Vegan/Vegetarian pet food

I struggle with this one too. My dog is being fed a vegan diet but I can't help but think in the wild they would eat animals and the vegetables inside those animals.

However the debate lies with the fact that our pets are not in the wild, they are domesticated and are surviving purely through their owners care, food, water and shelter and do not need to hunt for their food as it is provided in a bowl.

So my belief is as long as the dog is receiving a nutritionally balanced diet and is healthy then there is no harm done.

I ask myself this question a lot.   My dogs are fed super premium organic jerky or organic dry food.  However, I will be purchasing Vegan Pet to try them on.  I have very small dogs & they're very fussy - they would rather starve than eat something they don't like.  They also have very tiny jaws & tiny, tiny teeth so I have to be careful to buy the correct dry food for them so it cleans their teeth e.g. they're able to actually bite through the kibble.

I also make their own meals with organic or free range meat purchased from a reputable butcher, which I mix with vegies, pasta, rice &/or pearl barley.  I don't believe my pets should be fed the same meal everyday as in the wild dogs are omnivores, with a varied daily diet & I absolutely flat out refuse to feed them the same kibble day in day out.  I like to give them variety in their kibble, along with variety in the homemade meals.

This is why I begin to feel that Vegans are persecuting themselves at large..
Needing to focus that passion for animals directly to affection and a caring role...
Takes away I think from taking up global impact outlets... like you nullify all qualms by having a pet but cause an internal quarrel that simply replaces a greater resolution.

I've often considered this, too. I would love to buy vegan pet food, but to buy vegan pet food is pretty expensive, and you can only get it online, so it's also inconvenient.

I feed my dog Advance Puppy kibble twice a day, with some Chum dog meat mixed into the second meal. I'm not going to make any of my animals go vegan, because at the moment, it's very impractical. But maybe one day...

Does anyone know about pigs' ears for dogs? Obviously they come from pigs, but are they just a by-product? I can't find veggie pigs' ears, and I want to get them for my dog. But if a pig is going to be killed simply because I created a demand for pigs' ears, I'd rather go without them.

Just thought you should know kibble doesn't clean teeth at all, it is a marketing technique. Just like eating chips wouldn't clean our teeth. Bones are meant to be best at cleaning teeth, the vegan option is a carrot once a week. Also, brushing their teeth is great, though most dogs need time to get use to it, and using a nice flavor on the tooth brush (they sell dog toothpaste for flavor, I'm sure peanut butter would work well though.

As for vegan dog food? I feed my dogs meat. And I have had them on premade raw food, but I think now I have time I will go back to making raw food, using meat that was raised as good as possible, and lots of waste products that humans don't eat, chicken necks, frames, giblets etc. But will add plenty of veggies, and may buy a bag of vegan dog kibble to use as treats when clicker training.
Dogs are carnivorous, carnivore teeth, intestines, and in the wild only eat a small amount of plant food in the stomach of their prey. It's healthier for them to live on a meat based diet just like it's healthier to live on a plant based diet if you are human.
Just me personally though. If you don't want a pet that eats meat, get a rabbit, or some guinea pigs or something ( adopted of course ). That doesn't apply to people who had their pets before going veg though, and I don't judge anyone on what they feed their dogs

.I dont think meat is healthier for them...well not mine anyway - my dog got cancer at age 8 - his diet was crappy bagged foods and raw bones and those canned foods.
I switched him to a vegan diet and our vet said it was a miracle... the lump just dissapeared.

I don't see the point in one being vegan and then saying its ok to feed meat to animals, you either believe its wrong to kill animals or you dont.

But...  then... your dog is chasing birds all day.. and isn't looking for a cuddle.
Also directly influencing the death of an animal is different than utilizing by-products to feed an animal, if Vegan food for pets is healthy than sure i'd not advocate anything else. The argument is mostly "THEY ARE DOGS!!!" .. and this is what they eat. If that isn't the case i'd be happy.

I mean if you're against killing animals then.. you wouldn't get a cat, unless you plan on keeping it locked in a house its' whole life. People who look after big cats and predators would have a problem also being 'Vegan'.

It wouldn't be unlikely that some part of everything we use, in this society has directly caused the death of a creature or two. It is about limiting this by choosing to support people really, who are trust worthy to the cause of non-harming ideologies and practices.

My parents feed the dog meat....

Usually left overs from their meals... I am quite capable of NOT letting this happen.. But am I just as guilty for NOT getting some crap job selling the stuff to have enough money to buy vegan dog food and take control of ownership responsibilities for One Dog, assuming Vet bills and other comforts.

If you aren't changing every aspect of life to suit a tree based society.. riding a bike and utilizing nothing of this social structure.. then I think maybe the problem is having a pet to begin with, not what to feed it, if you are trying to make the initial transition to Vegan.

Then when you can support your self this way and are self sustainable, sure.. if you have acres... get some pets, let them roam free in these limits and/or, have the money to support an all out Vegan diet for animal and human alike even if neglecting the global lifestyle which is to change things outside your own instance.

It seems people are only accounting for their own life "because I exist I want a positive impact *uses only Vegan products".. how is this making up for the billions of other people, I don't know.. just taking yourself and immediate copes out of the equation.

Having a pet is a huge responsibility and I guess it comes with a life time reward even if just with memories of the experience... I can see it taking up all the free energy from a typical working suburban life.. I guess unless you make your work the cause and owning a pet the downtime.

My cat snow eat's veggies and he doesn't mind it at all. My other cat on the other hand is so fussy and wot eat anything unless it died for him.
Anyway I haven't switched them to a veg diet cause I feel like it would be cruel.
I only ever give them left-overs though, because I feel like if a cow died to make that meal and half of him gets thrown out then it just makes me all the sadder.

So maybe thats what you need to do? If you live with carnivores or work in food, its an alternative.

Our beautiful little stuffy girl Trudi is Vegan. She is the BEST!!! Ha ha, but I am sure we think our beautiful pets are the best.

We rescued her when she was 6 months old, and is now 3 and a half. She has been Vegan the whole time we have had her. And has the most beautiful nature.

My brother also got a stuffy around the same time, and same age. Anyways, she is a meat eater and you can tell the difference between the two.
Trudi is so soft and beautiful, always has beautiful fur and just loves everyone. The other one is very temperamental and always tries to run away.

If anyone has a little puppy and want them to be veg we have a doggie cookbook. It is totally free and can download here - http://www.veganera.com/Resources.htm

Honestly, our little Trudi just loves not eating meat. She has actually seen a bone on the street before and turned her head up and waled away...ha ha, little princess.