Vegeterian/vegan dogs

lets just feed a tiger just veggies and see what happens. Oh I know what about feed a rabbit some nice jucy steak all it's life and see what happens with that. Sure humans can survive on non-meat product alone but I still can't even imagin a dog living very long on such a diet. Each animal has a special diet and if given eveything but what they are born to eat just can't be good for them. I'de love to hear the facts of why so they can see what harm these people are doing to their pets.

Not absorbing the nutrition they need, because their bodies can't break it down properly? Amino acid imbalances?

Emma ate a vegetarian diet for almost a year, and did ok on it. It was what she needed, at the time. When her seizures started getting bad, I added in fish, took away the soy, and went grain free. The seizures almost stopped. It was bad, for her, because she is epileptic. Soy and grains don't do so well, for anyone (human or animal) who is epileptic.

People do it all the time, though. Some folks even feed cats vegan diets, which is completely ridiculous. There are vegan kibbles for dogs and cats, and there is a book called Obligate Carnivore that discusses veg*n diets for carnivorous pets. When Emma was on her vegetarian diet, I purchased a vegan supplement, called VegeDog, that had recipes for vegan meals. The same company, Harbringers of a New Age, makes VegeCat. It supposedly has a vegan source of taurine, but I don't know how absorbable that would be.....

The only reason I would ever agree with a veggie/vegan diet for a dog is if the dog had some sort of allergy to every kind of meat under the sun/etc. (medical reasons)... >O.o;<

~Vegetarian dog~ Is an oxymoron in the highest order [&o]

I would dare to say that 99.99% of people who feed their poor pets veg/vegan diets are doing so for their OWN ethical reasons. They are so hellbent on making sure they keep every animal product out of their own lives they just FAIL to realize that they cannot put their moral/ethical values and judgements onto an animal that doesn't have those capabilities. IMHO... I think they're foolish and ignorant and will do anything to justify what they're doing because they are so rabidly anti-animal ANYTHING. I don't think they realize what harm they're doing to try to force something so unnatural on an animal that is BORN to eat meat !
  I am a 'pescatarian'... lol.... ok, I eat wild caught fish/seafood but no meat. I do eat free range and organic dairy. But I'm not such an idiot that I'm going to feed a CARNIVORE nothing but grains.
In fact some find it totally ironic that I feed my dogs/cats a completely carnivore based diet and my response is... THEY are NOT HUMAN !!! They are CARNIVORES.. they EAT MEAT !
DUH.  I think trying to force them to do otherwise, unless they have SEVERE allergies or health problems is immoral and unethical.

I would only feed my dogs a vegetarian diet if they needed it for some medical reason.  Dogs are meant to eat meat.  I can't imagine giving them otherwise.
 
I am a vegetarian, btw.

According to the people who make their dogs/cats vegetarian, they do fine on it. Personally, anecdotal evidence is not good enough for me. I'm a vegan myself but I would never make my dog or cat do it (except for medical reasons I guess.) It's natural for them to eat meat and one look at their teeth proves it.

I had an Irish Setter who preferred veggies and fruit to meats. Beat all I ever saw.  As a matter of fact, it was because of him that I started added cooked veggies and fish to dog food--the veggies because he loved them so, and fish because it was good for him to have fresh caught, baked fish.

ORIGINAL: belleandcodysmom

In fact some find it totally ironic that I feed my dogs/cats a completely carnivore based diet and my response is... THEY are NOT HUMAN !!! They are CARNIVORES.. they EAT MEAT !

i thought dogs were omnivores? not that i would feed our dogs only veggies, but they do get them from time to time.

Oh, wait, let me get my tea and some popcorn . . .OK, carnivore versus omnivore - go to it! 

Just kidding of course.

I think it would depend on your definition of vegetarian.  If you allowed dairy and egg the dog might be able to do very well.  I don't think it's all that great either, but I consider historical precedents of working dogs that survived on the scraps from the family table.  Very little meat there, very little meat in the food bowl subsequently.  Rinds of cheese, eggs and shell, lots of grain gruels, stale bread, a little bit of milk (good whole milk fresh from the cow).  Fish bones and once in a great while some meat scraps.  That wasn't optimal but they had no choice.

I can't imagine the whole vegan deal.  Dogs, ok, maybe.  But cats?  Sorry, just don't own a cat, please.

I would dare to say that 99.99% of people who feed their poor pets veg/vegan diets are doing so for their OWN ethical reasons. They are so hellbent on making sure they keep every animal product out of their own lives they just FAIL to realize that they cannot put their moral/ethical values and judgements onto an animal that doesn't have those capabilities. IMHO... I think they're foolish and ignorant and will do anything to justify what they're doing because they are so rabidly anti-animal ANYTHING. I don't think they realize what harm they're doing to try to force something so unnatural on an animal that is BORN to eat meat !
I am a 'pescatarian'... lol.... ok, I eat wild caught fish/seafood but no meat. I do eat free range and organic dairy. But I'm not such an idiot that I'm going to feed a CARNIVORE nothing but grains.
In fact some find it totally ironic that I feed my dogs/cats a completely carnivore based diet and my response is... THEY are NOT HUMAN !!! They are CARNIVORES.. they EAT MEAT !
DUH. I think trying to force them to do otherwise, unless they have SEVERE allergies or health problems is immoral and unethical.

You are grouping too many vegetarians together.

I am a hardcore vegetarian, have been for years, I could go on about the unethical treatment of slaughter animals, it would turn your stomach.

I also know my animals need their proper nutrition!!!

Cats are the only true carnivores in this deal, do some research.

Snownose,hope you dont mind me asking,but what do you feed your dogs?

Whats the diff between a regular vegetarian and a hardcore vego?

I believe dogs are carnivors,they dont do well at all on vego diets [&:]

edie,
         Hardcore vegetarian is a committed one, not one that is a veggie one week the next there is a slip up[]
 
I feed my dogs "Authority Harvest Baked Chicken" dry food, cans, chicken breast cooked w/o the bones, beef, turkey, eggs and rice....including treats. I know I can NOT hurt my dogs by trying to impose a veggie diet. It grosses me out when I have to deal with meat, but I have an extra large box of surgical gloves in my possession....[]

ORIGINAL: brookcove

I can't imagine the whole vegan deal.  Dogs, ok, maybe.  But cats?  Sorry, just don't own a cat, please.

i am not a vegetarian nor a vegan. neither are our dogs. that doesnt really fit with the whole omnivore idea to me.

we have two cats actually, and i realize that they are obligate carnivores.[]