Vegan Dog Foods-- Your opinion

Hehehe! Sorry to play tricks on you! []

Aww. . .that face on the first husky, I'm in love. . .[sm=kiss.gif]

Willow,

It won't kill them. Unlike cats dogs are not obligate carnivores. And I think if it's a vegetarian diet with protein sources like cheese and eggs it would be a lot less difficult to keep them thriving than on a vegetarian diet of soy. JMO. I would wonder at whether a dog would thrive on a vegetarian diet - my vet doesn't think so.

Paula

I have a friend who imposes his vegetarian only ideals upon his dog.  His dog is ALWAYS hungry and because of this she overeats and is quite overweight- she should be around 45 lbs and she's easily 65lbs. 

IMO it's unhealthy to feed vegan or vegetarian diets to omnivores or obligate carnivores. 

Unlike cats dogs are not obligate carnivores.

Does that explain why my friend's cat turned a different color, lost 6 of his 13lbs, and looked generally lethargic once she fed him a vegan diet?

[blockquote]quote:

Unlike cats dogs are not obligate carnivores.[/blockquote]
Does that explain why my friend's cat turned a different color, lost 6 of his 13lbs, and looked generally lethargic once she fed him a vegan diet? [align=right]

[align=right] [align=left]Wow!  That should really be considered animal abuse.  I don't understand why people feel the need to impose their moral beliefs regarding diet on their pets.  A dog or cat isn't being cruel or bad when it eats meat.  [align=left] [align=left]

What is worse, a cheap low quality dogfood or a high quality vegetarian option?

[align=left] [align=left]I think "a high quality vegetarian" dog food is almost an oxymoron.  The source of the vegetables in the diet may be high quality, but are the foods high quality in terms of how the dog utilizes the content of the food?  [align=left] [align=left]I understand that some animals are allergic to some animal sources of protein, but for those that aren't, what exactly is the point of feeding a dog a vegetarian or vegan diet?

Yes she's killing her cat.  Cats require meat protein.

Paula

If you want a pet you can feed vegan, get a horse.  Dogs do not deserve to have human moral agendas thrust upon them.

My opinion is it's a bunch of BS and unfair to dogs and cats.I also was reading another site about feeding pets a vegan diet, I feel sooo bad for the dogs and cats who are fed this way[]

Just think about this for a second. In the wild your dog would not eat strictly veggies, it would hunt and eat meet. Sure there are some doggs like mine that eat fruits and veggies, but she still loves meet and bones.
 
Our last rescue would only eat meet and kibble. He would not even consider eating a veggie, he would rather starve.
 
I think what happens is these people believe their dog likes the veggies because they eat it. Sure if i starve you to death you'll eventually eat anything i put infront of you, not because you like it but because you have no choice...
 
Also veggans do not believe in proccesing, doggs can't eat un massed veggies they simply cannot diggest it, so they have to proccess it, which in theory isn't even veggan anymore.
 

Not all vegans eat raw so I think it would be inaccurate to characterize them that way. Just saying.

Soy based foods have been known to cause issues in breeds prone to Thyroid issues...Akitas for example shouldn't even be given TREATS containing soy let alone an entire diet...the idea makes me shudder.

The misconceptions about vegans are bothering me (and NO, I do NOT think a vegan diet for a dog or cat, or any carnivore for that matter, is okay). Vegan can JUST mean they don't eat animal products. It doesn't necessarily mean they're some super-radical weirdo. And I don't know where that "unprocessed" thing came from. That's NOT what vegan means. Some vegans eat just as much junkfood as anyone else, they just avoid the stuff that has any animal-derived ingredients.

The misconceptions about vegans are bothering me (and NO, I do NOT think a vegan diet for a dog or cat, or any carnivore for that matter, is okay). Vegan can JUST mean they don't eat animal products. It doesn't necessarily mean they're some super-radical weirdo. And I don't know where that "unprocessed" thing came from. That's NOT what vegan means. Some vegans eat just as much junkfood as anyone else, they just avoid the stuff that has any animal-derived ingredients.

Thanks, Chelsea[] Vegans aren't from another planet. I'm vegan, and I feed raw. I eat Oreos (they're vegan! check the label[]). I eat french fries. Most of my diet isn't Oreos and french fries, but I do indulge, from time to time.

For almost a year of her life, Emma was on a vet-prescribed diet that was vegan, aside from treats (yogurt) and supplements (fish oil). She got a vegan dog vitamin, tofu, white rice, and vegetables. She got vegan dog cookies, that I bought at Petsmart. That is what she THRIVED on, for that time. It didn't work, long term, but it was exactly what she needed, at that time, and I'd never deny her that.

I would never, ever impose my beliefs on another being. That's against everything that I am, and everything I believe. There is a time and a place for a vegan diet, for dogs. It happens, occasionally, that a dog needs it. This mass marketed vegan dog food is silly, though.

Lol...being a cartoon buff I can't help but think of that classic Looney Tunes one with the dog that is obsessed with meat because it now gets none due to the rationing going on in wartime....it is a GREAT 'toon. I can see him throwing a fit, how can he live without meat, thrashing around crying saying..."everything is getting dark....darker....DARK MEAT!"..LMAO...