[tarancara]

Hello, I’m a vegan- but I feed my dogs animal products. I have heard of people having success feeding a specialized vegan diet to their dogs but I’m hesitant to try them because like with human vegan diets some people don’t know what they are talking about and think that being a vegan you can just eat veggies and be healthy.. Anyone know a GOOD PRECISE HEALTHY vegan diet for pets?

[InkedMarie]

Dogs need meat. Unless there is a serious medical condition saying otherwise, please feed your dogs a food that is meat based, not a vegan food.

[NectarMom]

My Vet put my dogs on an all Veggie diet and the results were horrible. Their hair started falling out and they acted sickly and no energy. I learned the hard way that Vets are NOT canine Nutirtionalist so I done tons of research. I do not eat meat myself but dogs require meat to survive so please do not feed your dogs a all Veggie diet without consulting with a dog nutrionalist.

[tarancara]

Actually, like humans dogs CAN thrive on the right vegan diet. Many people say that humans MUST eat meat- which is very untrue. But the supplements used for dog health are different than human health. I knew a vegan family that raised German shepherds and their dogs were on a highly researched vegan diet and were GORGEOUS healthy dogs who all lived long lives. Unfortunately I am not in contact with these folks anymore.. Vegan diets can be done well or dangerously bad for both humans and animals alike. Most people who say it can’t be done havent seen a good example of it.

[BryanV21]

Anybody that says humans must eat me is a fool. On top of that, dogs and humans are NOT alike. Not at all. From their teeth, to their jaws, to the length of their digestive tract, and so on, they are different. So comparing their diets is ridiculous.

And there’s a difference between “thriving” and “surviving”.

[tarancara]

I absolutely agree with Bryan, that’s why I’m here asking questions. The dogs I have seen were amazing in health and coat. But it takes more than one example for me to be a believer and switch my dogs to a vegan diet. I’m trying to see if it can be done and if there are people beside my friend who have success.. I was always told humans cannot thrive on a non animal based diet. There will always be people arguing against veganism. So I am trying to see if there are also people who have vegan dogs.. I have always fed my dogs incredibly healthy diets of both high quality dog food and vegan cooking- they have lived realllly long lives (18 yr old golden mix, 12+ Newfoundland who is still with me, 10+ year old 165 lb mastiff Newfoundland who is still with me, a 22 year old cat!)

[Hound Dog Mom]

I don’t think meat is an essential part of the human or canine diet. However, I believe that dogs are definitely healthier when fed a diet high in quality animal-based protein and fat. I also tend to believe that, when consumed in moderation, clean meats can be a healthful component of the human diet. I’m not a big meat eater, I would take a plate of pasta over a steak any day, but I do eat meat 4 or 5 times a week. I try to eat only grass-fed meat and cage-free poultry raised without hormones antibiotics or steroids. I eat organic eggs and organic dairy almost every day. I’ve met several healthy vegetarian humans, but I was less than impressed with the few vegetarian dogs I’ve encountered (poor coat quality and dental health).

[BryanV21]

I don’t look down on anyone that is a vegan or wishes to feed their pets a vegan diet. It’s just harder for a dog to get a well-balanced vegan diet, since they don’t digest plant-based foods nearly as well as humans or other omnivores can. Is it possible? I believe so, it’s just harder to do. I’d be careful about going about a vegan diet is all.

Sorry, I wish I had more information about it.

[aimee]

I came across this paper which I think is a well done objective look at feeding dogs a vegetarian diet.

http://www.une.edu.au/ers/staff-profile-doc-folders/wendy-brown/brown-raan-2009-vegetarian-dog.pdf

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