Can Dog go Veggie Diet?

[victoria]

Recently, I have a debate with a friend on whether dogs are Carnivores or Ominvores. She said her family has been feeding their dog with Veggie diet. This really surprise me because I never heard of Vego Dog. :-\

Read this interesting article. http://www.kopihouse.com/pets/31/are...s-or-omnivores

I don't quite agree to give Dog a Veggie Diet because I just don't understand how can dog live without meat? :-*

[Lara'sYorkies]

I think dogs are oppurtunists, naturally carnivores but will eat anything really. I would not feed mine on a veggie diet because I don't believe that it would be in their best interests. As my dogs are on a raw diet they eat a diet that consists mostly of meat. I think most people would be suprised about how little meat is in most dog foods though.

[claraclogs]

there are vegetarian diets around for dogs and while i have my views on different brands and tyoes of 'normal' food i would never recommend a vegetarian diet for a dog, unless they had such a severe dietary allergy that they were unable to tolerate any meat in their diet at all. dogs are omnivores and i beleve that providing bones etc is part of allowing a dog to express natural behaviour which is avital part of their welfar.
in my opinion to feed a dog a vegetarian diet is for the owners own selfishness.
i am a strict lacto vegetarian, but i have afreeezer just for Callums barf and the ferrets chicks etc.

[smokeybear]

Dogs can and do perfectly well on a vegetarian diet and there are veggie diets out there for dogs.

People get confused with the word carnivore. The dictionary definition is different from the scientific one.

Everything about a dog tells you it is a carnivore, the fact that it is omnivorous does not change this.

For example, cows and sheep have been eating processed foods made up of dead chickens etc, does this make them carnivores?

My horse used to eat a ham sandwich, did not make him an omnivore or a carnivore!

No they are herbivores.

The problem with feeding a vegetarian diet is that dogs require ten essential amino acids they cannot synthesise for themselves so it is necessary to add these.

Most vegetarian diets get round this by including soya however soya is a very unsuitable food for dogs as it is a goitrogen and it is a prime producer of GAS!

[tufti]

I dont feed my dogs veggie diets even though im vegan and that seems to suprise alot of people. Because im responsable for my dogs and need to make decisions for them I believe that i need to provide the best for them. I dont really think that veggie diets can provide the best ingredients and most contain wheat so would be no good for lennys intolerance. Having said that i do know a few dogs that do well on veggie foods so im sure it can work.

[smokeybear]

http://www.veggiepets.com/

years ago, when i was little we had a GSD, that everytime we fed her, she would have diarrhoea or be sick immediately after... She was fed on Pedigree chum, but only because at the time the choice was PC, Pal or winalot...that was it... she was found a new home with a guy who lived out of town and who already had 4 dogs all on a veggie diet... a year later she was back to full health and her coat gleaming.....

These days there is a much better choice of dog food, for the young dog, old dog, working dog, lazy dog, sick dog, allergic dog etc.... but at the time she thrived on fruit and vegetables. Guess things are done differently now.

[rune]

I look after two dog who are fed on wafcol vegetarian diet, they look really well on it.

Personally I wouldn't do it.

Rune