# If my dog is ment to be a TRUE carnivore....



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Why does he terrorize the veggie garden in the yard on a regular basis? 
Tomatos, sugar snap peas, and his personal favorite- spaghetti squash are never safe if he's on the loose. 
I read all these posts about "your dog would NEVER eat veggies in the wild" from prey model raw feeders, and was wondering your thoughts on this. I also read from raw feeders that their systems can't handle veggies, and mine do just fine after taking on a round of spaghetti squash. For the record, I am by no means against this style of feeding, it's just not the way I feed. 
If they would "only" eat meat in the wild, and can't "handle" these veggies, how then do you explain this behavior....?


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## EnglishBullTerriers (Sep 10, 2008)

CorgiPaws said:


> Why does he terrorize the veggie garden in the yard on a regular basis?
> Tomatos, sugar snap peas, and his personal favorite- spaghetti squash are never safe if he's on the loose.
> I read all these posts about "your dog would NEVER eat veggies in the wild" from prey model raw feeders, and was wondering your thoughts on this. I also read from raw feeders that their systems can't handle veggies, and mine do just fine after taking on a round of spaghetti squash. For the record, I am by no means against this style of feeding, it's just not the way I feed.
> If they would "only" eat meat in the wild, and can't "handle" these veggies, how then do you explain this behavior....?


This cannot be explained because there is not enough information out there to support anything! There have been very few studies of naturally wild canines and their daily life activities. The most studies that have been done are with domestic born 'wild dogs' that have only been returned to the wild after being raised by humans. Then humans just want to 'live' with them and 'become like the wolf'! 
We can only assume most things about our dogs that make sence to us. We have domesticated almost all canines in the world to where there really are not true wild dogs anymore!! But that is what happens when you put a human in the mix of other creatures, we try to figure them out so much that we end up changing the way they do things naturally.
I am sure that everyone else will pounce on this now that I have said all of this and will tell me that this is not true. My dog does the same thing where he will go out to the garden and pick tomatoes. He LOVES tomatoes!!


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I think it's the same reason why I eat sweets and baked goods. Not because they're good for me, but because they taste freakin' delicious!


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## ImWithThePyr (Apr 8, 2009)

Dogs eat plant matter in the wild... so this isn't true that they would never eat vegetables in the wild.Dogs are opportunistic omnivores, they will eat vegetable matter when conditions aren't ideal. 

I feed a prey model diet and throw in some ground vegetables every once in a blue moon... I do believe that dogs don't NEED vegetables.. but that doesn't mean they don't like them. :redface:


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

Wen Tater wuz a pup, he ate all da stuff in da gardin. Cuz Paw wood chase him out but not befor Tater wood get a belly full. His tummie wood drag da ground but he alwayz had a smile on hiz face.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

rannmiller said:


> I think it's the same reason why I eat sweets and baked goods. Not because they're good for me, but because they taste freakin' delicious!


It's not really a matter or nutritional content in veggies for dogs- that debate has been beaten to death on here, it's that many argue that it's not "natural" for a dog to have a diet containing such things. Watching my Shepherd mix face down in a squash plant tells me otherwise. :tongue:


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

CorgiPaws said:


> Why does he terrorize the veggie garden in the yard on a regular basis?


They eat them because they taste good. The same reason many dogs eat feces. 

However they cannot digest or extract nutrients from plant matter. Dogs do not have flat molars nor do they have the ability to move their lower jaw in a sideways motion. Both of these are necessary to break down the cellulose covering on each cell of plant material. Omnivores also have digestive juices in their salava to begin breaking down the plant cells. Dogs don't. Plants must fermant in the gut to produce sugars for nutrition. Dog's guts are too short for this process to take place. Omnivores and herbivores have much longer digestive systems. Dogs digestive systems don't contain enzymes necessary for digesting plants and their stomach juices are to acid.



> I read all these posts about "your dog would NEVER eat veggies in the wild" from prey model raw feeders, and was wondering your thoughts on this.


If they are looking for nutrition, they won't. If they are looking for something that tastes good, they may.



> I also read from raw feeders that their systems can't handle veggies, and mine do just fine after taking on a round of spaghetti squash.


I explained that above.



> If they would "only" eat meat in the wild, and can't "handle" these veggies, how then do you explain this behavior....?


I explained why they can't digest nor extract nutrients from veggies Dogs are carnivores and as such can thrive on raw meat, bones, and organs from a variety of animals. I've been feeding my dogs that way for 7 years.


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## EnglishBullTerriers (Sep 10, 2008)

Doc said:


> Wen Tater wuz a pup, he ate all da stuff in da gardin. Cuz Paw wood chase him out but not befor Tater wood get a belly full. His tummie wood drag da ground but he alwayz had a smile on hiz face.


Thank you once again Doc! :wink: This is at a good time when things are starting to look down for me. I enjoy finding your messages randomnly throughout the forum. Thanks!! :smile:


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## claybuster (Dec 18, 2008)

CorgiPaws said:


> Why does he terrorize the veggie garden in the yard on a regular basis?
> Tomatos, sugar snap peas, and his personal favorite- spaghetti squash are never safe if he's on the loose.
> I read all these posts about "your dog would NEVER eat veggies in the wild" from prey model raw feeders, and was wondering your thoughts on this. I also read from raw feeders that their systems can't handle veggies, and mine do just fine after taking on a round of spaghetti squash. For the record, I am by no means against this style of feeding, it's just not the way I feed.
> If they would "only" eat meat in the wild, and can't "handle" these veggies, how then do you explain this behavior....?


If a dog eats a string bean it will come out the other end looking like a string bean, unprocessed. It is a well know fact if you fed only raw vegetables
to your dog slow starvation will result.

Could be territorial. Maybe he smells some other animals that visited garden during the evening and he wants to get in there and check it out the smells.

Dogs have been known to lick antifreeze off of the driveway. That does not mean there is something natural or dietary going on.


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2009)

claybuster!!!! You're baaaack!!!! I missed you!!! Where did you go???


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Yay, the return of Claybuster!!!! :biggrin:

Good point on the antifreeze!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

The antifreeze is a good point, actually. 
I just read about how it's not "natural" for them to consume veggies. The nutritional value of veggies for dogs has been beat to death, so I won't even touch on weather or not it's "good" for them. I was just reading a post saying it's not "natural" for them, and looked out the window to see my Shepherd mix in the squash, and thought Hmmmmmmmm.... interesting......:tongue:


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## Postal (Jan 23, 2009)

claybuster said:


> Dogs have been known to lick antifreeze off of the driveway. That does not mean there is something natural or dietary going on.


Have you ever TASTED antifreeze? Puke! I assure you, it tastes NOTHING like it smells. Bleck


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2009)

Postal said:


> Have you ever TASTED antifreeze? Puke! I assure you, it tastes NOTHING like it smells. Bleck


That's like asking "Have you ever jumped over Niagara Falls and lived to tell about it?" :biggrin:


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## Postal (Jan 23, 2009)

Well, I work on heavy equipment for a living, so I've gotten a mouthful of all kinds of things whether I liked it or not. I would have to say hydraulic fluid is the worse. Your whole mouth goes numb heh

But this thread isn't about nasty tasting things, it's about dog's getting into the garden. Kinda like "well, my boy found my freshed baked cookies and ate ALL of them. They must be good for him since he helped himself to them :smile:"

heh, kidding!


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Exactly!!!


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