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Veggie Diets

Amethyst

Amethyst

Warren Veteran
Wabbit said:
I do, however, have many vegan friends who have rescue dogs and they are fed on a veggie/vegan diet. They are all very fit and healthy and don't tend to suffer from digestive problems.
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Can't say I ever really understood that... why make the dog/cat eat a different diet because of your own ethics? A dog or cat doesn't have a say in what it eats - it can't go to the supermarket with you and pick out its desired food.

A dog's/cat's digestive system is designed to eat mostly meat. Would you decide to feed your rabbit only on meat? No. Why? Because its digestive system is designed for plant food.

The dogs and cats might seem fine, but it just seems strange to me.

AMETHYST
 
Amethyst said:
Wabbit said:
I do, however, have many vegan friends who have rescue dogs and they are fed on a veggie/vegan diet. They are all very fit and healthy and don't tend to suffer from digestive problems.
Click to expand...

Can't say I ever really understood that... why make the dog/cat eat a different diet because of your own ethics? A dog or cat doesn't have a say in what it eats - it can't go to the supermarket with you and pick out its desired food.

A dog's/cat's digestive system is designed to eat mostly meat. Would you decide to feed your rabbit only on meat? No. Why? Because its digestive system is designed for plant food.

The dogs and cats might seem fine, but it just seems strange to me.

AMETHYST
Click to expand...

yes i have to agree why can t u feed ur dogs cats ect meat its not like u have to eat it, sorry in not a veggi so dont understand that much
becky
 
Amethyst said:
Wabbit said:
I do, however, have many vegan friends who have rescue dogs and they are fed on a veggie/vegan diet. They are all very fit and healthy and don't tend to suffer from digestive problems.
Click to expand...

Can't say I ever really understood that... why make the dog/cat eat a different diet because of your own ethics? A dog or cat doesn't have a say in what it eats - it can't go to the supermarket with you and pick out its desired food.

A dog's/cat's digestive system is designed to eat mostly meat. Would you decide to feed your rabbit only on meat? No. Why? Because its digestive system is designed for plant food.

The dogs and cats might seem fine, but it just seems strange to me.

AMETHYST
Click to expand...


i totally agree! you say you are for animal rights, well it is a cat and dogs right to eat meat, so who are you to take that away from them because you dont agree with it, doesnt sound like animal rights to me!

eve x
 
bunnylove said:
Amethyst said:
Wabbit said:
I do, however, have many vegan friends who have rescue dogs and they are fed on a veggie/vegan diet. They are all very fit and healthy and don't tend to suffer from digestive problems.
Click to expand...

Can't say I ever really understood that... why make the dog/cat eat a different diet because of your own ethics? A dog or cat doesn't have a say in what it eats - it can't go to the supermarket with you and pick out its desired food.

A dog's/cat's digestive system is designed to eat mostly meat. Would you decide to feed your rabbit only on meat? No. Why? Because its digestive system is designed for plant food.

The dogs and cats might seem fine, but it just seems strange to me.

AMETHYST
Click to expand...


i totally agree! you say you are for animal rights :roll: , well it is a cat and dogs right to eat meat, so who are you to take that away from them because you dont agree with it, doesnt sound like animal rights to me!

eve x
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I also agree, a dog's and cat's digestive system is built to digest meat quickly, and they have one stomach designed to do so. Cows, rabbits etc have a much more complex system to digest grass, herbs and other plants. Dogs and cats require a load of protein in their diet and they obtain that from meat, rabbits don't which is why we try to feed them a low protein diet.
The only really good meat alternative for protein is soya, however the majority of dogs (and maybe cats) are allergic to soya and wheat which is why so many of our pets hav skin irritations including itchy feet and some dogs may even rub their faces along the floor, this is not them being goofballs, but because they have itchy skin. Also it has been proved that in large amounts soya is harrmful to us in many whys, so I dread to think what it does to dogs and cats.
They might look healthy on the outside, but I would like to see what damage is done on the inside. Wheat for a start is bad for us, the wheat we eat is grown because it is easy to grow, however it is much more undigestable than the other kind/s we used to eat and therefore it tears at our digestive tract (apparantly).
I the wild dogs and cats kill animals and eat them, they don't have a problem with that, it is only some of us humans that do, and to be perfectly honest I do not see the problem with them eating meat so long as the animals are free range and not kept in horrid small prisons. Tinned dog food is rubbish and I never feed my dog that, instead she gets free range chicken pieces or turkey/beef mince and she has a good shiny coat and her diet is bascially free from wheat and soya. :wink:

I agree that the meat in most pet foods are made from animals living appaling lives, which why free range animals are better. There is no reason to justify making a meat eating animal a vegan, that is unnatuaral and I think we have made their lives unntural enough as it is without mucking around with their diet to the extent that it is nothing like they should be eating. :wink:
 
Dogs can and do live very happily and healthily on a veggie/vegan diet. They can obtain all the nutrients they need from non-meat sources. In fact, the Dogs’ Trust and many vets advocate a veggie diet for dogs with skin problems or digestive upsets. There are some excellent veggie dog foods on the market now, both tinned and crunchy nugget type foods, along with chew-bones, treat biscuits, etc. Some of my friends’ veggie dogs are very elderly now, and they are very healthy (inside and out!) Their diet has not caused them any problems, in fact it has been of benefit to them.

Veggie dog foods are certified nutritionally complete and there are lots of varieties around to choose from. Dogs find these foods very enjoyable – I’m sure they don’t even realise they are veggie, as they are made with a “meaty” texture and flavour. So, if dogs are happy with their food and it’s nutritionally complete, what’s the problem???

Cats are a bit more tricky, as they would normally live exclusively on meat. There is a supplement available from a company called Veggie Pets, which can be added to their food. This contains taurine, along with various other nutrients that cats would normally obtain from meat. Incidentally, most tinned (meat) cat foods are full of so much rubbish, that they have synthetic taurine added to them! Personally, I would be a bit wary of keeping veggie cats, as you have to be so careful to ensure they don’t miss out on anything.

As for the reasons why some vegetarians and vegans do not feed their dogs/cats meat, it’s simply because they do not wish to support the meat industry in any way whatsoever. As I have said before, most vegans do not agree with pet-keeping in principle, but many of us adopt rescue animals because there are so many who need homes. While “pet” animals exist, vegans prefer to take care of them in such a way that causes minimal harm to ALL animals, hence not supporting the meat trade.

Vegans care about ALL animals, not just “pets”. Chickens, pigs, cows, sheep, etc are no less worthy of living! I can never understand why most people see them so differently from their pets and care so very little about them. Vegans see the bigger picture, and try to live their lives causing the least harm possible to other living beings.

Jenny
 
Wabbit said:
Dogs can and do live very happily and healthily on a veggie/vegan diet. They can obtain all the nutrients they need from non-meat sources. In fact, the Dogs’ Trust and many vets advocate a veggie diet for dogs with skin problems or digestive upsets. There are some excellent veggie dog foods on the market now, both tinned and crunchy nugget type foods, along with chew-bones, treat biscuits, etc. Some of my friends’ veggie dogs are very elderly now, and they are very healthy (inside and out!) Their diet has not caused them any problems, in fact it has been of benefit to them.

Veggie dog foods are certified nutritionally complete and there are lots of varieties around to choose from. Dogs find these foods very enjoyable – I’m sure they don’t even realise they are veggie, as they are made with a “meaty” texture and flavour. So, if dogs are happy with their food and it’s nutritionally complete, what’s the problem???

Cats are a bit more tricky, as they would normally live exclusively on meat. There is a supplement available from a company called Veggie Pets, which can be added to their food. This contains taurine, along with various other nutrients that cats would normally obtain from meat. Incidentally, most tinned (meat) cat foods are full of so much rubbish, that they have synthetic taurine added to them! Personally, I would be a bit wary of keeping veggie cats, as you have to be so careful to ensure they don’t miss out on anything.

As for the reasons why some vegetarians and vegans do not feed their dogs/cats meat, it’s simply because they do not wish to support the meat industry in any way whatsoever. As I have said before, most vegans do not agree with pet-keeping in principle, but many of us adopt rescue animals because there are so many who need homes. While “pet” animals exist, vegans prefer to take care of them in such a way that causes minimal harm to ALL animals, hence not supporting the meat trade.

Vegans care about ALL animals, not just “pets”. Chickens, pigs, cows, sheep, etc are no less worthy of living! I can never understand why most people see them so differently from their pets and care so very little about them. Vegans see the bigger picture, and try to live their lives causing the least harm possible to other living beings.

Jenny
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i still dont agree, i think that if you are going to take an animal on in any repect whether you buy from a breeder or give an rescue a home, you should allow the animal to live as naturally as possible, why is it not ok to have an rabbit like in a small hutch but is ok to feed a cat on vegs it sound contradictory to me! i think we uses all these vegan, and animal rights statements to our own means, if your friend were geinuine about animal right plights they would let they animal live as intended!

eve x
 
Wabbit said:
Vegans care about ALL animals, not just “pets”. Chickens, pigs, cows, sheep, etc are no less worthy of living! I can never understand why most people see them so differently from their pets and care so very little about them. Vegans see the bigger picture, and try to live their lives causing the least harm possible to other living beings.

Jenny
Click to expand...

I am sure nobody is saying that 'vegans don't care about some animals' but it sounds like your saying 'if you eat meat then you don't care' which couldn't be more false!!!! just because i eat meat doesn't mean i don't care about they animals!!!! its a way of life, its a way to survive its like saying people who eat Veg don't give a dawn about care about where it came from. :lol:

And as for feeding dogs and cats on a Vegan diet, come on!!! just because i eat meat and drink soft drinks doesn't mean i have to turn round to my pets and say 'right i eat meat so you should NO MORE GREENS FOR YOU' or 'since i drink vodka and coke on a weekend it means you lot will swap your water for the same' :lol: (It would be great to see Sugar after a few of them mind you!!!(Joking)) its unnatural, dogs and cats were made to eat meat if god had wanted them to become veggies i am sure he wouldn't have given them sharp teeth and a digestive system design for meat surely??!?!?!
 
No matter how hard you try animals will be killed, even if every pet and human became vegan, you cannot stop tigers, lions and other wild carnivores from eating meat, they hunt and kill their prey, not for fun, but for life.
If you buy free range meat i don't know what the problem is, I do care for all animals but I have to accept that my dog is a meat eater and by buying free range meat i at least know that the animals were not confined and had a horrible existance as well as being pumped full of hormones and dear knows what!

What do vegan dogs eat? You did not answer that one about how they get enough protein. Cats and dogs were not meant to eat cereals, and you admit yourself that it is tricky with cats so why put those animals in danger? Even if some vegans stop buying meat including for their dogs and cats, the meat trade is not going to stop and there is no way all pet dogs and cats will ever become vegans not everyone is going to agree. So bascially feeding them a vegan diet does not effect how many animals are going to be killed for meat, it is sad but the truth, cats and dogs are carnivores.

This has got very off-topic now! :oops: :cry:
 
So all of you that don't agree with feeding a veggie diet to dogs - as Wabbit said it is not often done for cats as they do actually need the meat - think it is perfectly fine for rabbits to be raised just to feed to dogs?
 
doorkeeper said:
So all of you that don't agree with feeding a veggie diet to dogs - as Wabbit said it is not often done for cats as they do actually need the meat - think it is perfectly fine for rabbits to be raised just to feed to dogs?
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its not about whether we think it is fine, its called THE FOOD CHAIN! its natural as hafjt says do you think the lions in the wild aggree with your way of thinking, do you think they care how cute the buffalo are or how they should not eat them because its cruel, it just nature!

eve x
 
you couldn't possibly make every animal in the world stop eating meat just because we think its cruel or because the animal being eaten is cute!!! its a vicious circle that has been going on since the beginning of time, its something every body should have got used to by now surely?
 
Don't forget... even if you disagree you can still be friendly, keep it nice folks :D

Tam
 
Yes please be nice:!: :!: Else the attack bunnies will be set lose.... and they are raring to go as they have not tasted human flesh for a while now... :shock: :!: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You do all make some excellent points, keep the ideas and thoughts coming folks :D
Best wishes
 
Hmmm this is a difficult one, because I'm a strict vegetarian. I think when you're talking about wild life e.g. lions eating buffalo etc, it's survival of this fittest. What I hate is the meat industry, I think it's the cruellest thing going. whether it be for human or pet consumption. The way in which these animals are treated and farmed is appalling. On the whole I wish eating meat was banned, but I know it would never happen. There is alternative ways to get our daily nutrition, without eating decaying flesh, the amount of hormones and gunk they put into the animals isn't healthy for human consumption anyway. If animals weren't farmed the way they are I wouldn't have such a problem, but I feel that multinationals have taken any health benefits away from food, for a bigger profit margin. I believe this is true of pet food too, the meat in tins has very little benefit for your dog, it's all the really awful stuff that they can't give to humans. I know I wouldn't feed my dog (if I had one) on that rubbish.

My partner is a meat eater, so I'm not lecturing anyone these are just my thoughts.
 
Don't forget that plants are also alive and is it not cruel to cut these down and pull them up??

I remember a case where certain trees would scream when being cut down but the scream was on a different wavelength to humans ears and could only be picked up by computer !! (like a dog whistle)

I eat meat and to be honest couldn't survive without it, it's a shame the way that animals are farmed and i try to buy rangefree meat as much as possible as the things added to meat are not necessary but eating meat is normal and humans have done this since the beginning of time.

I often wish i could live in the cave ages where life was straightforward case of survival and animals where killed only to eat and not for fur/horns etc life was how it was meant to be then.
 
Actually dogs in the wild eat a mostly vegetarian diet as it is very difficult for them to come across fresh meat. :D

Wild dogs adapt to their surroundings so in places where meat is hard to get they eat plants etc. :D

They are not classed as vegetarians as they do eat meat when it is available hence the reason they are carnivores - however it is a complete myth that dogs are solely meat eaters.

It is also quite interesting (well I think so anyway) that if you have a dog with an allergy then you should realy try to feed that dog something that it would not normally come across ie fish hence the reason that some pet food companies now do dishes such as salmon and rice etc. In the old days it was actually the "done" thing to give these dogs lamb or chicken flavour food as at that time very few dogs had tasted these foods.
:D

Provided your dog is being fed correctly according to its weight, age and level of activity then a vegetarian diet should be fine providing you ensure that the diet contains the essential fat, protein and carboydrates that are required. :D

lol Pam
 
OMG I can't believe I'm going to say this, please please, please, don't shout at me. :oops: :oops: :oops:

I personally don't think you can call yourself an animal lover and eat meat. Sorry I don't mean to offend anyone!!!

I think you can call yourself a rabbit lover/dog lover or even pet lover etc, but anyone who is willing to have an animal killed for them, after it's intense suffering down at the meat farm, so it then can be served up as part of a meal is not an animal lover.

Everyone can survive without meat, if you eat it, it's pure greediness (please don't dress it up as anything else) in fact some cancers are brought on by eating meat. I manage just fine without it and I always have, if I had children, I would bring them up to be vegetarian.

I'm so sorry please don't be mad with me or fall out with me it's just my view.
:D
 
linnyloo said:
I often wish i could live in the cave ages where life was straightforward case of survival and animals where killed only to eat and not for fur/horns etc life was how it was meant to be then.
Click to expand...

Killing for meat is just as selfish as killing for fur.
 
Tree said:
OMG I can't believe I'm going to say this, please please, please, don't shout at me. :oops: :oops: :oops:

I personally don't think you can call yourself an animal lover and eat meat. Sorry I don't mean to offend anyone!!!

I think you can call yourself a rabbit lover/dog lover or even pet lover etc, but anyone who is willing to have an animal killed for them, after it's intense suffering down at the meat farm, so it then can be served up as part of a meal is not an animal lover.

Everyone can survive without meat, if you eat it, it's pure greediness (please don't dress it up as anything else) in fact some cancers are brought on by eating meat. I manage just fine without it and I always have, if I had children, I would bring them up to be vegetarian.

I'm so sorry please don't be mad with me or fall out with me it's just my view.
:D
Click to expand...

I agree with this 100% :)

Jenny
 
kimbun's mum said:
Actually dogs in the wild eat a mostly vegetarian diet as it is very difficult for them to come across fresh meat. :D

Wild dogs adapt to their surroundings so in places where meat is hard to get they eat plants etc. :D

They are not classed as vegetarians as they do eat meat when it is available hence the reason they are carnivores - however it is a complete myth that dogs are solely meat eaters.

It is also quite interesting (well I think so anyway) that if you have a dog with an allergy then you should realy try to feed that dog something that it would not normally come across ie fish hence the reason that some pet food companies now do dishes such as salmon and rice etc. In the old days it was actually the "done" thing to give these dogs lamb or chicken flavour food as at that time very few dogs had tasted these foods.
:D

Provided your dog is being fed correctly according to its weight, age and level of activity then a vegetarian diet should be fine providing you ensure that the diet contains the essential fat, protein and carboydrates that are required. :D

lol Pam
Click to expand...

Yes, that's right. Dogs naturally eat a lot of non-meat foods. In fact, they are classed as omnivores, meaning that they can basically eat anything and don't rely on meat to be healthy.

One of my friends has 2 German Shepherds. The oldest one is now 11 years old and has always been fed a veggie diet. He's doing exceptionally well and has no signs of hip problems, etc. The other one is 8 years old and has been veggie since he was adopted 7 years ago. Again, he is in wonderful condition. As well as food such as 'Happidog' nuggets in veggie gravy, 'Yarrah' veggie tinned food and lots of different biscuits/chews, they also get plenty of raw and steamed veggies, which they love. If I had a dog, I would certainly feed hi/her a veggie diet. As I said before though, cats are a different matter.

Of course animals get killed for food in the wild - nothing will change that! The difference is that every animal has a fair chance and is free to try and make their escape from predators. Farmed animals are imprisoned and have miserable lives (even the so-called free-range ones). They have no choice in what happens to them, and they are all slaughtered well before their time.

People not buying meat will eventually cause a decline in the number of animals farmed and slaughtered: if there's not as much demand for it, then there's no point in supplying as much!

It is not natural for animals to be kept as pets, but while they are here and need homes, vegans will try their best to keep them in such a way that does not harm ANY animal!

Jenny
 
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