Vegan dog food?

[maythewondercat]

What do you guys think about this? I grew up around all kinds of animals, mainly farm animals, and I'll always have a soft spot for them in my heart. Now, in my experience it's hard to meeet a TRUE dog lovers without them being all out animal lovers. From what I have found, this brand is the best in the business, and recomended by the ASPCA. They have a great well-rounded formula, and a new one coming out within the next few weeks. Here's the link: http://v-dogfood.com/

[Suzette]

My personal feeling is that humans can decide if they want to be vegetarians, vegans, or eat meat (or any combo - I'm not a true vegetarian in that I do occasionally eat chicken and seafood, but I would say 90% of my diet is vegetarian), however I don't believe we should impose this on our dogs. They were created and designed to be carnivorous and should be fed a diet mainly made up of meat and bones. (I'm a raw feeder. )

[Sarah83]

Dogs are meant to eat meat, why on earth would I want to feed them a diet that consisted of absolutely no meat or animal products? Sorry but I do not believe in imposing our moral views on our dogs.

[jacksdad]

Sorry but I do not believe in imposing our moral views on our dogs.

100% agree.

[minkee]

I agree too - the best thing for everyone, in my opinion, would be to feed meat from well looked after animals - eg. free range farm chickens rather than battery hens. That way you're supporting ethically minded farmers (locally too, if you can find them!) that give their animals the best life possible, your dog is getting the fullest benefits from his or her food, and you're reaching a compromise that acknowledges the animals while still looking after your dog.

That said, I really don't know anything about vegan dog food. I can't see how it could possibly work when dogs are built to eat meat.

[JudyN]

If a vegan diet was as healthy and palatable for a dog as a meat-based one then I wouldn't have a problem with feeding a vegan diet. I have a friend who keeps chickens as pets and it seems ironic that for my one pet's diet, several hundred of her choice of pets have to be sacrificed every year - just imagine if dogs needed to eat kittens!

But I don't believe that a vegan diet is healthy for a dog, therefore if I objected to animals being killed for my animal to eat, I wouldn't have a dog.

(I have heard of one dog who didn't do well on any diet until in desperation the owner tried vegan, but there's always an exception that proves the rule!)

[ClareMarsh]

To be perfectly honest this horrifies me, I've just looked at the ingredients list and I wouldn't let my dog have the majority of what's on it as 1% of his diet let alone as his main source of food. I understand that it might be difficult for a vegan to feed biologically appropriate food to a pet dog but I would say if that is the case don't get a dog as feeding them the wrong food is to my mind abusive (sorry but I feel very strongly about this).

Your dog will survive on it but it's like feeding a child McDonalds every day, both bodies will fight to process and survive on the food but at what health cost short term and inevitably there will be nasty illnesses in later life.

[Sarah83]

I agree with you Clare, if you can't bear to feed a dog a diet that contains meat then you shouldn't have one. I know raw isn't for everyone but there are plenty of good quality dog foods out there. I know vegans and vegetarians who do feed raw because although they choose not to eat it their self they consider it to be the best diet for their dog.

I'm sure I read a while back that soy is actually bad for dogs and I know wheat and corn aren't good so even if I wasn't completely against a vegan food I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole to be honest. Not unless I'd tried literally everything else first and nothing suited the dog anyway.

[easilyconfused]

I found it quite amusing that they won a PETA award for not testing on animals.

[Sarah83]

I found it quite amusing that they won a PETA award for not testing on animals.

[ClareMarsh]

I found it quite amusing that they won a PETA award for not testing on animals.

I assume that's because the dogs refused to eat it

[jacksdad]

(I have heard of one dog who didn't do well on any diet until in desperation the owner tried vegan, but there's always an exception that proves the rule!)

there is a HUGE difference between feeding your dog a vegan or vegetarian diet because of health issues that require it verse a human moral choice being pushed on a dog.

[bendog]

I'm vegetarian and have been all my life, but I feed my dogs raw.

I do believe that dogs need meat to survive and thrive. I believe that humans can survive without meat, but although I don't eat it myself, if I ever had kids I would raise them mostly vegetarian but feed them some meat whilst educating them about the farming industry, making ethical choices etc. It is not meat eating per se that I don't like, it is the farming industry and the overconsumption of meat (people don't need meat every day) and the treatment of the animals involved.

Anyway, back on topic. Feeding raw has allowed me to at least try and source my dogs meat as ethically as possible. I feed parts humans don't eat that would otherwise be wasted, and free range/organic wherever possible. Previously I fed dry dog food, but the meat in that could come from anywhere, even in the highest quality foods theres no guarantee its not battery farmed etc.

I looked at the ingredients list, and the food is primarily grain based, my dogs have been SO much better since I cut grain from their diet, my fat dogs slimmed down and my allergy ridded dog has improved noticably. It also seems dogs need to eat an awful lot of it to survive (up to 255g for a 9kg dog!) which is at least 100g more than meat based kibbles and suggests it does not really contain much goodness.

As Judy said, if I thought dogs could thrive on a vegan diet, I'd feed it, but they just aren't built for it. Equally, if you had a snake you would have to feed it mice etc. If I wanted a vegetarian pet I'd get a tortoise or a rabbit. Not a dog or a cat.

[JudyN]

He thinks meat is murder.

Feeding a dog on nothing but vegetables and meat substitutes may well turn out to be tantamount to murder too I wish you luck.

[Nettle]

Total dog abuse. He should have got a rabbit.