into a whole two week batch of food. Just a suggestion

Kaybie's Mom · #6 07-12-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roscoesmommy

What if in your next batch you just didnt put green beans in and then introduced something new by just adding it to each individual meal when you give it to her? Then, if she doesnt like it or is allergic, you wont have it cooked into a whole two week batch of food. Just a suggestion

Very good idea........I feel really stupid for not thinking of that LOL. I think I will try that with the next batch. Thanks!

**gmacleod** · #7 07-12-2007, 07:53 AM

Another possibility may be to try pureeing the veggies - just run them through a blender - before adding them to the meat for cooking. Then they'd largely become part of a 'gravy' around the meat, and it would be much more difficult for her to avoid eating them. I guess there's a bit of a risk with that that she might refuse the entire meal - I suspect it's a small risk (you'd have a better idea of her likely reaction though).

Kaybie's Mom · #8 07-12-2007, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmacleod

Another possibility may be to try pureeing the veggies - just run them through a blender - before adding them to the meat for cooking. Then they'd largely become part of a 'gravy' around the meat, and it would be much more difficult for her to avoid eating them. I guess there's a bit of a risk with that that she might refuse the entire meal - I suspect it's a small risk (you'd have a better idea of her likely reaction though).

Thanks for the idea. I will try something like that too. I think I officially have the World's Pickiest Dog!

simmons · #9 07-12-2007, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmacleod

Another possibility may be to try pureeing the veggies - just run them through a blender - before adding them to the meat for cooking. Then they'd largely become part of a 'gravy' around the meat, and it would be much more difficult for her to avoid eating them. I guess there's a bit of a risk with that that she might refuse the entire meal - I suspect it's a small risk (you'd have a better idea of her likely reaction though).

That's what I do with my veggies!! I know my dogs probably wouldn't the veggies if they were cut up in chunks. They are also very picky eaters

It also cuts back on time!!!! very very much quicker to throw them in a food processor.

Biff · #10 07-12-2007, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmacleod

Another possibility may be to try pureeing the veggies - just run them through a blender - before adding them to the meat for cooking. Then they'd largely become part of a 'gravy' around the meat, and it would be much more difficult for her to avoid eating them.

This is EXACTLY what I do with the grandchildren!