Can dogs survive without meat? Here’s What to Do Next

Dogs and cats who are eating only cooked or processed food also benefit from the addition of digestive enzymes to their food. These are obtainable through companion animal supply catalogs and health-food stores. Any raw vegetables in a dog’s diet should be grated or put through a food processor to enhance digestibility.

Making the Adjustment To help with the adjustment to a vegetarian or vegan diet, start by mixing the vegetarian food in with what you usually serve. Gradually change the proportion until there is no meat left. If your efforts are met with resistance, tempt your animal friends by serving it warm or by adding soy milk, nutritional yeast (available at natural-food stores), olive oil, tomato sauce (most dogs love spaghetti!), catnip (for cats), powdered kelp, baby food that doesn’t contain onions, or other seasonings. Many cats like nutritional yeast and pieces of melon, and most love mashed chickpeas and veggie burgers. If your companion animals are addicted to supermarket pet food, it may take a while for them to adapt.

Dogs require two amino acids, called L-carnitine and taurine, that can be insufficient in plant-based or cooked dog food unless it is supplemented. A deficiency in these nutrients can cause dilated cardiomyopathy, a serious illness in which the heart becomes large and flabby and can no longer function. This illness generally strikes young or middle-aged dogs who are susceptible to L-carnitine or taurine deficiency because of breed, size, individual genetic makeup, or diet. Supplemental L-carnitine and taurine can be bought at your local health food store or online.

The nutritional needs of many dogs and cats can be met with a balanced vegan diet and certain supplements. James Peden, author of Vegetarian Cats & Dogs, developed Vegepet™ supplements to add to vegetarian and vegan recipes. They are nutritionally balanced and also come in special formulas for kittens, puppies, and lactating cats and dogs.

Some people wonder if it’s “unnatural” to omit meat from the diet of dogs and cats. But to feed them the meat that they would naturally eat, you would have to serve them whole mice or birds or allow them to hunt for themselves, an option that would be unfair to native species of birds and other small animals, since companion cats and dogs are non-native and have advantages that wild animals lack. Many vegan dogs and cats enjoy excellent health, and a vegan diet for your companion animal is ethically consistent with animal rights philosophy.

Veterinarians from the city weigh in on the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet for dogs

July 18, 2017 03:49 pm | Updated 03:49 pm IST

Can dogs survive without meat?

When P Vinod Kumar found his Labrador falling sick frequently, he took him to a vet who asked him what he was feeding his dog. “I was giving my dog pure vegetarian food thinking that it will keep the animal clean and healthy.” Instead the vet told him to start the dog on non-vegetarian food. Once Kumar did so, his pet bounced back to its energetic self.

Many veterinarians in the city say that they often find the reason for pets being unwell was a vegetarian diet. “Those who feed their dogs vegetarian food are unknowingly torturing them,” said Dr S Venkateswaran, a consultant at the Cotton City Pets Poly Clinic, near Sai Baba Colony. “Dogs shed a lot of hair everyday and for its regrowth animal proteins are needed,” he advised. Vegetables contain proteins but not as much as a non-vegetarian diet does. And dogs are basically carnivores.

Dr M Murugesan, a government veterinarian, says that, while dogs can survive on a vegetarian diet, it does not necessarily mean it is a healthy one. According to him, dogs get their unsaturated fatty acids and amino acids from animal meat and that is essential. “A vegetarian dog may appear healthy but there are many things that may not be right with it such as performance, body proportions…,” he says.

Sometimes the dogs suffer from diabetes, cardiac problems and obesity that are directly related to an unnatural diet, says Dr Venkateswaran who has seen several cases of obesity in dogs due to a large intake of carbohydrates. “These pets are usually fed with the same food that their owners eat. This leads to serious health issues.” So, he warns, the next time you are thinking of feeding them with rice and sambar, think again.

But, there is another equally persuasive school of thought that says vegetarian food can be good for the dogs. Mini Vasudevan, Managing Trustee of Humane Animal Society, Coimbatore, says that dogs can adjust to a vegetarian diet. “By their genetic pedigree, dogs do demonstrate carnivorous traits like wolves. But, with thousands of years of domestication, they can also lead normal lives if they are put on a vegetarian or vegan diet as long as the food is balanced,” she says.

Quick tips

Dr Venkateswaran answers a few common questions.

What is the exact proportion of vegetarian to non-vegetarian food that one must feed dogs?

20:80 with vegetarian food being 20 per cent and non-vegetarian 80 per cent

How many times a day must one feed the dog?

It depends on the age and size of the breed till the dog grows up. Once a dog attains physical and physiological maturity, it should be fed just once a day.

What are the vegetables/fruits that one must absolutely avoid?

Grapes because it causes kidney problems; tomatoes because this can lead to stones in the urinary system; onion and garlic can cause anemia; chocolate will cause blood disorders

“What does the vegan food need to contain?”

Make sure the vegan diet meets AAFCO nutrient standards for adult maintenance. This is an exhaustive list of requirements that the food must meet to ensure proper nutrition.

Can dogs survive without meat?