Where can I find a vegetarian diet for my dog?

dogs are not meant to be vegetarians...STOP IT NOW!

unless you want your dog to suffer/die of malnutrition

Hi! I bet/hope I have exactly what you're looking for since I did a pretty thorough search for canine vegetarian/vegan diets over the past 8-10 months before I transitioned into giving my dog a vegetarian diet. Books such as Obligate Carnivore and Vegetarian Dogs cover some aspects of feeding a dog a veggie diet, but they focused a lot on ethical/moral reasons and didn't have enough relevant information on the nutritional, long-term health effects on the unique diet.

These sites should be helpful:

http://www.ivu.org/faq/animals.html

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/dogfood1.html

http://www.tykieslonglife.com/

http://www.vegepets.info/pages/vegetarian_companio...

http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.en.php?id...

http://www.helpinganimals.com/pdfs/Dog_Health_Surv...

http://www.vegandognutritionassociation.com/vegand...

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=veget...

http://www.gentleworld.org/VEGAN/dogs-can-be-vegan...

Being that dogs are natural omnivores that tend to focus their meals on meat, I think that meat-based protein is an excellent food source for dogs; But, in no need necessary to still maintain a healthy dog. Having a dog survive on a vegetarian diet is in no way natural, but dogs that sleep on beds, wear clothes, have their coats trimmed, go to doggy daycare, become trained?--These are not natural either. Our domestic dogs are far different from their ancestral wolves and wild dogs. Mentally AND physically, wolves and domestic dogs have significant differences.

After getting all my resources and looking at both the pros and cons of what to feed my dog(raw, premium kibble, veg), I decided to raise my dog Vegetarian. Honestly, I don't trust the slaughter house industry.

After adopting my dog from the shelter, I had him on a premium, MEAT-based diet including Nature's Variety RAW, Timberwolf Organics, Orijen, and Innova. I switched around because none of them gave me the satisfaction I was looking for; My dog had excessive anal gland secretion, licked his paws(not allergy related), defecated 4-6 times a day with foul, loose stool, and had extremely wretched breath. 1 thing I think is the problem is the extremely high protein content in these premium dog foods. Everyone talks about protein protein protein, but honestly, unless you have an agility or working/herding dog, most dogs don't need/shouldn't get that high a percent of protein value.

Since then, my dog has been on a vegetarian diet for almost a year. He defecates 1-2 times a day with hard, healthy stool. He has an EXTREMELY glossy coat that always smells great. His teeth have no tartar buildup. His breath no longer has a scent. And his energy level has actually increased tremendously. He has gone to several holistic veterinarians for consultations, and has passed his physical examinations and bloodwork with flying colours. My friend also has 2 vegetarian dogs. One is a 19 year old Labrador. He is healthy, has very good vision/hearing, and has minor arthritis. The other is a 17 year old Basset Hound mix. He is healthy, with no apparent health problems.

I only recommend people who are willing to take the time and effort into fully researching about both the pros and cons of feeding a dog a vegetarian/vegan diet. Since the majority of the pet food industry focuses on a meat-based diet, you have to insure that the food you purchase is nutritionally adequate to maintain your dog's health. Be especially careful if you choose to make homemade vegetarian diets since you need the correct amount of oils, protein, vitamins, and minerals. But, I'm not saying this can't be done! This is actually better for your dog.

I purchase vegetarian dog food from two companies. I give my dog one brand one day, and the other the next. That way, if one brand does not include a specific mineral/vitamin, I make sure the other brand does include it. That way, I know he gets all of the essential nutrients he needs. Also, I steer clear of SOY/WHEAT/CORN sources. I use quinoa, brown rice, and lentils for my main protein sources. Also, make sure the dogfoods have L-CARINTINE and TAURINE. This is a MUST...but do your reading and you'll find out why =)

Added to his food are minced/chopped/grated fruits and vegetables. They should be made small for maximum digestability.

I hope this helps! =) phewww....long post.

There are some very well-balanced vegetarian dog foods on the market that fill all a dog's needs as far as nutrition, protein and fat is concerned, but please remember that, despite appearances, dogs are carnivores *not* omnivores.

Dogs are very adaptable, but just because they can survive on an omnivorous diet does not mean it is the best diet for them. The assumption that dogs are natural omnivores remains to be proven, whereas the truth about dogs being natural carnivores is very well-supported by the evidence available to us.

I understand that as a vegetarian it is ethically difficult for you to feed your dog meat, but as well as a responsibility towards animals that are bred for slaughter, you also need to be a responsible pet owner and feed your dog the best possible diet for his or her metabolism.

Sorry if that sounds preachy, but that's just how I feel.

Dogs are meat eaters and are not designed nor can they tolerate a vegetarian diet. I understand that you may choose the vegetarian lifestyle but your dog will suffer if you force it to eat only vegetarian foods.

They NEED the meat to stay healthy. You can reduce them to a mostly vegetarian diet but they do require animal fats and proteins to stay healthy.

Dogs intestines are short so they can't digest vegetarian type foods well. Your dog will suffer malnutrition in a short time.

Please think of your dogs needs above your own lifestyle choices.

Your vet will tell you the same thing.

The oldest dog in the world was 27 year old border collie from Australia,it was kept on a vegan diet.You should google it and see what that dog was fed.I would give you a link but I can't.

Try veganessentials.com

Dogs eat meat, I don't think that is a good idea.

Try searching "vegetarian pet food"

http://www.healthy-eating.com/pet_food.html

dont do that....let the poor dog eat meat-they need it to stay healthy. Just b/c you're a freak and dont want to eat the food that God provided for you doesnt mean you have to make you're dog suffer.

Hate your dog ha? Trying to kill it ha.

I wouldn't do that to my dog.

http://www.vegetariandogs.com/