Pumpkin

A small amount of cooked pumpkin provides fibre and water and is usually well accepted.

Keep to about a teaspoon per serving and never at the expense of the main diet; ongoing digestive problems need veterinary assessment rather than pumpkin alone.

Steam and mash without seasoning; avoid pie filling and sweetened canned pumpkin.

Cats have a low carbohydrate requirement, so plant treats should stay a very small share of intake.

Contains fibre and beta-carotene, and small amounts of plain pumpkin are sometimes used by vets to add fibre when stools are mildly loose.

1-2 teaspoons per serving for a medium dog is plenty, with treats kept to about 10% of daily energy intake; ask your vet before using it therapeutically.

Peel, deseed, steam and mash with no sugar, spice or butter; pumpkin pie filling contains sugar and spices and must not be fed.

Skin and raw pumpkin are hard to digest; if using canned pumpkin, check that pumpkin is the only ingredient.