Is it possible for a wolf to be a vegitarian? Why or why not?

Question

Can they digest vegetables?

Answer 1

I'm not quite sure about wolfs, but dogs do great on a Vegetarian diet.

Answer 2

No, like dogs (and seeing as they are the same species as a domesticated dog I think it fair to assume they have similar requirements) they are almost completely carnivorous, without the ability to properly digest plants. They'll eat grass to aid digestion, but they get no nutrition from it.
Dogs can just about survive on a vegetarian diet, but they will not thrive or do well, and they invariably do not do as well as those who eat the diet they evolved to eat: meat. They can hardly even digest vegetation, it even has to be cooked before they can eat it, it's just not natural, and impossible in the wild (due to small range of veg and lack of B12, it'd be impossible for a human to be vegan in the wild, much less a dog). I assume it's similar with wolves.

Answer 3

No K-9 dose will on a vegitarian diet. Why would someone be so cruel as to force any animal to eat a diet that their bodies were never met to eat. IN the short term it dose seem they do well on a all veggie diet. There are long term effects that shorten the dogs life. If you want to eat nothing but veggies fine, nature met for all K-9s to eat meat. Pull your heads out of your a $$ and let them eat what they were met to eat.

Answer 4

Wolves predominately prey on hoofed animals including Deer, moose, Bison, Elk, and caribou. Because wolves usually hunt for large animals, (although wolves are opportunistic and will eat smaller prey) they work together to catch their prey. Wolves will eat a healthy, strong animal if they can catch it.

(Wolves need an average of three to ten pounds of meat each day).

Wolves will also eat grass to purge their digestive system when they have eaten something that does not agree with them. Food sources may differ and change depending on the season and geographical area, when large prey animals are scarce wolves will prey on mice, Rabbits and squirrels, these smaller prey do not provide a substantial part of the wolf's diet but supplement it when larger prey are scarce.

Beavers play an important roll as an alternative food source in the summer months, in some areas 60% of the wolf's diet is beaver.


One of the most odd part of the diet of wolves is fish! Biologist Bod Bromley once observed a wolf in Canada's Northwest Territories catch five fish in fifteen minutes in the Talston River.

Wolves will also scavenge, In one study of moose carcasses in Algonquin Park, of 30 moose only 4 were killed by wolves, the rest died of natural causes.

Wolves will also eat wild berries and other fruit as a minor part of their diet.

Answer 5

They could probably digest vegetables, if they came across someone cultivating them for him in the wild... and picked and husked them for him..... You can't expect a wolf to husk corn or shell peas! Wild animals very often eat fruit like blueberries and blackberries right off the bushes.

c'mon, wolves are carnivores. Made to be that way.

Answer 6

Yes, to a limited extent they can digest vegetables, but not very efficiently. It also makes them cranky.

Their teeth, esophagus, digestive juices... in short, their whole "machine" is built to catch, or find (wolves are scavengers, too!) animals and eat them.

Best wishes!

Answer 7

I belive the definition of veganism is NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS. PERIOD. So technically humans could not breast feed without violating this principle. Congrats! You found a loophole.

The main thing this proves is human beings cannot fall into clearly defined categories. Are beliefs are shades of grey, and not black and white. So respect others' opinions. You do not have to agree with them, though.

Answer 8

I think not because it is in his nature to be a met eater. If a wolf would be a vegetarian then the nature balance would be no balance.

Answer 9

Yes, it is possible.

Of course they have evolved to be predators and naturally eat meat, but as your question suggests, it doesn't mean they're incapable of being vegetarian.

Cows don't naturally eat corn but in corporate farms that is about all they eat. Corn, hormones, and antibiotocs. Read the book "The Carnivores Dilemma" by Michael Pollan for more in depth information on this. It's actually a very interesting read.

If you want to know more about the natural diet of a wolf read the text that quatt47 copied and pasted from this site: http://www.orgsites.com/fl/wolves/_pgg4.php3

Many human vegetarians eat a lot of processed vegetables in the form of TVP (textured vegetable protein), tofu, sieten, mycoprotein and the like... These products allow one to easily get the protein that many non-vegetarians are always asking about as they are easily accessible in further processed goods such as fake chik'n patties and veggie burgers. Of course, you can also eat lentils, beans and other direct items to meet your protein needs as well... If humans (omnivores) can do it seems pretty feasible for any other animal to do the same if a human provider is well educated on a wolfs dietary needs and carefully chooses the wolfs food.

You could also argue that the flesh of an herbivore is nothing more than processed vegetables (well, plant matter). Herbivores have just evolved digestive systems to do it more efficiently than wolves and other carnivorous animals.

Answer 10

Little Red Riding hood was not made of tofu. Wolf's teeth need a little blood or they decay and fall out.