As a favour to myself, once the holidays — and all of the eating of holiday treats — were over with, I indulged in a raw fruit and veggie detox. It began as something I would do for a week. That felt so good, I extended it to two weeks. Now, here we are three full weeks into January, about to start a fourth week, and I’m still loving it so I’m still sticking with it, and one of the best things about it are my daily Green Smoothies.
I love these things!
As is always the case when anyone is in the kitchen and working with food, The Pack assumes it’s something for them. So they hover. And by hover I mean lay across my feet, cling to my legs, drool profusely . . . whine, shake with excited anticipation . . .
I am more than happy to share these tidbits because raw fruits and veggies are great for dogs! And, of course, my dogs love them. Well, one day while I was preparing and they were hovering, I wondered how they would like all of these tidbits blended up in their own Green Smoothie.
Dog’s have very short digestive tracks, which is why any raw veggie should be cut up small for them to begin with, or it will just pass through without the dog really benefiting from any of the nutrients, so I figured grinding it all up into an easy-to-digest pulp could only benefit them in the best possible way. So that’s what I did — I made extra and shared my smoothie with them. And they loved it! Now they get a nutrient-rich Doggie Green Smoothie every day, and this morning, as my daughter and I were watching The Pack play with an energy that is nothing short of awe-inspiring (and destructive as my daughter’s broken lamp will attest to), she idly suggested that maybe these Green Smoothies were a little too good for them. :)
I’ll post a list of the ingredients I use in case anyone would like to try it for their own dogs. Just remember: No grapes (though I don’t know anyone who puts grapes in a smoothie, but I like to be safe) and no avocados.
The Waggery‘s Green Smoothie
2 apples
2 cucumbers
3 celery stalks
2 large fistfuls of baby spinach
Several Kale and/or Swiss Chard leaves
A handful of dandelion leaves
1/2 cup of parsley
Occasionally I’ll add a frozen banana or a handful of berries (straw, blue or rasp). Just experiment and have fun with it!
We just wanted to leave a comment to let you know that we appreciate your site. We love your style of writing and will definitely be back to read some more at a later date. Do you take the time to answer all these comments on your site?
Hello Arden,
Thanks for stopping by and letting me know that you appreciate The Waggery’s Good Dog Blog. I hope to continue providing good, and fun, information for dog lovers :)
Yes, I do try to answer each comment personally as I enjoy connecting with my readers.
Lynda
Just stumbled on your blog article because I also started giving my 16 yr old dog a couple of oz’s of green smoothie each day too. He too also jumps around with fervour and seems young again. I also gave him some chlorella tablets and this really made him energetic! Today’s smoothie for was:
– coconut water & its meat (from a young coconut)
– 3 handfuls organic spinach leaves
– 3 leaves of kale (removed stem)
– 1 apple
– 1 cup of pineapple
– 1 banana
– 1 tbsp almond butter
– 1 tbsp flaxseeds
Wonder if others also give this to their pups.
Hi, Lynda!
Thanks for posting this. I, too, ran across it when looking for information about green smoothies for dogs. My littler dog seems to be allergic to her food, so I’m making food for her, but she’ll need a supplement. Can’t think of a better one than green smoothies.
btw, I do use grapes in green smoothies–they’re wonderful with chard, and with parsley. Yummy. You ought to give it a try!
Hello Linda,
Your green smoothie recipe sounds delicious — YUM! I will definitely treat my guys to that one.
Isn’t it amazing the energy it gives them? Nutrition is such an important part of having a happy, healthy dog.
Thanks so much for stopping by, and for sharing that wonderful recipe!
Lynda
Hello Kathleen,
So many dogs suffer from food allergies these days. My own are all on homemade food and thriving! I’m sure your little one will do just as well on it.
Green smoothies are a wonderful boost of nutritious energy, but I highly caution you against using grapes when making smoothies for your dog. I’m not sure if that’s what you meant. You may have meant when making a green smoothie for yourself, and in that case, I would be happy to give it a try. I love grapes! :)
However, just to be clear: Grapes are toxic to dogs and can even cause death. So please, please do not add grapes to your dog’s diet for any reason.
All the best to you and your little dog!
Lynda
No grapes for the fuzzy folks — just for humans!
Okay, great. Just wanted to be sure :)
I am looking forward to trying grapes in my own green smoothies. Thanks for the rec, Kathleen!