IS IT possible to keep ur dog on a VEGETARIAN diet???

Question

I am planning on buying a labrador , can they survive on a vegetarian diet??Though i will give pedigree and other supplements along with the food.

Answer 1

It is possible, but you would be doing your dog no good. Nature created dog as a carnivor, that means that his metabolism is geared to assimilate nutrients from meat to regenerate his own body, and for keeping it fit and healthy. Vegeterianism is for people. I am a vegetarian, but even I must eat occasionally fish, else I get depleted of certain nutrients. Over the counter supplements are not enough.

If the idea of handling meat is too off-putting for you, please do not get a dog. I have not yet seen a dog kept on a vegetarian diet with a good coat and without arthritis, by the time they are 5. I feed my dogs meat twice a day, and whilst I feel sorry for the other smaller animals that lost their lives to feed dogs, my spiritual understanding helps me knowing that an animal's Soul can move on to other, higher forms of life, and that no creature dies at the wrong time.

I do not know whether you find this helpful, but I wish you and your prospective dog all the best.

Answer 2

I'm sure that you could keep it alive.Why would you want to.Dogs are naturally carnivores.The dog won't get nearly enough protein or many other nutrients it needs.Vegetable proteins are of the lowest quality available.
The dog will almost definitely be in a perpetual state of flatulence.Being a vegetarian isn't even healthy for people.Every vegetarian I've ever known is a weakling and looks like walking death.Bad idea.When's the last time your dog couldn't stay away from you vegetable garden?You give any dog the choice between a steak and a bowl of beans.See where that dog goes.Dogs don't eat vegetables in the wild for a reason.

Answer 3

NO! Dogs are carnivores not herbivores. THEY EAT MEAT!!!You may think that your dog is doing well and is healthy but when it starts to have health problems and dies an early death it will be to late to fix your mistake. But don't take anyone on here's word for it, do some research yourself and make an educated decision!

And I would like to know what the veterinarian above thinks that wild dogs eat and also domesticated dogs ate before commerical dog food hit North America in the 50's if it wasn't and still isn't RAW MEAT and BONES with their vegetarian component coming from the stomach contents of those animals they ate? Hhhhmmmmm

Answer 4

That's just as bad as feeding ground up beef parts to a cow. Dogs are carnivores and they absolutely love meat. I've never seen my dogs happier than when they get those small pieces of bacon on a Sunday morning. If I held out a piece of lettuce instead of bacon my dogs would spite me.

I agree with others...that dog would be miserable. Humans can make their own decisions about what they eat but dogs are forced to eat what's provided. In my opinion not giving a dog meat is borderline cruelty to animals.

But I would like to know how to keep my dogs from eating my fig tree leaves.

Answer 5

Check with your vet. I saw a program where several cats went blind because they were fed strictly vegetarian diets. Don't know about the same issue with dogs, but I would surely check on it.

Have fun with your new doggy!

Answer 6

Pedigree is not a vegetarian diet....it contains meat. (It's not a good quality diet, however.)

If God (or if you prefer, Nature) had intended for dogs to eat vegetarian diets, he/she/it would have given them the dentition and digestive tracts they'd need to process it. Dogs have canine teeth, carnassial teeth, and digestive tracts NOT designed to handle much vegetation, however. They are, by design, omnivores....primarily meat-eaters, with a little bit of vegetation. If they were supposed to eat vegetarian, they'd have intestinal tracts like cows, horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc, etc, etc......which all have very developed cecums for the fermentation and digestion of vegetative matter, and they can't handle meat. A dog's cecum is vestigial. (Same thing is true for humans, too...although we are more omnivorous than canines.) If you choose to go against nature for yourself...that's your choice. You shouldn't force your own personal choices on your pets, however. That's just part of the responsibility that comes with having them. If it bothers you, I'd recommend you get a vegetarian-by-natural-design pet instead.

You should feed your dog a good quality meat-based, nutritionally balanced canine diet dry kibble designed for your pet's stage in life/special breed requirements....your DVM is the best person to help you there. (Avoid the raw/BARF diets and any type of "people" food for totally other reasons...those people are entirely misguided, and took a tiny bit of information and twisted it all around until it no longer has any basis in reality.) We know which foods tend to keep dogs the healthiest, versus which ones seem to be a common thread in our patients who have the most chronic medical problems.. (Note: If it says it supports ''all" stages of canine life...FIND A BETTER FOOD.)

Feeding dogs a vegetarian diet goes against nature (makes as little sense as forcing a rabbit to eat chicken or steak, or forcing a rat snake to eat a salad), and will do your dog a huge disservice.....causing many medical problems (you may not see them right away, but they'll be there) and a shortened lifespan.

*Edit* To Bianca, see my previous post on the subject:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiwECHXaI3UljYTrVBlkhRnsy6IX?qid=20060923200742AAtxyBM
They certainly *didn't* eat the way BARF advocates postulate. Like I said, someone took a tiny bit of truth and twisted it all out of whack. Wild dogs never took down and ate cows or boars in the wild. They didn't eat raw eggs. None of that is part of their 'natural' diet. The majority of the vegetable matter they got was already partially digested by their prey. Do you eat the vegetables you plan to feed your dogs and regurgitate them an hour later for your dogs?? Hmmmm? Unless you are killing and feeding a wide variety of whole prey, you are NOT even coming close to approximating what dogs ate in the wild. And wild dogs had a very short lifespan compared to domesticated dogs who eat an appropriately balanced, parasite-free commercial diet nowadays. But you don't have to believe me. Start working for any veterinary hospital that sees 35-50 patients a day, and you'll quickly change your tune when you that does to the bloodwork and internal organs (as visualized on necropsy) to dogs fed your way. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. Dogs that eat BARF have much more medical problems. That's not an opinion...it's a fact. *shrug*

Answer 7

Why would you? If you look at all the dog food products, they usually have meat in them. They must need it for better nutrition. So, yes, you could probably keep him on a vege diet, but why have a measly, malnourished pet when you can give him muscle and strength?

Answer 8

I have read a little about this, and some people claim it can be done, but a dog is supposed to have meat, and many problems tend to develop when you feed a dog a vegan diet. They are carnivores, designed to eat meat to be healthy.

Answer 9

The longest living dog recorded by Guinness, was a border collie in UK, who was raised entirely on a vegetarian diet! she only died last year, at the age of 27 years old..WOW! she was raised for her whole life on lentils, mixed with garden vegetables...
sure shoots all of our 'expert' advice on canine diet all to heck!

the oldest dog now living, at 27, is a Queensland heeler, in Australia, fed only on Kangaroo and Emu...go figure...lol

Here is a good site> http://www.helpinganimals.com/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=34

Answer 10

God gave dogs those teeth for a reason,to eat meat.Just as he gave us teeth to eat fruits veggies and MEAT. Dogs need the high protein that meat provides. to me vegitarian in native american for bad hunter.
in response to the girl that made the fatty dog comment .if you walk and execize them they wont get fat now will they.