Can dogs be vegetarians?

[petguy]

My Chihuahua got sick and the vet put him on a bland diet of rice and vegis! He now loves it so much he turns his nose up at burgers! YES! I give him potato, corn, carrot, peas, grasses, along with other grains, minerals, and protien. He's doing great!

 

[Dekka]

They can do it. I wouldn't long term. Make sure you are supplementing with fats and vitamins, as there are some that can only be gotten easily from meat sources. It will have to be processed in some way as dogs cannot break down cellulose to get at the nutrients in plant cells (why would they, its not natural to them..if they were eating the contents of a dead animal's stomach, the cellulose would already be broken down)

 

[RD]

They can, but long term can be harmful unless you really know the balance of nutrients a dog needs to stay healthy.

 

[vanillasugar]

Can? Yes. Should? In my opinion no.

 

[Boxerowner]

Can? Yes. Should? In my opinion no.

I totally agree!

Canines were given teeth and digestive system to eat meat not veggies and grains.

 

[GipsyQueen]

I agree, Yes, they could be but they shouldn't be long term. Dogs are meat eaters as has been said.

 

[pitbullpony]

Can you find a meat source that a Mexican breed would eat? Something that you could work with that wouldn't cause him any problems?
What do Chi's eat in the wild anyway :}!

 

[DanL]

Here we go again......

 

[Melissa_W]

Since dogs are carnivores, I would say no, they will not thrive on a vegetarian diet. Maybe they can survive on a vegetarian diet, but lets face it; If they can survive on Purina, they can survive on anything. It doesn't mean it's the optimal diet.

 

[Dekka]

About what? I don't think any nutritionist suggests dogs should go meat free. Some may have too due to strange issues, but most agree they do need meat in their diet.

 

[Kayla]

Before Diamond passed last year she began rapidly losing weight, apparently after 11 years of eating normal dog food with animal protiens her boxer body started to become unable to process them and we had to switch to a no meat, veggie only food. After the change she recovered all of her weight and did fine up until the day she left us.

So would I willing switch a dog to a veggie diet, no. Is it possible and sometimes necissary, yes.

 

[Paige]

Here we go again......

haha.


They can, yes. Just make sure he's getting a balanced diet.

 

[Renee750il]

Some dogs will go veg, but it's really hard to get them to give up their leather collars *sigh*

 

[Herschel]

Please read the previous thread, it contains a lot of useful information:

http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66650&highlight=Vegetarian

 

[Paige]

Some dogs will go veg, but it's really hard to get them to give up their leather collars *sigh*

My vegan friends give me a hard time about my leather coat. I stand by my choice to wear it. I have had it way before I committed to being a vegan. What's the point in throwing away a perfectly good coat because it's made of leather? None.

Besides, it's a fierce coat. They are totally jealous of my style.:lol-sign:

 

[houndlove]

Oh I totally buy and wear leather that I get second-hand from Goodwill. It's not like I'm giving money to the people that actually produce it. There's no reason to be wasteful just cuz you're a vegetarian!

 

[Babyblue5290]

My vegan friends give me a hard time about my leather coat. I stand by my choice to wear it. I have had it way before I committed to being a vegan. What's the point in throwing away a perfectly good coat because it's made of leather? None.

Besides, it's a fierce coat. They are totally jealous of my style.:lol-sign:

Though there are some who would argue wearing that leather coat, that looks good, gives others the idea to go out and wear leather themselves. So you are promoting the buying of leather. Just like wearing a shirt or hat or something with a brand name shown on it, you promote that brand.

 

[DanL]

Thats right. Vegans should wear only natural fibers that are unprocessed. Burlap sacks come to mind, as does raw hemp fiber.

 

[Dekka]

Ha ha Dan.

But what about animals that died of natural causes? Can their bodies be used for leather etc?

 

[Groch]

Ha ha Dan.

But what about animals that died of natural causes? Can their bodies be used for leather etc?

The problem is that by paying the folks who process the carcasses and tan the leather you are helping those who make a living off of animal murder.

I would think that those truly committed to the cause should consider wearing dead unprocessed carcasses. It might not smell good, but it would certainly make a point

On the original topic, there are commercial vegetarian dog foods available. I would think that choosing one of them would be safer than trying to determine the right vegi mix to support natural carnivores like dogs.

Another alternative would be if a pet food manufacturer only used meat from animals who died of natural causes. I am not sure how well "Road Kill Nuggets" would sell to the general public.