Pet Food and Veg Ethics
Posted by mamaanna on Aug 30, 2009 · Member since Oct 2006 · 158 posts
I'm curious about those of you with dogs (and cats). How many people feed their pets vegan food? What has your experience been with it? And, if you choose to eat animal-free, but feed your own pets products containing meat, how do you deal with that from an ethical standpoint?
Curious to see what you guys have to say,
MA, proud mama to three dogs
I've been doing a lot of research between here, the internet, and a Canaan dog group, and I think I've decided to go the raw route (with some veggies & fruits of course) with my future dog. I;m not even sure how I'd manage, I worked at WF for a while, and since going vegan I loathe the smell of raw meat. I don't like it, but I think its best.
Anyone want to learn more about food borne illnesses and factory farms? Watch Food Inc. The modern strain of E. Coli is practically man-made.
Hi, I'm new here - found it through a search for vegetarian dog food info. I have been feeding my 5 y/o Dal/Boxer mix vegetarian food for about 6 months. Until 2 months ago it was commercial vegan kibble, then I just started making some with a grain, egg, flaxmeal, and a vegetable. The grain and vegetable depend on what we have or grow at the time: usually oats, brown rice, 10-grain mix that includes millet, barley and wheat, and quinoa on a good day. I cook all of it. Vegetables are broccoli, green beans, kale, spinach, and carrots. I don't know if I'm doing it right. I add a little olive oil to increase the calories and make it more satisfying. I also add MSM. I am not a vegan, since I get eggs (some fertile) from friends with chickens and I am satisfied with the source of both those chickens and their eggs. I understand bird eggs are the gold standard for protein quality, but quinoa is also a high quality complete protein. I don't mind omitting the eggs if it's healthy for my dog. Nothing about her has changed so far - weight, athletic ability and personality have been the same since she was 2. She's 5 now and a pic of her is here: http://www.240sutton.com/?p=193
One thing I did notice was that my ongoing battle with the pup's ear problems seems to be over. She has had several ear infections and required regular cleaning and monitoring of her ears until about...4-5 months ago. My vet suggested I try a restricted diet for 6 weeks to eliminate allergy possibilities. She advised one protein and one carb, so I said eggs and quinoa. She thought it was a good idea. However, I didn't stick to that and added the above varieties.
The cat, on the other hand, hasn't tried a veg food yet. I'm willing to go there if she's OK with it.
If anyone feeds eggs to their dogs, how many per day? My dog is 55 pounds and the vet thinks it's the perfect weight, so we don't want that to change. She eats about 1600 cal/day, plus the peanut butter, Cheerios and rice our toddler sneaks her.
That is a freaking long list! Also, human grade sounds really funny.
LOL I also think it's funny when someone says "People food." As in, "you shouldn't feed your pets People Food!" Are there big bags of kibble labeled "People Food?" What would it be, Cheerios? Actually, it's not a bad idea. Soylent green jokes aside, People Kibble with the same guidelines for feeding (age, weight, activity level considerations included) might help many of us regulate our intake. ;)
well, as far as the cats go, Sully is the indoor cat, he gets Iams healthy naturals dry kibble as prescribed by his vet. After the serious problems we had when he was younger, I don't dare change his food...EVER. He also gets the "dregs"* of canned tuna and canned chicken from omni El Hubbito's lunches, and all the shredded carrot, ice**, and soymilk-from-the-bottom-of-the-cereal he can steal. ;D
Pete, the outdoor cat gets Iams healthy naturals (cuz I'm only buying one bag dammit! lol) and whatever he catches. he always brings me some...eeeucchh! There's nothing like stepping on bits o' critter left on the doormat! :P
Syd gets Little Bites, but I don't have say in what to feed him, El Hubbito does. (don't ask...)
*by dregs I mean after I have emptied the can to feed El Hubbito, Sully gets whatever is left mixed with plain water as a treat
**one must watch one's drink around here, else there will be paws in it snatching out the ice! nothing like pouring a refreshing beverage, only to have kitty toes in!
Humans are omnivores, and regardless of whether we choose to eat meat, we still have protein requirements that need to be met. Vegetarianism is usually an ethical choice, meaning we choose to avoid killing animals in order to feed ourselves. But we have that option because we have the ability to meet our minimal protein requirements with things like beans, dairy (for some), nuts, etc.
Cats and dogs are carnivores. We can choose to feed them vegetarian pet foods with vegetable proteins, but they have much higher nutritional requirements for protein than people do. A cat or dog living in the wild will seek out and eat other animals as their main source of food. Nutritionally, meat is the best thing for them.
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