Why people impose their diets on their dogs?

Question

I go insane when vegans say they feed their dog the same diet. Won't the dogs suffer?

Answer 1

Nobody should feed their dogs the same diet as they have.
It has nothing to do with being vegan.

If you eat meat or if you're vegan - your diet, and the dog's diet should be very, very different so you, and the dog can have a healthy life.

I'm vegan. My cats are vegan. We're both very happy and healthy. The cat prefers the vegan dried food to the one that has meat in it (she even preferred it to a can of Tuna!)

No one would sell packaged food unless it is healthy for the cat and authorized by a million veterinarians.

As long as they're getting X, Y, Z in their diet - they're fine.
It doesn't matter if the nutrients come from meat or from fortified vitamins and minerals - as long as they are there.

If you compare between dried kibble foods - the one with "meat" in it has animal hair, claws, faces and other discussing and very unhealthy parts of very sick and old cows or chickens. It's certainly not the food they will eat naturally.

The "meaty" kibble has about 80%-95% vegetable content. they are usually based around wheat or corn. so when the kibble is meat it's only about 5%-15% meat (which is hoofs and feathers anyway).

Feeding your dog or cat a specialized diet isn't imposing anything as long as they like it, and get all of their nutrients from it.

Is it weird? Possibly.
Is it wrong? As long as it doesn't harm the animal why should it matter?

Do they suffer?
Research shows that animals on a fortified vegetable diet live up to 30% longer than animals on normal kibble (see link).

I can say about my cat - she's 15. she's been on the new food and she's more active, energetic and lost those extra pounds.
The vet says she's very healthy for a cat her age, and to keep doing whatever it is that we're doing.

I'm happy, The cat's happy, The vet's happy.

Everybody's happy - what's to go insane about?

Answer 2

HA ha ha I thought the same thing, but you know what? dogs are not strictly carnivores... after 15,000 years of domestication they have been eating our food for a long time... packaged dog food didn't exist 50 years ago and dogs were fed all the table scraps from thier family's dinner and it wasn't always all meat.. as long as the food contains the proper levels of nutrients to keep a dog healthy there is no problem... I can tell you that sometimes vegetarian food is better quality and contains more nutrients than other foods that have meat in them... and it is sometimes safer than foods containing meat that may carry diseases and cause sickness or death because of tainted meat ingredients. On top of that some dogs may develop allergies to many common meat proteins and are unable to eat any foods containing meat, in these cases vegetarian food is better for them and the dog will actually suffer if fed meat products... So really the dog will not suffer from eating vegan food, and the fact is that they will be just fine without meat as long as the food is nutritionally complete. Keep in mind that dogs are designed to eat primarily meat and denying it to them is to say the least ridiculous unless it is due to medical problems. I can however honestly say that dogs also enjoy eating vegetables and shouldn't be denied them either!

PS a better question to ask is why do people impose cooked and processed "dog food" on dogs when they should be feeding them fresh meat and vegetables?? How many dogs do you think would choose processed dog kibble over what thier wolf ancestors eat in the wild?? Shouldn't we provide the types of food a dog would have eaten in the wild??

Answer 3

Dogs can live on a vegan diet although I believe that they are primarily carnivores. They get their variety of veggies by eating the stomach contents of their kills. Dog need raw meat and veggies to be perfectly healthy. What worries me is all the people who believe that they can feed their dogs ONLY dog food. That stuff is junk and I don't ever plan on feeding it exclusively.

Answer 4

even though my husband and i are both vegetarians, we feed our dog meat. we don't even impose our diet on our children, we let them make their own choices. the poor dog can't choose, but if he could, it would be natural for him to eat meat. our vet told us an all veg diet would be detrimental to our dog's health and wellbeing.

i guess some people would rather harm their dog's health by not feeding it what it needs than to harm some other animal whose purpose is to be food that could keep their dog healthy. if no animal should ever die to be food then no other animal's digestive system would have developed so they could eat it. just try to imagine how overpopulated with starving and sick animals the world would be if none ever ate any other. i'd rather not disrupt the balance of nature.

Answer 5

I was a vegetarian for 10 years but I fed my dog meat and regular (well, premium) dog kibble. And people (non-vegs) used to say to me how could I feed my dog meat since I don't eat it? It's a catch 22. My answer was always, I choose not to eat meat, my dog chooses to. I get the impression most vegetarians feed their dogs/cats meat protein because they know it is healthier.

Answer 6

I think people are not concious of what they are really doing to their dogs by not feeding them their proper foods. It doesnt matter how many vegetables u give a dog, if it doesnt have meat and other necessary foods for them, it will have a bad nutrition, Im a vegetarian and soon will be a veterinarian.

Answer 7

Dogs, in the wild and not so wild, will eat the stomach of their kill to get the vegetable content. The cannot properly digest raw vegetables and they will pass them right through. Cooked veges, cos the fibres have been broken up, have a better chance of being digested.

Answer 8

i discover it rather is a few thing between cruelty and overlook. it rather is style of like making a baby's weight-help plan consist specifically of BK young ones nutrition and McDonald's chuffed nutrition. the youngster can stay to tell the story on it, and there is additionally some issues in there that are solid for them (those apple dippers working example or milk) yet they gained't thrive in this way of meal. dogs are opportunistic carnivores. which potential they're going to consume plant count if not the rest is accessible, yet they are designed to consume meat. you are able to discover that by way of potential of gazing how their eyes are placed on their heads, on the tooth of their mouths, and the undeniable fact that they're going to take a stake over a platter of dissimilar culmination and vegetables any day.

Answer 9

Yes, tremedously. They are carnivores, not herbivores. Didn't they show up to science classes?

Answer 10

Er...because people in general are REALLY stupid & TOTALLY ignorant ???

*&*...why do people think that food="love"??? And STUFF their animals to DEATH??

Oh,yeah..same answer.