Do you think imposing a dog with a vegan diet is animal cruelty?

my old flatmate was telling me about her vegan friends who have a dog which they only fed vegan food to. She was telling me how it was very healthy and blah blah blah, but the more I thought about it the more I felt that it was cruelty. What do you think?Do you think imposing a dog with a vegan diet is animal cruelty?
Yes. Dogs have different nurtitional needs than us. Even some people can't get all the nutrients they need from just a vegan diet.

Dogs need meat to get the nutrients they require to be healthy. They are carnivores and I feel if you can't bring yourself to feed meat to an animal that needs it you'd be better off getting something like a rabbit rather than a dog.Do you think imposing a dog with a vegan diet is animal cruelty?
Yes it is cruel. A look at a dog's physiology, specifically it's digestive tract, is solid proof that dogs evolved to be carnivores. Their digestive tracts are very short, which indicates that the food goes through the body quickly, just like all other carnivores. If you look at an ungulate's physiology (cows, deer, etc) you will see that not only do they have multiple stomachs to aid in digestion, their digestive tract is also very extensive because it is very difficult to get nutrients from vegetation. Dogs are not equipped to extract nutrients from vegetation. If you look at wild carnivores and their eating habits, they do not eat the stomach contents of their prey UNLESS the prey is small and it is unavoidable so they almost never ingest any vegetation.

Example:http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/pictures/2200-raw-feeding-its-finest-caution-graphic-photos.html

If you feed your dog some whole corn you will see the whole kernels in your dog's poop the next day, indicating that it was completely undigested. This is why a dog on a food comprised largely of plant matter while have much larger poop then a dog on a raw diet. The dog cannot process the plant matter so it comes out of the other end, whereas a dog on a species-appropriate diet will be able to use a large majority of the nutrients from the food it has consumed, resulting in less poop.

Dogs are not obligate carnivores like cats and ferrets so they can live on vegan food, but it is most definitely not a species appropriate diet and to impose a diet on a dog is animal cruelty in my eyes.
I find it's something between cruelty and neglect.



It's kind of like making a child's diet consist mainly of BK kids meals and McDonald's happy meals. The child can survive on it, and there may even be a few things in there that are good for them (those apple dippers for example or milk) but they won't thrive on such a meal.



Dogs are opportunistic carnivores. Meaning they'll eat plant matter if nothing else is available, but they're designed to eat meat. You can see that just by looking at how their eyes are positioned on their heads, at the teeth in their mouths, and the fact that they will take a stake over a platter of assorted fruits and vegetables any day.Do you think imposing a dog with a vegan diet is animal cruelty?
Unnatural, probably unhealthful, unwise... not necessarily cruelty, but I surely wouldn't go there.



If one chooses to share ones life with a carnivore, one sort of ethically obligates oneself to care for that carnivore properly. If one cannot or will not feed a carnivorous diet, one might be better off with an herbivorous pet.
Dogs are CARNIVORES

End of discussion.

BTW, "vegans" just crack me up.

It's an impossible life style

http://dudelol.com/DO-NOT-HOTLINK-IMAGES鈥?/a>

Even by dining on machine gathered vegetation, you have supported the deaths of MILLIONS of rodents and other small mammals/lizards/birds that nested and fed in the fields and were caught underneath thousand pound tractors.Do you think imposing a dog with a vegan diet is animal cruelty?
'Animal cruelty' is a tad extreme, but for sure, imposing human beliefs on dogs who NEED to eat meat to continue to be healthy, is unwise and I'd say building up a load of problems in later life, if given to a growing puppy.
Well i suspect that the dog would prefer a non vegan diet. Make sure that the nutritional requirement of your pet comes before an 'ideal' of your own and check with a vet.
Good Luck.
I don't agree with feeding a dog a vegan diet but as long as the dog is getting what it needs nutritionally then I can't complain.
I do think that is it somewhat cruel to feed a dog a vegan diet because dogs need nutrients, proteins, and fats that they can only get from meat.
Well, dog and human digestion systems are not the same. Some of the fruits and veggies she's feeding it may not digest right in the dog. It'll probably come up with health problems later.
YES! Why? Because it is inhumane, or neglectful, to keep your dog unhealthy. Dogs are carnivores.

@Love: That image is great.
I absolutely do.



Yeah... how long had it been fed a vegan diet? How old was it? Bet it dies/died at a young age from organ failure.
I think it is cruel to force a carnivore to eat an inappropriate diet.
Well, if the dog isn't sick or looks under fed or anything, then its fine!

I'd rather them feed dogs REAL food though!
As long as the protein and carbs are balanced correctly, there is no need to think a vegan diet is cruel to a dog. It can work, but only if following the NRC guidelines.
Unlike cats they don't NEED meat do no!