Vegetarian Diet for Dogs

• The pros and cons of a vegetarian diet for dogs.
• Tips on feeding your dog a vegetarian diet.
• Foods to include in a vegetarian diet for dogs.
• Recommendations of some high-quality vegetarian dog foods.

Advantages of a Vegetarian Diet for Dogs

• Meat is now the most polluted food source. It contains an array of toxic materials - from antibiotics, hormones, to harmful chemicals such as lead and mercury.
• A high-fat, high-protein diet consisting mainly of meat and bones may not be suitable for today's pet dogs since they exercise less and as such less energy is required. A vegetarian diet can put less stress on the dogs' liver. It can also prevent obesity.
• From an environmental and ethical point of view, producing and consuming meat is costly (animals such as cows and chickens have to give up their lives!) and environmentally-unfriendly.

• Bones provide key nutrients that are difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities in a completely meat-free diet. For young growing puppies, nutrients from bones are particularly important. (As a compromise, some dog parents add supplements or feed their dogs a mainly vegetarian diet but include raw, meaty bones.)
• It is difficult to prepare well-balanced vegetarian dog foods that contain all the vitamins and nutrients needed for the optimal health of dogs. Supplements are therefore extremely important. If you feed your dog a vegetarian diet without supplements, chances are your dog will not have enough minerals and nutrients to keep his bones strong.
• Some vets have raised concerns that a vegetarian diet, even coupled with dietary supplements, will fall short. And here is the problem - Dogs can adapt very well to a poor diet; therefore, it may take years before we can see any adverse effects on the dog's health, by which time serious damage may already have been done.

Feeding Your Dog a Vegetarian Diet - Tips

• Include plenty of variety of foods to avoid nutrient deficiencies. Make a note of what your dog likes and dislikes, and what foods cause digestive problems such as diarrhea or gas.
• If your dog has recurring problems such as persistent diarrhea, vomiting or itchiness, it is possible that she is allergic to certain food items. That's why it is advisable to keep a log of the kind of foods fed every day so you can easily identify the foods that your dog is allergic to and eliminate them from the diet.
• While a vegetarian diet is good for dogs, a vegan diet is not. Therefore, do not eliminate all animal products from the dog's diet. Milk, eggs, cheese, etc. are necessary to provide numerous nutrients to the dog.
• Dogs have a shorter digestive tract than we do, so they cannot cope with large quantities of fibrous foods. Remember to cook fibrous vegetables (15 minutes at boiling) to break down the fibers, so they are more digestible for your dog.
• Hard foods (e.g. raw carrots, apples, hard wholemeal dog biscuits) should be given to your dog to chew on to keep her teeth and gums in good shape.
• Vegetarian dog food can make the urine of your dog a bit more alkaline, which can make your dog more susceptible to urinary tract infections. If your dog is on a vegetarian diet, therefore, it is advisable to have her urine tested on a regular basis to make sure that she does not develop UTI.
• Supplement your dog's vegetarian diet with some veggie biscuits and treats to provide them with more nutrition.
• Before deciding to put your dog on a vegetarian diet, consult with a holistic vet for professional advice and assistance. They can also give you a good idea of how to keep your dog's diet supplemented so that she gets all of the nutrients needed in her diet.

Foods in a Vegetarian Diet for Dogs

• cheese;
• eggs;
• soy beans;
• tofu.

• whole cereals and wheatgerm;
• seeds such as sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds;
• lentils;
• beans;
• split peas;
• nuts (except chestnuts and coconuts).

• Carbohydrates which can be found in cereals and their products (e.g. bread, cakes etc), bananas, chestnuts, cashews, etc.
• Fat such as flaxseed oil or sunflower seed oil.
• Fiber which comes from vegetables (cooked or raw - see this page), bran, etc.

High-Quality Vegetarian Dog Foods

Natural Balance Vegetarian Dog Food This vegetarian dog food provides adult dogs with the same essential nutrients found in diets with meat as the protein source and is suitable for all breeds of adult dogs. The main ingredients are oatmeal, brown rice, barley, and potatoes. It contains no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.