personally don't believe dogs need fruits, veggies or grains. I believe they >>may eat them opportunistically but wouldn't eat them on a regular basis if >>meat was available
When Jazzy was a puppy she wouldn't eat veggies, but then she started "asking" for them when I cooked 'em. She loves steamed brocolli and will sit by the counter when it's cooking. She also likes cooked green beans. And she likes cooked carrots, but not as well.
BOTH my dogs {1 B, one mutt} will pick the raw green beans, snow peas, and blueberries out of my garden. And that's with no lack of meat available!
It's hilarious to watch the two of them gently working over the blueberry bushes! They daintily pick each berry and eat it if it's ripe, or drop it it's too green.
I'm not saying dogs won't eat veggies and fruits (although mine won't), I'm just saying, in my personal opinion, they don't need them.
Green beans and broccoli sound good, too! That story about your dogs dropping the unripe berries is funny. They know what is good!!! I don't think I have tried any fruit with Bella except for canned pumpkin and that didn't work out too good. She does love other people food, though. Her all time favorite is peanut butter! She also loves many different cheeses and will go crazy for pizza crusts. The latter is not that healthy, but a nice treat.
I am currently compiling a list of some possibilities for dog food that will be good options. I think I will use a spreadsheet and rate them by ingredient, cost, availability, etc. And then after that… if I try a food on her I will rate her on how she likes it and if she tolerates it well. I swear, I am not "dwelling" on this... I am just one of those "project people" who likes to research! I find it interesting and it can't hurt to learn more about the subject. It will take a while since I have to take it slow with her due to her sensitive stomach...
I wouldn't want to eliminate the taurine either, I just don't see the point in the addition of it in kibble if something they are doing is eliminating it in the processing of it. I would prefer to see it in food if it's going to stay in. Again I ask why is it in wet food, but not in kibble?
As to the veggies, Shadow hates carrots-spits them out-unless the other dogs are there. He doesn't like strawberries very much either. Sugar will eat anything-she's a varocious eater. Anything and everything that resembles food will be eaten!! Even down to grinding her teeth on the floor to get the last little lick out of something spilt!
My husband feeds them a banana every night (between the four of them) and they literally start to drool when they see the yellow skin!
Neither of my dogs will touch a raw carrot with a 10 foot pole, but they both will scarf down frozen veggies. When I am making supper we run through some training drills and Giz will definitely respond quicker for a frozen veggie than a meat treat. 
We've recently switched foods (we feed dry) and when the recall happened, I was ready to switch again. DH was the voice of reason and said I really needed to be a little less rentitive about the whole food thing.
I wouldn't want to eliminate the taurine either, I just don't see the point in the addition of it in kibble if something they are doing is eliminating it in the processing of it. I would prefer to see it in food if it's going to stay in. Again I ask why is it in wet food, but not in kibble?
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If I remember (and it has been a long time since I studied this stuff) something about the extruding process of the kibble makes the taurine that is present in the meat unavailable to the carnivore….so they add it back in.
they literally start to drool when they see the yellow skin!
Arlene are you sure they're not monkeys LOL OL
My dogs won't raw fruits & veggies…bummer! However in their food (Merricks kibble & wet) there's cooked fruits & veggies in it which they scarf down in about....oh less than 2 minutes!! So when I make some steamed veggies I'll add it to their food.
My dogs are strange...NO raw fruits/veggies, NO PB, NO Cream Cheese BUT Yogurt they absolutely LOVE!!! 
Arlene are you sure they're not monkeys
Probably are!!! Considering how they climb, leap through the air with graceful ease to land on the dining table to get to whatever is there!! (maybe I should stop feeding them bananas??):p
Andrea, I sure would be interested in knowing more about the extruding process. I'll have to look it up. I do use Nutro-chicken, lamb and rice. I have good results from it, and I know they add taurine as well.
That's funny, monkeys… LOL!!! So, Arlene, you are a Nutro feeder too. Is it the dry Natural Chicken Rice and Oatmeal for sensitive stomachs? This is what I feed Bella. I have not completely removed the Blue Buffalo from the dry mix. She hasn't had anymore diarreah yet, but I am being very cautious whith the canned food. I am thinking this may be where the problem lies. This is unfortunate since she seems to love Blue's canned food. I tried again tonight to add the wet back for eve. feeding (just a couple tablespoons). I mixed it in the dry, I hope she does well this time!
I'm just changing over to that one. I think??? I was using Nutro Max Chicken, Lamb and Rice. But decided since I have the puppy now,and was on Evolve (up here it's about $60 a bag-but I can get it from my Boxer breeder for about $15 a bag, only problem is she lives 4 hrs away in NY and then there's the import problem-I can usually hide a couple of bags on my way back), but I thought I'd like to change to something a little more Natural. I liked the ingredient list-no wheat or corn (although the girl at the store kept telling me rice is wheat-I told her basically she's nuts) and the fact the preservatives are more natural as well. I'll have to look at the bag more closely as I was more concerned with the ingr. than the name of the bag!! It's in a light green stripped bag-does that help-hahaha. I do believe it is the same food though.
I always like Nutro, but I heard they recently (the last few years) sold to a giant company. Anybody know if that is true? Maybe they did like Iams and sold the regular line, but not Eukanuba?
I believe Nutro is owned made by the Menu foods line. A couple of years ago the bain group bought them out. But I believe the whole company was bought out.
Well, the wet foods are made by Menu Foods, but the dry… I don't know. The Menu Food recall thing is what caused me to try a new food. This is why I tried the Blue Buffalo.
I'll have to look at the bag more closely as I was more concerned with the ingr. than the name of the bag!! It's in a light green stripped bag-does that help-hahaha. I do believe it is the same food though.
Yes, that's it. I originally picked it for the ingredients and the fact that it is for sensitive stomachs. Bella tolerates it well.
Generally, I don't give them wet foods anyway. I make my own baked pork liver treats, have used some new commercial PB treats that look like cheese slices, and sometimes give them homemade boiled chicken and rice, as well as homemade yogurt (it's got a lot more good bacteria in). Since I can't use wheat and corn because of the boxenji, I've found this kind of food the best for all of them. I've just started to add fish oil to their food as well as Sugar seems to have a dry spot in the middle of her back.
Thanks, I may just stay w/Nutro dry and cook for her instead of the canned food. I would still like to find a canned food that works for her so if we are traveling or I can't cook… I just posted to recipies, maybe you have some suggestions?!?!?;)
I have been giving Sahara Blue Buffalo for months now and she loves it. She is picky about what she likes to eat, I use the dry in the blue bag, and mixed alittle wet with it. Read those labels on the cans, lots of veggies, and antioxidants for good health. I have tried many foods and she eats this the best. While I was reading the labels a lady and her husband bought one of those huge bags and I asked about the food. They told me they had lost one of their dogs to cancer and now with a new dog they only buy Blue Buffalo. If you try a new food the girl there told me to start out with only a small amount mixed into their regular food. You then over a few days mix more and more until you end up with only the new food. I do this and Sahara hardly has any bowel problems. She had never been a big eater, she weighs 22pds. and the vet told me today that her coat was beautiful and she weighs exactly what she should for a Basenji. I was happy she is healthy and sassy!!!!! Good Luck with finding a food you like.:D
