Is it okay to feed your dog a vegan diet?

i have a dog, but i wont feed it a vegan diet it is just not natural. i mean the dog food does come with a few vegetables in it but im ok with that.

but is it even particularly healthy for a dog to be given a vegan diet?Is it okay to feed your dog a vegan diet?
Do dogs in the wild eat vegan diets? No. Dogs are carnivores and that means they need meat in their diets to be healthy. Anyone who feeds their dogs vegan is completely and utterly clueless about how to care for a dog.Is it okay to feed your dog a vegan diet?
Really, a vegan diet is not OK for a dog. MAYBE if you're a nutrition expert and can be certain that your dog is getting his essential nutrients, but he will never do as well on a vegan diet as on a meat-based diet (as is natural for him). It's definitely not healthier for a dog to eat vegan, just as it's not for many humans. Have you ever noticed how vegans are the most pasty, frail, sickly looking people you have ever seen? Vegetarian would be better for the dog than vegan, though not by much-they need meat.
NO - dogs need meat. Even the dry supermarkets sell doesn't have enough meat, it's too much corn meal.



Your dog needs a decent dry kibble with meat listed as the first ingredient.



Dogs milk is mother's milk specially formulated for the pups --- cow's milk is for calves. Most dogs are lactose intolerant once they are weaned and will getty horrible diarrhea - or worse - if given any quantity of milk.



Please - you seem terribly ignorant of what a dog needs - do some real research and don't experiment with vegan diets for your poor dog - and don't give him cow's milk.Is it okay to feed your dog a vegan diet?
Dogs need protein (meat) and vegetables. Just make sure its dry dog food, they need it to keep their teeth, and gums healthy, it's also good for their digestive system. It's okay to mix a little can dog food in he dry, or for a special treat a cooked egg mixed in the dry dog food, it makes their coat healthy and shining. Just make sure the dog ALWAYS has fresh clean water avaiable all the time !!!
some people do that, but i do not suggest it.

Dogs eat MEAT in the wild. it is strange enough that we feed them processed kibble, not to mention that there are vegetables in it! they need the vitamins and proteins in meats, and dog food has been formulated to balance all of the nutrients into one convenient food.

dogs will not get all of the same vitamins that they need in vegetables and fruits, not to mention that it will probably make his stomach unhappy.Is it okay to feed your dog a vegan diet?
wrestler 125, dogs are lactose intolerant. You are not supposed to feed them milk after they wean - but if you insist, you can get away with lactose free milk.



That said, dogs are, like their wild brethren wolves, are carnivores.



http://www.thewholedog.org/artcarnivores鈥?/a>



http://www.bio-medicine.org/biology-defi鈥?/a>



Just so happens I eat a mostly vegan diet myself - but I sure don't force it on my 5 dogs, who are all fed a raw whole prey model diet.



Regards,

Pam



And if you want more raw links, or links as to dogs being carnivores, I'm more than happy to supply them.
I could never be persuaded that a vegan diet is healthy for a carnivore. I don't even believe in giving vegetables with meat as I have studied what dogs can and can't extract from vegetables and how they affect them gaining the correct nutrition from meat.



So no. never.
Dogs are carnivorous animals and should be fed accordingly. Just look at their teeth. If they were meant to live on vegetation than they would have the flat grinding teeth of a cow.



Dog dentition:



http://nutrition.advancepetfoods.com.au/鈥?/a>



Cow dentition:



http://www.fallingpixel.com/products/567鈥?/a>



Adding veggies, in my opinion, is fine as long as it isn't the main source of nutrition. We give our dog carrot sticks from time to time and he gets canned pumpkin in his meals for anal gland management. I have heard there are some good uses for green beans as well.
Haaris...have you actually ever owned a dog before? Do you know what happens when you give them milk? Go figure it out and rephrase your answer....i swear the ignorance on here is unbelievable at times.



EDIT: They get dogs milk, how could you not know the difference? That's shocking. Go find out what happens when they drink cows milk.
No. The closes thing to a diet for a dog is to slow the feeding give him/her less and give him a diet food. Dogs are predators not prey.
NO. Dogs cannot thrive on a non meat diet. To impose our human beliefs on a dogs is wrong and stupid! If people dont want to feed their dog or cat meat..then they shouldnt have one! Get a bird! those dont eat meat!
No. Dogs are CARNIVORES!! Yes, many people believe dogs are omnivores, but they are not. They are biologically carnivores. They do not contain the proper enzymes to process and digest vegetation.
Dogs eat meat--plain and simple.



as far as the milk??? The mothers milk is different from pasteurized milk from a cow. Milk is not good for dogs unless you want to clean up diarrhea
What a silly question?

Dogs love milk, meat, etc.

What do you suggest for protein? Nuts?!

x
Is it ok to give hamburgers to cows?



Dogs are carnivores...meat should be a major source of their diet...so I dont think its ok
dogs are mostly carnivores, so it probably wouldn't be good to switch to a full vegan diet.
What do wild dogs eat? Vegetables? No.
nope
No, it is not okay. A vegetarian diet is bad enough. An animal on a vegetarian diet is likely to suffer from malnutrition and poor health.



Dogs are considered strict carnivores. However, some people claim that they are NOT strict carnivores because there are no KNOWN nutrients that they cannot digest. No one knows every single nutrient that is needed by every species. Also, just because a species CAN digest a nutrient doesn't mean that it is needed.



Dogs need Carnitine for proper muscle function. Carnitine is only found in animal tissue.



Taurine was recently discovered to be a necessity in any Feline diet, as well. As with Carnitine, Taurine is only found in animal tissue.



Both Carnitine and Taurine amino acids are available as synthetic substances. However, it is not believed to be anywhere near the same quality as it would be if obtained with a natural diet.



Another example of a nutrient needed by a species is Vitamin A. Vitamin A is absolutely necessary in cats. Vitamin A cannot be synthesized at all and is only found in animal tissue.



Vegeterian diets consist of mostly vegetables, grains, and soy. In nature animals hardly ever eat these things. These foods are full of carboyhydrates, and metabollically these animals are not designed to use carbohydrates in such a tremendous quantity. This can lead to obesity and weakening health in the animal. It is also believed that large amounts of carbohydratyes can lead to dental problems.



Do you think that we have the moral right to force our carnivorous pets to suffer on a vegan or vegetarian diet because we have made a personal choice for our own lifestyle?
Dogs are omnivores, not obligate carnivores - they can derive nutrition from both plant and animal sources. Because it is harder to include as many fats and proteins in a vegan diet as a mixed diet, they are much harder to balance.



However, it is possible to formulate a vegan diet that contains all the nutrients a dog needs to be healthy. I believe there are a few vegetarian/vegan commercial diets that meet AAFCO nutrition standards for a balanced dog food, but you would have to check the label. Certainly there are dog foods on the market that do not claim to meet AAFCO standards; these should be avoided. It may even be possible to formulate a vegan diet at home - but only under the guidance of a trained nutritionist.



As for "natural," it depends how you define the word. If "natural" means only what wild wolves do, then it's not "natural" to keep dogs as pets or to supply them with readily available food. Dogs have been eating vegetables and grains since they were domesticated. But it's so much more difficult to feed them vegan that I don't recommend it - they do very well on mixed diets.
It's ok, he'll survive, and be healthy.Milk and soda-free bread or rice gives him almost all the nutrients, and using a supplement will keep him healthy, maybe even better than dog food. But it wouldn't be fair to the dog if it's owner's scruples ruined its dinner. So give him meat, even if not everyday.