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Vegetarian Diet for Dogs
While some people choose to raise their dogs on a vegetarian diet for ethical reasons there are a number of important factors to consider when making the change over.
It is generally easier to start a puppy on these foods, than it is to change an older dog's eating habits, but some dogs are more than happy to eat meat-free meals, while others may flatly refuse.
Dogs are not strictly carnivores; they are omnivores and can survive on quite a varied diet as long as they get all the essential nutrients they require.
Cats, however are carnivores and cannot survive on a vegetarian diet, it is not only harmful to their health, but I believe it is cruel to deprive them of their natural food source.
To raise dogs on a vegetarian diet does take a bit more time and effort but they are often much healthier than those raised on unbalanced diets.
If you are preparing healthy vegetarian meals for yourself, then you can easily feed many of these same foods to your dog, but remember that onions are toxic to dogs!
We all know that we need to eat a variety of foods to keep healthy, but how many of us actually calculate the exact amount of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc; we eat on a daily or weekly basis? I know I certainly don't, and it is no different for our canine friends either, so don't stress out over exact quantities.
Canines are natural scavengers and will feed on what ever is available to them at the time.
So once you have the basic ground rules, it is not that difficult to prepare healthy meat-free meals for your dog, as long as you are aware of their basic nutritional needs:
Dogs have higher protein requirements than humans, and this protein requirement can be adequately met with legumes and other vegetarian sources. The amount of protein required ranges between 12% - 40%.
Dogs can find starchy foods (grains) difficult to digest, and excessive amounts may cause digestive problems, arthritis, obesity and other degenerative health disorders.
Vegetable fibre must be finely minced or ground for your dog to digest if properly. This means it will need to be minced in a food processor or you may use the pulp from vegetable juices or lightly cook and mash them.
Supplementation is needed to reduce the risk of deficiencies. Two important amino acids that may be lacking in vegetarian diets are taurine and L-carnitine, and a deficiency of these nutrients can cause serious health problems.
Variety is the key to getting a good balance in the diet, and you will be less likely to run into deficiency problems.
Take note of your dog's health & appearance, and if they fail to thrive on a vegetarian diet then consider adding some bones or meat to their diet occasionally.
The most common mistake many vegetarians make when feeding their dogs, is to use predominantly cooked foods and lots of grains. It is extremely important to include plenty of fresh raw foods also. It is a good idea to add a good digestive enzyme supplement to the meal to help overcome digestive problems.
What do you feed a vegetarian dog?
Vegan protein sources:
Legumes such as lentils, beans & chickpeas will need to make the basis of the protein sources for your dog. Soy beans are a good source of protein, but soy foods such as soy milk & tofu do not agree with many dogs, and there are varying opinions on the health benefits of soy foods, so I prefer to avoid them, or use only moderately rather than as a regular addition to the diet.
Other Vegetarian protein sources:
Although I don't usually recommend dairy products for dogs, small amounts can be used as an additional protein source. Select only organic dairy products such as raw goat's milk, natural yoghurt or cottage cheese.
Free-range eggs are a good source of protein and can be fed raw, including the shell if your dog likes them. You should restrict the amount of eggs used and not feed them every day. Three times per week is sufficient.
Carbohydrates:
Vegetables - zucchini, broccoli, celery, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, kale, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, squash, green beans, etc. Vegetables such a pumpkin and cauliflower can be steamed and mashed before serving, while all others may be minced and fed raw.
Brown rice, rolled oats, barley flakes, millet, quinoa, buckwheat. Rice and other grains will also need to be well cooked first. Rolled oats may be soaked overnight in water to soften before feeding. Vets all natural Complete mix food is ideal as a substitute for grains and vegetables in a convenient blend with added extras that is simply soaked in water for 24 hours and mixed with your protein source.
Sprouts and fresh ripe fruits. Fruit must be well ripened and sprouts should be minced in a food processor before using.
Fats:
Essential fatty acids are important and can be found in cold-pressed oils, avocado, coconut, flax seed oil and flaxmeal.
Extras:
Additional high nutrient foods and supplements are recommended to add that extra boost to your dogs diet, to help prevent deficiencies.
Carob powder is a rich source of calcium and other nutrients.
Nutritional yeast is very high in many vitamins and minerals but some dogs may be allergic to yeast.
Tamari is a natural soy sauce, and can be used sparingly to enhance the flavour of veggies until your dog gets used to eating them.
Wheatgerm is a highly nutritious food that contains many vitamins and minerals.
Flaxseed meal is a great source of fatty acids and fibre.
Kelp (seaweed meal) contains a wealth of minerals.
Dolomite is a good source of calcium and magnesium.
Spirulina, green barley and alfalfa are all very rich in chlorophyll and also contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals.
Vegetarian Dog Recipes
2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup cooked pinto beans
1 cup wheatgerm
1 tsp calcium carbonate
3 Tablespoons cold pressed vegetable oil
Fresh minced vegetables with added kelp, alfalfa and zinc
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 ½ cups wheatgerm
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup finely minced greens
1 cup minced carrot
1 tablespoon cold pressed vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon kelp
pinch alfalfa powder
1 ¼ teaspoon calcium carbonate
Mix together all of the above adding enough water to combine and moisten all ingredients.
2 cups rye flakes
1 ½ cups oat flakes
1 cup rinely chopped or steamed greens
½ cup minced carrots or other vegetables
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons cold-pressed vegetable oil
1 teaspoon calcium carbonate
¼ teaspoon kelp powder
Each of the above recipes should serve one medium sized dog for one day (2 meals).
The following supplements may be needed:
Taurine - 13mg per kg of bodyweight
L-carnitine - 25mg / kg bodyweight
Zinc - 20mg for medium sized dog
Calcium carbonate, dolomite or eggshell powder (you can make this yourself using free-range egg shells - allow to dry out, then blend in a food processor until fine)
Vitamin B12 - 100mcg monthly or bi-monthly
Provide hard foods for dogs to chew on - Whole carrots make good chew toys and some dogs love to eat them. Healthy muesli biscuits can be made up for treats also.
Although I have been a vegetarian myself for almost 20 years, my personal philosophy is to allow each species to eat the foods they are designed to thrive on.
In my experience working as an animal naturopath for many years, is that dogs who eat raw bones are healthier in the long-term than those fed on very restricted diets, but this does not mean that there are many exceptions to this rule.
So feed your dog's with healthy food, give lots of love and rest assured that you are helping to significantly reduce the amount of animals killed for pet food each year.
This Web site is intended for Australian residents and is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Information and interactions contained in this Web site are for information purposes only and are not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Further, the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information available on this Web site cannot be guaranteed. Lifestyle Home Services, Its Affiliates or agents do not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage incurred by use of or reliance on the information made available via or through this Website whether arising from negligence or otherwise.
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