Bad Brocolli?

Hi, everyone.

I have been giving Willis brocolli on a regular basis. Just a few pieces off what I eat. A former co-worker said her "holistic" dog expert said never to give a dog brocolli because it has a substance in it that's not good for them.

Anyone ever heard if this is true or not? Hasn't seemed to hurt Willis any, but other opinions are always interesting to read

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer on July 22, 2008 at 8:26am

interesting. My hollistic dog person, yes, i know it sounds nuts, but I know her from the store where I buy Harry's canidae and his treats and she is all about the broccoli. It helps treats some sort of cancer cells in dogs. we are starting harry on veggies one veggy at a time so we have not gotten to broccoli yet, but so far carrots and green beans are a hit. Broccoli is next, specially since i have some in the freezer :)

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Permalink Reply by FuzzyButt on July 22, 2008 at 10:56am

Any human foods in large amounts can be harmful to animals like dogs and cats. However I have not heard anything about broccoli... I'll take a look at the ASPCA's site of poisonous foods and see what I can find.

I have been meaning to do that anyway. I want to see what they have to say about sunflower seeds, not the shell. I know that they are good for people, but what about dogs?

Anyhoo, I'm off to see and question!

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Permalink Reply by Butter on July 22, 2008 at 11:48am

I was told my breeder to give Buttercup brocolli stems, ocassionally. I cut the tough outside off and give him some, a few small - medium size pieces. He loves it. Broccoli is a sulphuric vegetable and thus gas producing. So it may be something that you only give once and a while, when you are up to the "gas" challenge.

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Permalink Reply by FuzzyButt on July 22, 2008 at 12:15pm

It could help with constipation.

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Permalink Reply by Kitty's Corner on July 22, 2008 at 12:33pm

We have always fed cooked broccolli to Kitty,stems and tops and she really loves it.There doesn't seem to be any gas problem with her. We don't overfeed it and she's doing wonderfully!

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on July 22, 2008 at 2:49pm

There's nothing wrong with a bit of broccolli as far as I know. Maybe if they ate a whole head, I'd worry, but less than 10% of the diet in veggies/fruits/treats shouldn't be a problem. In fact I believe broccoli has a lot of beneficial antioxidants that are good for dogs. The only negative is gas as others mentioned. If you mince veggies very fine, or even puree, the vitamins and minerals can be readily absorbed versus feeding large chunks which are more likely to just pass through without absorbing much of the "good stuff".