Vegetarian?

Thought I would start a new thread to see if anyone feeds their dog a veggie diet. I would love to but don't know enough . Any help appreciated. Thanks Alys

I don't... I don't agree with dogs being fed a vegetarian diet. They are carnivores, and get all their nutrition from meat, offal and bones. I don't believe a vegetarian diet can properly fulfill that.

I'm not sure if there are any members who feed a vegetarian diet...

It cant be good for a dog ...
A dogs teeth are all about eating and ripping meat ....

sorry no help here. my dogs eat meat.

i dont think its fair to deprive an animal that eats mainly a meat diet naturally.

fair enough a human wanting to be vegetarian because they have a mind of their own and can decide whether the meat is reared ethically or whatever. a dog can not do that, and i imagine neither care, so i dont believe its right to make a dog eat purely vegetables.

Personally, if the diet is balanced then I don't think it's hugely different to feeding many of the commercial foods available. Afterall, some are only a low % actual meat, with the bulk being cereals/grains and other fillers.
I think if you're going to do it, do your research and find a good brand. Personally, it's not a route I would go down, but I have heard of dogs with intolerances/allergies to so many meat proteins that they've had to go on vegan diets for life and been OK on it.
Happidog vegetarian dog food has been around for as long as I remember, I know that when I worked in petshops nearly 10 years ago it was a brand they stocked. The ingredients aren't far off most dog foods but contains soya and vegetable protein. Cereals do feature quite highly on the list though.
Ingredients
Wheat, barley, maize, textured vegetable protein, full fat soya, hi-pro soya, soya oil, minerals and vitamins, natural antioxidants.


Would another option be to consider some more ethically sourced foods? There are several companies who have cottoned on to the demand for carefully sourced ingredients from sustainable sources. If you're concerned over battery hens etc. then what about a fish-based food like Fish4Dogs? I would rather feed my dog something with these ingredients than the Happidog ones personally..
Composition: Ocean White Fish, Potato, Fish Meal, Salmon Oil, Beet Fibre, Brewers Yeast , Minerals.

Thanks for the comments,not so worried about ethics just whether it possible . It is,to a level,an academic question and interested in knowing if anyone had tried. If it was found to be a viable alternative what objections could there be?
Alys

Soya is not a suitable source of protein for dogs, it is a goitrogen and interferes with the function of the thyroid. In addition it is also a prime source of gas!

Have a look here for science based evidence re vegetarian diets for dogs by Lew Olson PhD.

http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/vegetarian-diet/

I don't agree with a vegetarian diet when the animal is supposed to eat meat.

However as long as the diet is nutritionally balanced as mentioned all ready their is no reason why they can't.

One of the oldest dogs on record lived on a vegetarian diet till the day it died at age 27 years.

A guy I used to know had a couple of lurchers and one of them was allergic to meat proteins, he was fed a veggie diet and lived a long happy life, his mate was also fed a veggie diet as the owner didn't want to risk the veggie dog getting at any animal protein.

I'm vegetarian, and when I went veggie I said there is absolutely no way I would put any of my pets (obviously if I had a rabbit things would be different!) on a veggie diet.

I just don't see why you'd do it when dogs are clearly designed to eat meat. Mine get veg as well as they love veggies and it's all about the balance but they get meat and I accepted that owning dogs (and rats) and being a dog trainer using treats, I would have to continue handling meat.

Likewise, if I ever have children they would be brought up on a balanced diet including meat until they decided for themselves.

As much as I hate buying it and handling it, it's my choice to be veggie, not my dogs'.

Obviously if a dog had an intolerance to meat, that's different, and I realise you can provide fairly balanced nutrition if you're careful. I just don't feel it's fair to choose to omit food from a 'normal' dog's diet.