Reasons Not To Feed Your Dog A Vegan Diet
Can Your Dog Be Vegan
Even if they can, should they be?
Vegan Dogs
Surprisingly, I get this question pretty often. Usually, it’s from someone who has begun a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle for themselves or their family. They believe there is some moral justification to eliminate meats from the diet to save the planet.
Listen, I know that there are some horrible treatment issues for the livestock on our planet. How they a treated from birth to processing. There are many things our food industries could do better if they were willing to forgo some profits & consumers pushed for better results & quality and fewer discounts.
But forcing your dog into a diet that is not biologically appropriate for them is not the way to push your cause.
Dogs Are Carnivores
Many will argue that your dog is designed to be a carnivore. There are some die-hard raw feeders who believe that just because your dog “can” eat fruit and veg that it doesn’t mean they should have any at all. Ever.
We fall somewhere a little less intense. We know that there can be a benefit to nutrition, wellness, and recovery by including some fruits and veg in the dog’s diet. Getting phytonutrients, antioxidants, and fiber in your dog’s diet through plant matter is a good thing. But it should be only around 10-15% of their total intake of food — and NOT their source of protein, fats, omega 3, etc.
Dogs May Be Omnivores
They can eat meat and some plant products are digestible. But getting the balance of essential nutrients, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, macronutrients, etc is quite different in a diet consistent of only plant matter for your dog.
Yes, I know you can get protein from plant matter. But all protein is not created equal.
Yes, You can get calcium or omega and other nutrients from plant matter. But again — not the same.
IT IS NOT THE SAME. Louder for those in the back.
Biologically Appropriate Diet For Dogs
Meat. Fresh, raw (or gently cooked) meat. Varieties of meats. Complete with fats, bones, ligaments, tissues, organs, and sometimes fur and feathers.
Your dog needs animal protein, fats, organs, offal, and all the other nutrients that can only come from animal sources. They are built to eat meat. Look at their teeth! Just because YOU eat veggies doesn’t mean your dog should. Just because your dog can tolerate some plant matter does not mean it should be the only ingredient in their diet.
Reasons for Your Dog NOT To Be Vegan or Vegetarian
High-fiber diets may create issues with the digestibility of foods.
Vitamin Deficiencies may be more likely. Specifically, Vitamin B and Vitamin D
Protein deficiencies may be present.
Amino Acid profiles will be altered in plant-based diets vs meat-based.
Essential Fatty Acids that meat provides your dog are not the same in plant-matter as they are in meat sources.
Illness is a significant risk.
Legumes (beans) have been linked to the possibility of causing an inability for the body to create and convert amino acids into Taurine — and critically important amino acid for heart health.
Starch-digesting enzymes will be deficient in a plant-based diet.
Supplementation will be required to meet appropriate nutritional needs.