My dog has severe allergies, I am looking to find a high quality dog food that is vegetarian. Any ideas?
2007-01-04 11:03:42 · 11 answers · asked by Ali 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Actually, Natural Balance makes an ultra premium vegetarian dog food. Their non-veg foods are some of the best around, so I'd imagine that their non-meat version would be of similar quality. I'll find a link for you and be right back with it. : )
And to counter all the "Dogs are carnivores" arguments from undereducated people (and I see they are already coming out of the woodwork), dogs are omnivores and NOT obligate carnivores. Proteins come from all kinds of sources, including non-meat or animal sources, and a pre-made vegetarian diet is a fabulous thing for some dogs. The good foods are completely balanced and the dog is in NO danger. Do a little research before you call it 'cruel' - I'd rather feed my dog a high quality veggie diet than crap like Science Diet, ProPlan, Purina One, Iams, or similar garbage.
2007-01-04 11:07:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
iI never even knew there was such a thing as vegetarian dog foods, so I can't offer direct help.
But it seems to me that the doctor who diagnosed the allergies should definitely have offered specific diets as well as any other options that might prove useful.
Maybe type "vegetarian dog food" into some search engines will help. Good luck
2007-01-04 19:09:31 · answer #2 · answered by and_y_knot 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Dogs are carnivores and cannot flourish on a vegetarian diet. The best thing you can try is a non-typical protein source such as venison, rabbit, or egg. These are actually more available than you might think. Nature's Recipe is a pretty good brand. Discuss the food allergies with your vet to make sure there is not another problem going on.
2007-01-04 19:12:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
If your vet has diagnosed the allergies, your vet should be able to recommend the best food for your dog ... whether it is vegetarian or with meat.
2007-01-04 19:14:15 · answer #4 · answered by istitch2 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There is no good vegetarian dog foods..a dog should NOT be fed a vegetarian diet..even dogs with allergies. Get an allergy test done to find out exactly what your dog is allergic to and then seek out a good quality food with a good meat protein source such as rabbit, venison, etc.
****Stalkers, you really need to be more educated..dogs are NOT omnivores...while they don't need as much meat protein as cats they do need meat protein..they are designed to extract proper nutrition from meats not grains/veggies..they do not get adequete nutrition from grains/veggies. If you know anything about canine anatomy & digestive system you will note that the jaws and teeth are designed to rip & tear meats and aren't designed to chew grains/veggies and that they have a shorter digestive tract which is not adequete for processing grains/veggies*******
2007-01-04 21:28:49 · answer #5 · answered by Great Dane Lover 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Check with your vet, allergies may not be from meat or meat by product it may be from the fillers in dog foods. I use to feed my dogs when they had a problem cooked rice ,carrots, and chicken until he was back on his feet. Remember dogs our not built to have strict vegi diet, they will need a good source of protein from meat which also has fat in it which they need as well and can't get from a strict vegi diet.
Yes dogs are omnivores, which means they need alittle bit of everything, but the largest part of there diet should be a good balance WITH meat. If you need proof look at your dogs teeth, they are not like a cows teeth, they are canines made for tearing meat from bone.
2007-01-04 19:11:10 · answer #6 · answered by FC 3 · 2⤊ 3⤋
No vegetarian dog foods are the way to go. Your dog gets protien from the meat. I would go to your local vet and see what they reccomend! Hope this helps! My dog also has severe allergies and he is allergic to chicken you may want to get your dog tested to see what exactly he is allergic to. The vet may also put your dog on monthly allergy shots.
2007-01-04 19:07:03 · answer #7 · answered by SeaGirl 3 · 5⤊ 3⤋
Who advised you to do a vegetarian diet for your dog? Does not sound like a good idea at all. You may want to research BARF (google this) as an alternative as dogs were not meant to be vegetarians.
2007-01-04 20:00:58 · answer #8 · answered by Misa M 6 · 0⤊ 4⤋
you have to know what yor dog is allergic to first. are you just assuming it's meat? most commercial dog food is vegetable. dogs are carvivores. they need meat protein. and there are some diets out there that are venison, rabbit, duck, etc. unless you have had a test done to determine what he is allergic to, don't take it upon yourself to eliminate meat. give more information
2007-01-04 19:27:58 · answer #9 · answered by dog whisperer 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Try a Whole Foods Market...that would be your best bet.
2007-01-04 19:06:04 · answer #10 · answered by Living for today and a good wine 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋