A question for vegetarians and having a pet?

Question

so i was wondering this the other day, right most vegetarians will like themselves bring their kids up as vegetarians (im not saying all of u but im sure some of u), totally against the slaughtering of animals and i would love to hate meat myself to become one but i like it too much, anyway if u own a dog what do u feed it, do u give it the tins of canned meat or feed it some veg and potatoes. dogs need a diet that consists of meat and its important for part of their diet so do u deprieve the dog to mett your principals or go against everything u believe in. just incase anybody says u feed your pet dry food, yes im afraid traces of meat in that also. is their vegetarian dog food for dogs ....just something i was thinking about and wanted to know

just to add i give my dog the best of both worlds, meat in the day, veg and rice at night and as for everything else i know they can probably live without meat buts its about the choices we make for pets, and dogs are caniverious, they do need meat and i couldnt give a sh*t about what anyone else says, im not talking about greasing it up, just its part of their diet and lifestyle and instinct. so back to the question do u make that lifestyle for your dog because u believe in it or give the pet what is needed in its animal instict, it is after all part of that animals right to be able to eat what is in its instinct to eat. imagine starving a cow and giving it a steak, i can bet it would eat it then. of course the dog would eat what u feed it, why do people keep missing the question, either u do or dont and are a vegetarian and live that lifestyle or not, another question...do u think its right for vegans to have carnivoir pets then

Answer 1

I believe there are vegitarian dog foods. You are also very right that even dry food has animals parts in it. I worked many years at a meat market that also butchered. A truck came very week from the food place. Beef goes in the dog food. Pork does not. The scraps and things not used in the market. So people dont nibble on a piece of pet food!!! Its guts and all they mix in!!!

There are different types of vegitarians, some who eat animal products IF an animal isnt killed to get it. Such as cheese, milk, eggs etc. Other vegitarians don't eat any animal product. Nor purchase items made with one.

I think its a very interesting question you bring up. Many vegitarians and animal activist I bet feed their pets the best of the best of dog foods, the tastier types, which I would assume means animal product, in which the animal looses its life to give. I wonder if in fact this is true and I suspect it is how they justify taking it from a fellow person, yet turn around and hand it to their pets....... Hmm, wonder what kind of trouble this topic would start if Ted Nugent got wind of it....

Note* Raw vegetables are very healthy for your pet in place of bones and such. They like crunching on things like celery and carrots. Its good for them too. Pork is very bad for them and can kill your pet. It is not put into dog food.

Answer 2

Dogs are definitely NOT carnivores... do people even now what this term means? They also eat fruit and vegetables and are therefore omnivores, just like humans and like humans, they can thrive on a veg diet. Sure in the wild they wouldn't survive solely on fruit and veg but with the new veggie dog foods that are on the market they can get all the nutrients they need without meat. It may not seem 'natural' to most people but lets face it, dogs are a huge step away from their wild ancestors.

It's laughable when people say you shouldn't control their diet... we control everything else! We train them, tell them when they can go outside and we dictate what they eat already... maybe they'd prefere dry food to the tinned food you're feeding it.

Dogs can thrive on veggie dog food and probably won't even notice the difference if they're already fed on dry food. They've been scientifically created to possess all the right nutrients. A family friend of mine has had dozens of rescue animals... they were all fed a veggie diet and lived until an old age. Those that condemn a veggie pet food should go and do their research.

And for those vegetarians and vegans who say that their pets should eat meat because it's 'natural'... well the same could and is constantly said about humans. Luckily we've done our research about our diet so the same should be done for your pets rather than just going with the status quo.

Answer 3

I am a vegetarian and I have 2 cats. They do have vegetarian food for cats and dogs but I feed mine dry cat food. I like the fact that they offer vegetarian options but not sure if it is a good idea after all, these are cats and dogs and it's just natural for them to eat meat. However, with all the pet food recalls in the past year it may be a very good idea to get them on a vegetarian diet. We've been lucky so far with the pet food we've been buying, I just hope are luck doesn't run out.

Answer 4

yes, there is vegetarian food for dogs...Paul MacCartney, apparently, uses it for his pets. Most people I know with dogs, though, either could not afford this option or consider it inappropriate. I believe dogs (and cats) are obligate carnivores) so they have to eat meat or else will die.
I would say that if the meat industry (ie animals being mass reared & slaughtered for human consumption) were squashed, this would leave a large surplus of animals. In a utopian society, there would be enough animals for pets to be fed from the meat of naturally deceased animals. This sort of thing goes on in some societies where animals are highly revered. There are also way too many cats and gos born unnaturally each year as the pet industry produces them like a conveyor belt industry. So ina perfect world, with fewer mouths to feed, food could be obtained naturally, once animals had died.

In terms of where and how do I choose what to buy for my cat, I suppose we all have our limits and our opinions, but (and you may consider this hypocritical) I tend to forget that it is meat, and buy it anyway, because I know that I am not supporting the meat-for-humans industry (the bulk part) and as I have suggested, if it were up to me it would be different. There are certain kinds of meat I will still not buy on principle (veal, for instance, cannot be humanely produced) and I try to stay within certain "ethical" boundaries.

Very little in life is black and white, and although you suggest veggie pet owners risk ''going against everything you believe in,'' that is not strictly true: by compromising, they are helping at least one animal (the pet) and by being a vegetarian or vegan they are already doing their bit to quosh the meat industry. Leaving animals to catch their food in the wild often proves a more bloody, and less healthy, approach.

Answer 5

There are several brands of vegetarian dog food & if we were to adopt a dog, we'd probably try various flavors until we found one the dog enjoys. I've met people with vegetarian dogs so I know that it's possible to have a healthy, happy dog who doesn't eat meat-- none of these ppl are so stubborn that they would keep feeding their dogs something that was neither healthy not enjoyable.
Our companion rats & other "pocket pets" eat veggie dog food & biscuits as part of their regular diet & this works for them. They *love* the peanut-butter flavored biscuits.
I was a cat-lover before I became vegetarian & after a lot of research & contemplation I realized that I'd either have to keep using meat-based cat food or give up living with these endearing creatures. We give our cats organic, chicken-based food because it is very difficult if not impossible to keep a cat healthy & happy without meat. Unlike humans, cats need taurine & other nutrients that are very difficult to get in vegetarian foods. We also shared our home with a ferret for several years & she needed to have meat too.
Being vegetarian or vegan is healthy & fairly uncomplicated for humans & many other creatures, but not *all* creatures.

Answer 6

I'm not exactly a vegetarian -- I eat some seafood -- but I go by the following rule: if I couldn't kill it personally, I won't eat it. And I expect everyone else to follow the same standard, even given the abstraction of the grocery store. There's no way I could kill a mammal or a bird, but I have no problem fishing as long as the fish is kept and the meat's eaten (otherwise it seems cruel and pointless). If someone else hunts deer for their food, that seems natural enough. If a cat would hunt birds for its food, that's natural as well. Meat-eating is part of life. I choose not to partake of most species, but carnivorous animals do not and cannot make that choice.

Answer 7

I have a 9 year old cat who is on Prescription food. If he eats any other food, he gets nitrogen blockages in his urethra and cannot pee. He strains so hard that he begins to drop blood. Twice he has been hospitalized and they had to drain his bladder with a catheter.

Yes there's meat in the food, but I'm thankful he's ALIVE at all. I'll feed him whatever the vet tells me to. I'd consider feeding him a small child if the vet said it would help (Joking!)

My decision to be vegetarian is more about my health than anything else since I have a long family history of heart disease. The fact that animals are not being slaughtered for my consumption is more than just a bonus though; it's another huge incentive.

Answer 8

Check out this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Obligate-Carnivore-Really-Means-Vegan/dp/0974218006/sr=8-1/qid=1161560106/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1592993-6616959?ie=UTF8

In case the link doesn't work, the book is called: Obligate Carnivore: Cats, Dogs, and What it Really Means to be Vegan. It discusses what is really in cat or dog food and whether or not they need actual meat.

I believe that people and domestic animals (cats & dogs) don't need to eat actual meat; what they need is protein. Protein is found in many things besides meat: nuts, seeds, soy products, eggs & dairy (if you swing that way), etc. I, however, have never made the effort to feed my animals vegetarian diets, mainly because it is an effort. I've never seen commercial vegetarian pet food (there probably is some...) so the only way I'd know how to do it would be to make the food at home...and that would take much too much time for me. :)

But maybe I'll start looking for a commercial vegetarian option...

Answer 9

They do make non-meat dog foods, they are usually much more expensive. I will add that liking meat doesn't seem like a sufficient reason for you to contribute to the meat industry which not only causes billions of animals a year to suffer the cruelest of fates, but is also the most un-environmnetally friendly thing on the planet. If you watch meet your meat, a video on goveg.com you will not eat meat anymore.

Answer 10

I am a vegan and i dont have a dog but i do have a cat. You can buy vegetarian and i think vegan food for pets but i personally feed my cat with the meat based food as i think it is unfair on the pet to not have all of the nutritcian they need.