Vegan Nutrition For Our Dog: Yes Or No?

Over the years, the animal rights movement is one of those that has spread the most throughout the world. Indeed, fifty years ago, talking about concepts such as animal rights would have seemed indecent. Fortunately, our knowledge of animals and respect for different life forms have changed over time. But there are some extremists who generate some controversy: one of these concerns the possibility of a vegan diet for our dog. Let’s analyze what it is:

What does vegan nutrition consist of?

Veganism is a moral stance taken against the use of any product or food of animal origin. It also follows the idea that animals, as beings endowed with emotions, should not be treated as commodities.

It refers to a respectful attitude towards the quality of life of companion animals, for which practices that cause the death and suffering of thousands of them are rejected, for example through experimentation, testing, imprisonment, breeding. for human consumption, etc.

Currently, many companies are engaged in the production of food, clothing and goods produced without the sacrifice and / or mistreatment of animals, using alternative materials that are beneficial to the environment.

Diet

The vegan diet is very restricted and, those who follow it, encounter some drawbacks when they have to eat outside the home, since, on a cultural level, society has incorporated many products of animal origin into its food systems.

Vegans differ from vegetarians because they not only exclude the consumption of meat from their diet, but also of any animal-derived product, including milk, eggs or honey.

However, successfully following these diets is not as difficult as you might think, you just need to replace some ingredients of the original recipes with others, while still ensuring an adequate intake of proteins, fats and calories (mainly from animal sources). This is especially important for those people who ate meat before starting the vegan diet.

Effect of this diet on pets

The treats with which we feed our pets, as well as most of the home diets, are based on meat or other ingredients of animal origin. Therefore, feeding animals with these foods would contradict the philosophy of life of vegans; for this reason some choose to feed animals their own diet. But to what extent is it appropriate for them?

Many domestic animals, especially companion animals, were or are predators in their natural environment . These include cats, dogs, reptiles and many others. Therefore, their diet must include meat, because they have a specific need to consume proteins and fats of animal origin.

However, to supplement their diet, many animals eat plants, flowers, roots, etc. Many vegans choose to use complementary and substitute foods, to replace their daily protein requirements (derived from animal sources) with plant proteins.

In purely hypothetical terms it could work, but this would have consequences on the development of the animal, for example at the immune level, on the strengthening of the skeletal and muscular systems, and on the correct functioning of some organs. This is especially important in animals whose diet is exclusively carnivorous, such as cats.

We must also remember that, according to what was previously said, some types of vegetables, fruits and plants are dangerous for the animal, because they have high concentrations of substances that they cannot metabolize properly and which, therefore, are toxic for their organism, such as, for example, onions or chocolate.
This is due to the fact that the organism of carnivorous or semi-carnivorous animals is not suitable for digesting vegetables, as it has a shorter intestine, some enzymes and a different bacterial flora, which make it impossible for sufficient absorption of nutrients from a strictly vegan diet.
Furthermore, this issue falls within the scope of an ethical conception, so it is not fair to subject an animal to a diet that could be potentially dangerous to their health, just because we have taken a stand on something, even if it goes against the nature of their own. animal. Properly feeding a pet is part of the respect and care we are required to offer, in response to their specific needs and not to our philosophy of life.