This is where I lack some knowledge.  Does anyone know the pros and cons of feeding a meat based diet and a vegetarian diet.  I know that dogs are omnivores like us so what would be the reasons to choose one method over the other?

Also does anyone know about feeding cats vegetarian style as they are almost completely carnivores?  I have heard of some cats be vegetarian- does anyone know the health pros or cons to doing this with cats?

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I don't know much about vegitarian eating but I have learned that while you should feed as much raw veggies as possible, there are some that are better off being cooked.  I'm not sure of the reason but I would guess that it takes too long for certain veggies to be digested in the dogs short digestive tract.

Some of those veggies are potato's, hard winter squashes such as acorn, kabocha(butternut)squash, pumpkin, etc..., beans and peas.

Also with other hard veggies that you feed it can be beneficial to use your food processor to make the food really chopped up which makes it easier to digest.  This is of course because my dog hardly chews anything- except bones.  I would suggest giving your dog large pieces of hard veggies from time to time so that they have something to chew on as they would a bone.  This will help to keep their teeth clean and their gums healthy.

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This is a question for all of our vegetarian eaters.  What meals do you feed your pets?  What types of veggies do you use, how much and how do you prepare it? 

Kody gets lots of beans and grains but I would like to add more veggies to the mix.

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Hi,

I just found some links through veganpets.com ( a website I just seen in the book Animals & the Afterlife by Kim Sheridan) that talks about feeding pets a vegan diet.  I haven't checked them out yet myself but I thought I'd post them right away for anyone else who wants to check them out. 

Vegetarian/Vegan Dogs Book: vegetariandogs.com

Vegetarian/Vegan Pet Foods/Supplements: vegepet.com

Evolution Vegan Dog, Cat, and Ferret Foods: petfoodshop.com

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: peta-online.org

Why NOT to buy Iams Pet Food: iamscruelty.com

Other vegetarian/vegan dog foods/treats available in many health food stores:

Natural Life (wet and dry dog food)

Pet Guard (wet dog food)

Mr. Barky's (vegan dog treats)

Buddy Biscuits (available at Trader Joe's)

Just Vegg'n biscuits (available at some pet stores)

Green Mush™!

For a wonderful health supplement for animals, follow this link:

http://www.greenmush.com

Great New Book:

The Wholesome Dog Biscuit: A Barker's Dozen by Patricia Leslie, M.S.

htp://www.wholesomeoven.net

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I don't think this is the oldest recorded, but this dog is a vegan.  I am pasting the article, but the link to the site is:

http://www.fruitnut.net/index2.htm?PAG=64brambles,REF=

According to the Sunday Telegraph, Bramble, living in Bridgewater, Somerset, UK, has just (August 2002) celebrated her 27th birthday, possibly making her the world's oldest living dog and a contender for the "Guiness Book of Records".

How exactly does a dog live to be 189 (in dog years)? - Anne Heritage, 43, describes how Bramble survived at least one near-death-experience right at the outset in February 1977:

"And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepith upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and so it was" - Genesis 1:30 "The day after we brought her home, the [New Quay rescue centre] kennels flooded and the other dogs drowned," says Ms. Heritage.

"So she's been incredibly lucky."

Aside from luck, Bramble's secret to longevity is a vegetarian diet. Ms. Heritage is a vegan and has brought up her pooch on the same diet regime she herself follows.

"She has a big bowl of rice, lentils and organic vegetables every evening," says Ms. Heritage.

"She loves exercise and has a real passion for being outdoors. She can be a thorn in my side when she's restless, but it's what keeps her going." - Anne In addition to healthy eating, exercise is a must. Last year while recovering from a back injury from a fall, which doctors said could have paralyzed her, Bramble began taking swimming lessons at a canine hydrotherapy pool in Stolford. She now enjoys a a half an hour at a canine hydrotherapy pool, where Anne's partner Roy Franklin takes her weekly on Fridays..

She's still alert and active and goes for a walk four times a day.

The Daily Mail reports Britain's oldest dog was a pedigree papillon called Fred who died at the of 29 in 2000. The world's longest-lived dog was an Australian cattle dog who lived to be just months older than Fred.

Interested in bringing up your dog vegan?? - Check out the following links:

Vegetarian Dogs
Meat Free Dog Food
Dogs - A Vegetarian Diet
The Canine Cookbook
Vegetarismus - Auf Deutsch.

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Wow, what an awesome article.  I am going to check out a bunch of the links too.  THanks. 

All the health books tell us that our pets should live into their 20's.  I am switching Kody over to a raw diet but after I learn more I think I will use more veggies.  Anything organic is so expensive around here.  I can't wait until I have my garden again!  I just spent $189 at the grocery store on mostly organic stuff and I hardly bought anything for us people to eat!!!!

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I am a new member so I will have alot of questions!!!!Thank you Aimee for such a warm welcome.

I  am now a proud mama of 2 vegetarian 4 legged loves.Since the dog food poison it is  final.!!    {They almost were before} My pugster is allergic to dairy and most meat,except fish.My question is a product called 'The Missing Link'   I have it but have not given it.    Maybe someone here can give me some pros and cons about it????   I have the PLUS version because 1 has hip dysplaysia {sp} he is a stray ,which probably had a tramatic injury when pitched out a car[?].We found him when he was about 5 weeks old he is now 7.                        Anyway I would like for some input from you guys about this and othewise any info would be greatly appreciated!!! 
  Oh-- and i really enjoyed the links that was shared  Janice    Thanks 
                          Hugs  Glenda    

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Oh, good for you!  That is awesome.  Is the missing link the supplement that comes in a gold bag?  Wellness has its own version of that as well.  I don't know much about the link one but I will look it up and see what I can find.

Right now I am using nupro for both my dogs. Regular for my Rottie and the joint formula for our rescued dog.  He has some arthritis and back problems.  We also brought him to the chiropractor for awhile but he needs to go back again.

I am always looking for the best product and I'm sure when I get all the nutrition needs down I will just feed the right foods in the right amounts and not need a supplement.  Vibe is awesome with all types of herbs and plant foods.  She might have some suggestions as well.

Ask anything you want!  I probably won't know the answer but I will find it!!!!!

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Was the meat and dairy you tried organic or conventional?  Either way on the milk issue he probably didn't have the proper enzyme lactase to digest the milk.  All of the books that I have read so far say that animals get sicker on pasteuized, homoginized milk (that is everything at the grocery store) and healthier on raw milk(what comes directly out of the cow before anything else happens to it).  Both past. and hom. are super bad for people and of course the same is true for our babies.  I am having the hardest time finding organic raw milk anywhere but I will keep up the search.  I am feeding organic past milk which at least doesn't have the chemicals that regular milk does.

The same holds true for the meat.  Fish is about the only reg meat that isn't stuffed with antibiotics and growth hormones.  It is likely that your baby is allergic to the chemicals and not the meat itself.  Just a few points to think over.

I looked up missing link and it seems from the description that it is pretty good.  The only thing that bothers me is that it says it is nitrogen flushed and that doesn't sound too healthy but I really don't know for sure.  I will look it up. The info is below.  Also in case your baby has arthritis instead of hip displaysia I would feed fruits high in vit c such as kiwi and also alfalfa.  You can get it in dry herb form from oregons wild harvest.  It might also be worth looking into a chiropractor.  I started by asking my chiropractor and he had a good friend nearby that had more experience in pets.  He only charges $15 a visit so it is not bad.  It has helped our rescue dog a lot who suffered from malnutrition.  He was on ol' roy from walmart his whole life until we saved him from being shot!

MISSING LINK

In nature, dogs consume foods that are whole, raw and fresh, while domestic animals generally have a diet of processed foods only. The Missing Link was developed to target the nutritional gap between what nature provides and what is available in commercial foods. Formulated with all-natural, human-edible-quality whole foods and food concentrates, The Missing Link reintroduces unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods into your dog's diet.

The Missing Link is a dry granular powder, nitrogen flushed and vacuum-packed for freshness to protect its precious nutrients. It includes important nutrients like Omega-3 and Omega-6& essential fatty acids, enzymes and probiotics, fiber, phytonutrients, and vitamins and minerals. Missing Link Plus includes glucosamine for extra joint support for older dogs and those with arthritis or joint stiffness.

For years, veterinarians and pet owners have added The Missing Link Canine Formula to commercial foods to promote:

• General Health & Well-Being
• Better Digestion
• Healthy Skin & Coat
• Increased Energy
• Quicker Recovery After Surgery or Injury
• Less Shedding
• Reduced Allergies
• Less Scratching & Itching
• Reduced Odor
• Less Joint Stiffness and Pain

Canine Formula Ingredients:
Flaxseed, rice bran, primary dried yeast, blackstrap molasses, sunflower seed, freeze dried beef liver, dehydrated alfalfa, dried carrot, shark cartilage powder, freeze dried fish protein powder, barley grass leaves powder, dried kelp, freeze dried oyster powder, zinc monomethionine, lecithin, chromium yeast, selenium yeast, niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic powder, yucca schidigera extract, riboflavin, thiamine hydrochloride, folic acid and cobalamin

Canine Plus Formula Ingredients:
Flaxseed, glucosamine hydrochloride, freeze dried liver, blackstrap molasses, rice bran, primary dried yeast, sunflower seed, dehydrated alfalfa, dried carrot, shark cartilage powder, freeze dried fish protein powder, freeze dried oyster powder, barley grass leaves powder, dried kelp, zinc monomethionne, lecithin, chromium yeast, selenium yeast, pyridoxine hydrochloride, niacin, garlic powder, yucca powder, yucca schidigera extract, riboflavin, thiamine hydrochloride, folic acid and cobalamin

Feeding Guide:

Up to 20 lbs: 1 tsp
20 - 40 lbs: 2 tsp
40 - 80 lbs: 3 tsp
80 - 100 lbs: 4 tsp
Over 100 lbs: 6 tsp

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Nitrogen flushing seems to be natural but it does state that it makes packaging so it can't sustain life- such as bugs and mold.  If that is true does it also kill enzymes and probiotics which are the very important reason why you are feeding the supplement to begin with.  Looks like we'll have to do some more research!

Nitrogen flushing has long been used in the packaging of nuts, potato chips, and meats. We now offer Nitrogen flushed 2.5 Gallon (20 lb) Containers.

To hold the flush, in other words, to maintain the level of Nitrogen, special non-gas permeable  packaging is required. Several different films are layered on one another to eliminate the exchange of gases.

Nitrogen flushing is very effective in eliminating insects and preserving the freshness of grains and seeds.

In theory, the process is quite simple; oxygen in the package is  displaced with Nitrogen gas. The atmosphere within the package is 3% (+,-) oxygen. There is simply  not enough oxygen to sustain insect life.

If the package remains unopened for 30 to 45 days, the lack of oxygen even destroys insect eggs.

This process is completely safe. It uses no poisonous gases or pesticides.Nitrogen is an inert gas, in fact about 78% of the air we breathe is made up of Nitrogen. If you increase  that level to  95% or greater, as with this packaging, there is simply is not enough oxygen to maintain life.

Another benefit with this process is that grain and seeds remain fresh. With little or no oxygen in the package, the seed will not oxidize and thus maintains its nutritional value longer.

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I just want to throw in my two cents here! My three canine children have been almost vegetarian for about two years. The eldest, Gizmo, is nearly 5, yet still acts like a puppy, jumping and playing! I make their food, no commercial dog food, except for some treats I get them now and then. Three Dog Bakery and Blue Dog, they both make cookies for dogs with human-grade ingredients, no "meal" in the list. What I cook for them is a mixture of beans (pinto, navy, red, black eyed peas, lentils, split peas in any combination), cooked veggies, oats, wheat germ, and sometimes blackstrap molasses. They also love raw carrots and the occasional hard-boiled egg.

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Dogs are carnivores with onivous tendencies. the teeth and jaw structure are desinged to eat meat. While they can survive otherwise they will not thrive without animal meat.

Cats are obligated carnoviores and can not survive properly on vegetarian.

www.dogaware.com

www.catinfo.org

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All I know is that my dogs are just fine on their vegetarian food, without eating hormone- and antibiotic-injected animal flesh. I also started adding nutritional yeast to their food and they love it even more! Perfectly healthy for the past couple of years, since I stopped giving them commercial dog "food" and started giving them homemade food (see recipe above). BTW Connie, what's 'onivous'?

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a spelling error

omnivores

As I said dogs can survive on veggy diet. Cats can not.

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

http://www.dognutrition.com/vegetarian-diet-for-dogs.html

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html

(and for cats)

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

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everyone. Just stopping by to share my two cents.
My cat is vegan for 2 years now and she is very healthy. I have plenty of friends with vegan companion animals and all of them have been doing great.

We buy for her special vegan food (as cats are carnivores - they need food with taurine in it.) Her food has synthetic taurine in it as most of the commercial brands of 'pet' food.  A book that helped me very much was "Obligate Carnivore" .

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I too am relatively new to this group, and I am excited to join for certain now. I am the proud worker bee for my kids, Inside: are; Taz, our oldest a black cat, PJ, our maltese, Scotty, grey cat, Bootsie girl, manx, actually she's an un-neutered male who thinks she's a female, Trubl, a black alley cat, Maddee, Jack Russell and the baby, but biggest, Sofi, a beagle. Outside, the 3 kittens (males), Boo, Baby, and Spitz who were born under my porch and decided to stay and Little Bit and Buddy. I don't understand how people can starve or abuse their animals, if I can support all of us on my SS Disability. IF I CAN ANYONE CAN!!!  Anyway, to the subject, we feed our kids, the dogs, carrots for good baby bites, say Carrots in this house and theres a stampede for the fridge. We are just beginning to make home made goodies for our kids and so far they love the bacon and cheese and the peanut butter, Kosher, it's much better than the others. If you can't go organic go Kosher, it's guaranteed 100% that the only things that are used are natural and only that. No butterly parts or wings in the PB. Also, ck. out About.comogs for recipes for treats or go organic on Care 2 Green lifestyle.

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