I'm also a vegetarian but do feed my dogs meat, they love it.

However, they also adore my vegetarian "beef" burgers, sausages, spag bol etc., so, to be honest, if I was really against them eating meat and thought it wouldn't do them any harm, I could easily get away with feeding them a vegetarian diet so long as I gave them any vitamins etc they may be losing out on.

I get so much pleasure from seeing their little faces light up when I've cooked them something. This afternoon they had turkey drumsticks and they watched me intently as I got them out of the oven, broke them up and placed them with their complete, they ate every bit and rubbed their gravy chops all round the beds afterwards. Sheer delight from my point of view

I am no longer vegetarian but even if I was I don't think I would make Max one. Although Max is fed a complete food the majority of the time he does from time to time have homecooked meals, including meat & he loves it. He does have vegetables as well but given a choice of a piece of chicken & a sprout - I know which he'd take first!

I had a Springer who had an allergy to meat proteins therefore from the age of 6 years old he was a veggie, he lived until 17, was very fit until near the end, and had according to the vet a very fine set of teeth for his age. His diet was through necessity but it goes to show that they can be perfectly healthy on a veggie diet. However his early years were meat diet until the allergy was confirmed....i wonder if that makes a difference?

I dont think it is fair to make that type of choice for your dog to be honest.
We make the choices we do, but to force it up on a dog which is by nature a meat eater to me is wrong.

I have a customer who's dog is allergic to all meats.
He is fed on Wafcol vegetarian dog food.

Medical need i can understand its whats best for them.
But i wouldn't force the diet on my dogs due to my own choice about my diet.

yes dogs can have alergies to animal proteins and can be trouble to be fed properly.

but, you can se numerous sites, saying dogs are carnivores and other saying dogs are omnivores.

so i think a vet or better dog nutritionist would be the one to say what they are.

I am a veggie, my crew are not [ not at this time anyway ].
My personal belief for me is that as I`m not prepared to kill an animal to eat it, I have no right to eat it.
Dogs will kill to eat if they had to though, so on that side of ethics they do have the right to eat it [ sounds very clumsy and anthromorphic but I hope it comes across in an understandable way ].

On the practical side, do dogs need meat to be healthy ?
No, they don`t.
I will be trying my lot out on a vegetarian complete very soon and if they are happy and healthy on it that will be good enough for me.

Many dog foods have so little meat content - as little as 4% in some of them - that a huge number of dogs are near enough fed a vegetarian diet anyway without many owners realising it, and a lot of a dogs enjoyment of a [ complete or tinned ], food is down to flavouring rather than actual content anyway.

This is the meat content of a tinned meat product taken from the site of one of the most well known pet food companies there is :

"Meat and animal derivatives (minimum meat claimed 4%, minimum 4% fresh meat)"

Nuff said on that one...


I have certainly found with my own crew that they enjoy what they eat no matter what it is I give them, be it their usual food, a piece of carrot, or a sprout as a treat, whatever I offer they eat happily, so when I do decide on which vegetarian food to try them on I won`t be worrying about them enjoying it because they like just about anything I offer them.
So as long as their health and condition is maintained thats what matters above all else.

Frankly I`d feed my dogs on straw before I`d feed them two particular well known dog foods when it comes to quality, digestibility and additives which would have my lot clinging to the ceiling like hyperactive bats

So, as a vegetarian myself, would I prefer my crew not to eat meat ?
Of course.
But my ethics are not their ethics.
When I do try them with a vegetarian dog food it will be chosen for their continued health. If they lose condition at all I`ll take them off it and put them back on what they have now :smt001

I am so glad I posted this thread, it has some great viewpoints! I am a veggie, but as I said that is my choice.. not Jamie's.. as was said on an earlier post, I would also not kill an animal to eat.. I believe Jamie would... He has vegetables, when I am chopping up bun and piggie food, he is at my side salvitating for some carrot and he likes a bit of apple too But I think he loves his chicken best and I don't think I could ever stop him eating his meat... I have never tried him on my veggie substitutes... not sure if they would be any good for him? Also I check every product I buy for him for salt content and also onions as I heard that dogs not allowed them?