QUESTION:
“I am a vegetarian and would like to feed my dog a vegetarian diet. What are your thoughts on this and can Preference be fed alone, without the addition of meat, as a complete vegetarian meal?”
ANSWER:
As a vegetarian myself, I understand your desire to pass on your cruelty-free and healthy diet choice to your animal companions. However, humans are not physiologically the same as cats or dogs. Their nutritional requirements differ. A diet choice made for ourselves may not necessarily be what is ideal for our pets. In my training in holistic animal health and nutrition as well as my own research, I have found that some dogs can survive on a vegetarian diet if their owners are willing to put in the time and effort needed to guarantee it is balanced and nutritionally complete. This is not an easy task. My question is this, though technically some dogs may be able to survive on a vegetarian diet, will they thrive? Here are some thoughts shared on the subject by other holistic-minded animal care professionals:
“Dogs and cats must eat meat. Neither species is designed to be vegetarian, and although some dogs can eat other protein sources for a short period of time without detrimental effects, this should be done oly under a veterinarian’s supervision.” – Liz Palika, The Ultimate Pet Food Guide.
“….another myth is that dogs are strictly carnivorous and that animal protein must be their chief or only source of nutrition. Like a person, a dog can be a vegetarian, subsisting on veggies, grains, legumes, oils, and spices, or, for that matter, a lacto-vegetarian, living on a diet of eggs and dairy along with greens and grains.” – Deva Khalsa, VMD, Natural Dog: A Holistic Guide for Healtheir Dogs.
As the subject pertains to cats, most will agree that cats are true and obligate carnivores, requiring nutrients only adaquately supplied by meat and animal products. The domestic dog, however is more accurately classified, according to Dr. Richard Pitcairn, as an opportunistic omnivore. They can meet their nutrional needs from a variety of sources. The domestic dog differs from the wild dog in many ways. Their wild ancestors lived in environments with less toxins, often fasted between large meals and got much more regular exercise than do our domestic companions. They were more able to handle the metabolism of meat-oriented diet. Today, meat is the most toxin-laden food out there, full of antibiotics, hormones, lead, arsenic, mercury, DDT, dioxin, pesticides, etc. Pitcairn says, “The long-term effect of all this toxic material – particularly the pesticides and heavy metals – may be increased cancer rates, allergies, infections, kidney and liver problems, irritabilty, and hyperactivy for our pets.”
The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom has reported that a vegetarian (not vegan) diet has successfully been fed to both dogs and cats. The exampel of such a diet includes: whole grains, milk, cheese, eggs, ground nuts and TVP (textured vegetabel protein) or legumes, and raw/or cooked vegetables, whole-wheat bread, brown rice, sprouts, fruit, whole carrots and hard, whole-grain biscuits.
CJ Puotinen (who was a vegan for many years) shares her opinion on the matter in The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, “To my knowledge, no spiritual or religious leader has ever suggested that dogs or cats be deprived of meat, for doing so would violate the laws of nature. Some have argued that dogs can vegetarians without much trouble but cats, who are true carnivores, cannot. It’s true that dogs can survive on vegetarian fare, but do they thrive? The supplements that would make the most difference for vegetarian dogs –bone meal, glandular concentrates, fish oils and whole-food extracts containing liver and other organs- come from animal sources and are therefore inappropriate. It is a dilemma.”
Her conclusion? “In the end, each owner makes a personal choice, and that choice must be respected. I hope that everyone who lives with a dog or cat will let thousands of years of natural selection define their canine and feline menu planning. If that isn’t possible, I hope they will do whatever they can within the constraints of their philosophy to provide the nutrition their animals require. When all is said and done, love is probably the most important ingredient in any animal’s life.”
If you look at your dog’s teeth, you will notice a big difference from ours. This is because a dog’s jaw and teeth were generally designed to tear meat and flesh from animals. They do not grind their food up the way humans do before swallowing. Also, a dog’s digestive tract is much shorter than ours, designed to digest and metabolize a meat-based diet. Though our domestic dog (canis lupus familiaris) has evolved to live with humans and are better able to thrive on a much more varied diet, their physiology still retains much of the design and nutritional needs of their ancestors. Ultimately, as Puotinen has said, the decision for or against feeding a vegetarian diet to your dog lies with you and your veterinarian. Our Preference vegetarian base mix is not designed as a nutritonally complete food if fed on its own. This is intended for use as a supplement or base to a diet including fresh meat or raw meaty bones. Please do plenty of research, make sure you are taking the time to do it right and consult with a traditional or holistic vet that can help guide you to what is best suited for your dog. If you do not already have a holistic vet, please visit www.ahvma.org to find one near you.
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