Can dogs be vegan?
Many people choose to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. The number of people following these diets is growing, either for animal cruelty reasons, environmental reasons, or both.
“People who avoid eating animals tend to share their homes with animal companions, and moral dilemma may arise when they are faced with feeding animal products to their omnivorous dogs and carnivorous cats.” A Study has found that more and more dog owners are looking at vegan diets for their dogs.
Moral dilemmas can arise however when they are faced with feeding their omnivorous (meaning consuming both meat and plants) dogs.
Do you choose to feed your dog a vegan diet too?
Vets and animal naturopaths strongly advise against feeding dogs a vegan diet, stating it amounts to animal cruelty with many asking... Can you consider looking for ‘humanely sourced’ meats?
The dog food industry is filled with many, many companies, some not so good, and some doing great, ethical things.
Doing your research to find out who these companies are and asking the right questions may help you find a middle ground when it comes to continuing to let your dog eat meat. At Beau's Biscuits HQ our dogs are not vegan but we do source our meats ethically and our pup loves to chow down on our vegan biscuits for a yummy snack!
With such strong and well justified belief systems in place however we understand that many vegan dog owners will also follow vegan diets for their pooches.
PETA Australia explains in an article;
“Some people wonder whether it’s “unnatural” not to feed meat to dogs and cats. First, these animals are domestic rather than wild. They’re not “natural” themselves and don’t hunt animals in nature. They eat what humans feed them. Furthermore, typical ingredients in commercial pet food – cooked cows, horses, or parts of cancerous chickens deemed unfit for human consumption – can hardly be considered “natural” sustenance for dogs or cats. So, yes! With the right planning and care, your dog or cat can do well on a vegan diet.”
The key here is the right planning and care. Going on a vegan diet needs to be a carefully thought out alternative with great thought and preparation into what needs to go into your dogs diet.
Do your research and talk to your vet. If you are going to follow a vegan diet for your pup you really must research the topic in great detail.
There are plenty of plant based foods that dogs should NEVER eat, ones us humans love that are toxic to dogs. These are grapes, onion and garlic, chives, leeks, cherries, avocado, rhubarb leaves, unripe tomatoes, too much spinach, nutmeg.
Instead opt for apples, blueberries, carrots, celery, cucumber, green beans, oranges and watermelon. In ‘sometimes’ foods that dogs love like strawberries, bananas, peaches, Rock melon, Brussel sprouts and more.
In addition to dog-friendly whole foods, a vegan dog diet requires careful attention to amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. We really can not stress enough how essential it is to consult with a pet nutritionist to determine the appropriate types and amounts of food and supplements to provide all the necessary nutrients.
How are you going to make sure that proteins derived from animal products like collagen, elastin and keratin (all vital for healthy skin, muscles and joints) are included in your pups diet? These essential nutrients can be difficult to derive from a vegan diet without very careful preparation, research and understanding.
If you are in the process of changing your pup over to a vegan diet keep a very close eye on their health, do you notice skin or digestive issues or any other health problems? If so, always consult your vet.
At Beau’s Biscuits we believe in all natural, ethical food with no nasties. Our mixes have been approved by an animal naturopath.
Our dog biscuit bake mixes are grain free, all natural and made in Australia.
The mixes were developed initially for pups with skin sensitivities and are intended to whip up a bunch of yummy biscuits for your pup to be used as a treat only and not to replace a full and balanced diet. Three of our four biscuit mixes are vegan.
Our vegan mixes are:
While our recipe calls for an egg, vegans can replace this with a chia egg.