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Table of Contents
Can Boxer Dogs Eat Vegetables?
Can Boxer dogs eat vegetables? Boxers are Omnivores meaning they eat meat and plant-based foods, and vegetables can be a safe option to add variety, essential vitamins and minerals, and fiber to your Boxer’s Diet.
But which vegetables are the best options?
7 Best Vegetables For Your Boxer Dog
These 7 vegetables will provide your Boxer with the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber they need to keep them healthy while providing variety, flavor, and color to their diet.
- Carrots
- Green Beans
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Sweet Potatoes
- Beets
- Kale
** It’s important not to feed your Boxer dog mushrooms, onions, garlic, or chives because these are toxic to their system and cause illness or be fatal.
For additional information read our article on Boxer Dogs and Human Foods – 7 Foods to Avoid to Keep Your Boxer Happy and Healthy.
In the table below we created a reference chart that details each of the 7 vegetables, the essential vitamins, and minerals, and the benefits they provide.
You can use this chart to help you choose the appropriate vegetables to feed your Boxer based on their life stage.
Vegetable | Essential Vitamins & Minerals | Benefits |
Carrots (Orange, White, Yellow, Red, Purple) | Beta-Carotene (Vitamin A) Vitamin K1 Vitamin C Potassium Calcium Fiber | Low in Calories Improve Heart Heath (Fiber) Protect Gut Health (Fiber) Helps prevent Birth Defects (Folate) Bone Health (Vitamin K & Calcium) |
Green Beans (Purple, Yellow) | Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin K Folate (B Vitamin) Magnesium Phosphorous Potassium Zinc Calcium Plant-Based Iron Fiber | Low in Calories Improve Heart Heath (Fiber) Protect Gut Health (Fiber) Helps prevent Birth Defects (Folate) Bone Health (Vitamin K & Calcium) |
Spinach | Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin E Vitamin K Calcium Manganese Iron Magnesium Folate | Low in Calories Boost Hydration (Mainly water) Bone Health (Calcium, Vitamin K, Manganese) Reduce the risk of birth defects (Folate) Strengthens Immune System (Vitamin E and Magnesium) Eye Health (Vitamin A) Helps with wound recovery (Vitamin C) |
Broccoli | Vitamin A Vitamin B6 Vitamin B12 Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K Calcium Iron Phosphorus Potassium | Protects against cell damage and aid healing (Vitamin C) Bone Health (Calcium, Vitamin D) Helps with blood pressure (Potassium) Helps prevent anemia (Iron) Helps Immune system (Vitamin E and Zinc) |
Sweet Potatoes (Orange, White, Red, Pink, Violet, Yellow, Purple) | Vitamin A B Vitamins Vitamin C Iron Magnesium Phosphorous Potassium Zinc Fiber | Increase fullness & Reduce food intake (Fiber) Reduce Risk of Diabetes (Fiber) Improved Gut Health (Fiber) Eye Health (Vitamin A) Helps Immune System, Heart & Kidneys (Vitamin A) Help control blood pressure (Potassium) |
Kale | Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin K Folate Phosphorous Potassium Calcium Zinc | High water content (Hydration & Fullness) Eye Health (Vitamin A) Strong Immune System (Vitamin A) Blood Clotting & Bone Health (Vitamin K) Heart Health (Potassium) |
Beets (Red, Golden) | Vitamin A Vitamin C Folate Fiber Magnesium Potassium Manganese Betalains | Low in Calories Can reduce risk of heart attack and stroke (Folate) Gut Health (Fiber) Anti-inflammatory properties (Betalains) |
References
Can Boxer Dogs Eat Vegetables – Results from Feeding Our Boxer Dog Vegetables
Can Boxer Dogs eat vegetables? Well, Boxers are no different than humans and each one has their own unique food preferences and food dislikes.
We decided to test our two Boxers’ (Duke 9.5-year-old Male and Katie 7-year-old Puppy Mill Mom) palates and fed them (or tried to feed them) the 7 vegetables above to determine if they could be included in their diet.
Each vegetable was tried over a three-week period to allow 3 days to ensure there were no digestive or allergy issues with each vegetable.
To soften the vegetables we used the following methods:
Blanching (6 min)
Broccoli
Carrots
Steaming
Spinach
Kale
Green Beans
Baking
Sweet Potato
Puree (Canned Vegetable)
Beets
We placed the vegetables in their food bowl and observed whether they ate the vegetables or walked away from the bowl.
The results are listed in the table below.
Vegetable | Duke | Katie |
Carrots | YES | YES |
Green Beans | YES | YES |
Broccoli | NO | YES |
Spinach | NO | NO |
Sweet Potato | YES | YES |
Kale | NO | NO |
Beets | NO | YES |
Results | 3 out of 7 (43%) | 5 out of 7 (71%) |
Key Learnings
- Can Boxer Dogs eat Vegetables? Based on our limit testing, yes they can!
- Our two Boxers showed different taste preferences, with Katie the female being more willing to eat a majority of the vegetables.
- This could be from her experience as a puppy mill dog, where they were not fed very often so she is taking advantage of food availability. This is just speculation
Looking for Fresh Whole Foods For your Boxer? Click the link for the Large Breed Variety Box at Just Food For Dogs.com for more information.
Can Boxer Dogs Eat Vegetables? Recommendation for Feeding Vegetables
- When introducing vegetables to your Boxer’s diet, soften the vegetables to help aid in digestion and reduce the risk of digestive problems.
- Boiling
- Steaming
- Blanching
- Puree
- Start with small portions to see how they like the vegetables and to limit any side effects.
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Gas
- Contact Dermatitis
- Itching
- Start with one type of vegetable, look for side effects, and then slowly introduce other vegetables rather than feeding them several vegetables at one time. This will help identify any potential allergens.
- Feed them the standard colors and varieties to help reduce the chance of side effects
- Feed your Boxer the same vegetables you eat. They will be more willing to eat vegetables if they see you eating them.
For additional information on food allergies, read our articles on
6 Top Foods That Lead To Food Allergies In Your Boxer Dog
7 Most Common Boxer Dog Allergies – Helping Your Boxer with Symptoms
To give your Boxer dog a Vegetarian option for dental treats give them Onlynaturalpet.com’s – Whimzees Vegetarian Dental Chews for Dogs.
Can Boxer Dogs Eat Vegetables – Owner Habits & Practices
How prevalent is feeding vegetables to your dog?
In a recent survey: Average Pet Owners Say Their Pet’s Food is Similar To Their Own, conducted by One Poll in conjunction with Ollie in June 2022 and published on Swnsdigital.com and included 2,000 respondents found.
- Nearly half of vegetarian or vegan dog owners would feed their dogs a similar diet to what they typically eat.
- One-third (33%) of respondents don’t believe they feed their dog enough vegetables, stating they provided their dog 1 meal per day that included vegetables.
- Nearly half (47%) of pet owners who put their dogs on a vegetarian diet, provided several reasons for this choice.
- Their dogs enjoy a vegetarian diet more than any other type of diet
- It helps their dogs be more active.
Other Findings:
68% of owners who have dietary restrictions are very likely to feed their dogs a diet that mirrors their own.
- Two-thirds (66%) of survey participants indicated they wanted to get more experimental in feeding their pets by introducing them to different foods.
- Blueberries – 36%
- Carrots – 36%
- Bacon – 34%.
Summary
Can Boxer Dogs Eat Vegetables? Yes, vegetables are a safe option to include in their diet.
Be sure to introduce vegetables slowly so that your Boxer doesn’t get digestive problems or have an allergic reaction.
The 7 best vegetables that provide the most health benefits include
- Carrots
- Green Beans
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Sweet Potatoes
- Beets
- Kale
Remember Boxers are just like us, we all have food preferences so don’t get disheartened if they don’t like a certain vegetable. If you want to incorporate vegetables in your Boxers diet, just realize it’s going to be trial and error to find the ones they like.
Good luck on your vegetable-feeding journey!
Discoverboxerdogs.com are Mary and Chris Kustanbauter. We reside in Red Lion, PA with our two Boxers, Duke and Katie, who are both rescue dogs. We have been working with Adopt A Boxer Rescue for the past 17 years and have adopted 5 Boxers from this fine organization. To learn more visit our Home, Boxer Dog Family, and Blogs Pages Visit us on social media on Facebook – Discoverboxerdogs.com, Instagram, and Pinterest.