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Subject:
Vegitarian Dogs
Category: Miscellaneous Asked by: kivo-ga List Price: $2.00 |
Posted:
01 Oct 2004 16:00 PDT
Expires: 31 Oct 2004 15:00 PST Question ID: 409095 |
Hi, Is it healthy to feed my 100 lbs Rhodesian Ridgeback a strictly vegetarian diet? |
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Subject:
Re: Vegitarian Dogs
Answered By: politicalguru-ga on 02 Oct 2004 04:35 PDT |
Dear Kivo, This is a contested issue. If you search, like I did, for "vegetarian diet" and "dogs", you'll find many vegetarian sites claiming that dogs can sustain a vegetarian diet (<://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&q=%22vegetarian+diet%22+dogs&btnG=Search>). Many of these sites are supported, or belong to, companies that offer commercial solutions of vegetarian food for dogs. Of thsoe reactions that support Veggie Diet, I liked (as always) Cecil Adams' (of the Straight Dope) reaction (Can you feed dogs and cats a vegetarian diet?, 26-Apr-1996, <http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a960426.html>). However, most vets disagree. Dogs bowls are different than thsoe of humans. It is true, that dogs *can* eat many foods that we eat, including to have at least a partial vegetarian diet (I had a dog who just loved a combination of toast, eggs and soft cheese). Lew Olson, for example, writes, in the solution to the article "Vegetarian Diet for Dogs?" (B-Naturals, August 2003 Newsletter, <http://b-naturals.com/Aug2003.php>), that "It is extremely difficult to prepare a proper vegetarian diet for dogs, and I believe it is not possible to feed a vegan diet and supply all the nutrition that a dog needs. Most vets do not recommend feeding a vegetarian diet to dogs. [...] Even sources that support feeding vegetarian diets to dogs stress the complexity of supplying all the necessary nutrients, and the dangers of leaving them out, and the better ones all recommend feeding eggs and dairy, even if meat is not fed. No one should attempt to feed a vegetarian diet to their dog without a thorough understanding of a dog's nutritional requirements and how those requirements can be met, including which supplements (and in what amounts) should be given. And no dog should be fed a vegan diet, which is incapable of meeting their nutritional needs.". (ibid). In oher words, if you try to give your dog a vegetarian diet, you'd have to give many supplements. Is forcing your dog to eat nutritunal pills and supplements natural and ethical? It is up to you. I hope this aswered your question. I strongly recommend that you'll consult with a vet before doing altering the dog's diet. Please contact if you need any clarification on this answer before you rate it. |
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Subject:
Re: Vegitarian Dogs
From: pinkfreud-ga on 02 Oct 2004 02:57 PDT |
I truly do not mean to be offensive, but, frankly, I cannot imagine why anyone would want to do this. If you find the carnivorous nature of a dog to be morally objectionable in some way, have you considered getting a pet whose normal diet is vegetarian, such as an iguana? |
Subject:
Re: Vegitarian Dogs
From: johnfrommelbourne-ga on 02 Oct 2004 04:56 PDT |
I tend to agree with The Pink One, however I must concede that my Hindhu Indian in-laws who were almsot 100% vegetarian fed their dog table scraps only which were by implication all cooked vegetables. On raising the subject with the family they said that while they only fed vegies to Fido she was occasionally catching rats out in the rice paddy. She appeared quite healthy but on reccolection just a touch on the skinny side. John From Melbourne |
Subject:
Re: Vegitarian Dogs
From: just4fun2-ga on 02 Oct 2004 12:12 PDT |
If you want to do "this" to make your dog healthier - it won't work - dog's eat meat and they will live about 15 years. If you want to do "this" because of a religious reason - Okay - but your pup isn't going to like it. I would let God sort it out. But you're going to do want you think is right. If you want to do "this" because you want your pup to live longer and you believe this diet will do that. It won't. Dog's live between 10 to 15 years. Now there is a way to increase your dog's life span and make him/her healthier. He/she is not going to like it but it will increase life span by 30 to 60 percent. Feed your dog a cal. restrictive diet. I vote for a happy, meat full puppy tummy. BTW I am a vegitarian for religious reason, haven't eaten meat in 10 years and my two little Yorkie's love meat. |
Subject:
Re: Vegitarian Dogs
From: silver777-ga on 02 Oct 2004 22:25 PDT |
Hi Kivo, Ever seen a Rhodesian Ridgeback attack a crop of Canola? Phil |
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