Burdock Root

Cats need no vegetables, so a small piece of peeled, softly cooked burdock is at most a novel treat that adds a little dietary fibre.

One small nail-sized piece per serving, cooked soft and finely chopped, without reducing main-diet intake and within about 10% of daily energy intake.

Scrub it, peel it completely, steam or boil it until **fully soft** and chop it very fine; **raw burdock is firm and coarse, so never serve it raw**, and add no salt, oil or soy sauce.

**Peeling and thorough cooking are essential**, as raw burdock is hard to digest and a choking risk; **larger amounts cause gas and loose stools**, so keep it tiny; **burdock stir-fry and burdock tea are out for cats**, which need animal tissue.

Burdock root supplies dietary fibre of the inulin type plus a little potassium at a low calorie cost, so peeled, cooked and shredded pieces work as an occasional light vegetable treat.

1-2 tablespoons of soft cooked shreds or small pieces per serving (about a teaspoon for a small dog), within about 10% of daily energy intake, with complete dog food as the main diet.

Scrub it, then **peel it completely**, cut fine shreds or small cubes and steam it until **fully soft** before feeding (**raw burdock is extremely fibrous and firm, hard to digest and easy to choke on**); no salt, oil, soy sauce or sesame.

**Peeling and thorough cooking are essential**; inulin-type fibre **causes gas, loose stools and even diarrhoea in larger amounts**, so start very small; **skip oily burdock stir-fry and burdock tea**, and **contact a vet** if vomiting or diarrhoea continues.