How to Put Your Dog on a Vegetarian Diet
Unlike a cat, dogs are actually omnivores, not true carnivores. This means that they can be healthy without eating meat, but you must make sure your dog is getting enough protein and all the other nutrients he needs.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
-
-
1
Buy a natural health book for dogs or, better yet, one that specializes in vegetarian diets. Follow the diet given.
-
2
Make sure your dog is getting enough of all the amino acids he needs and vitamin B-12. For this reason it's important to follow a prescribed diet.
-
3
Speak to your vet about testing your dog's urine periodically. You can do it at home very simply, and there are products on the market for this purpose. A vegetarian diet can make a dog's urine more alkaline; this may predispose them to urinary tract infections.
-
4
Give your dog cranberry capsules if the urine is too alkaline. This will make it more acidic and help prevent urinary tract infections.
-
5
Buy a prepared, high-quality vegetarian dog food. This is a good alternative if you're unsure what to feed your dog or don't have time to properly prepare a homemade meal.
-
6
Supplement with veggie dog treats and biscuits. These are available at most health food or pet stores.
-
7
Find a veterinarian who supports your decision and who is knowledgeable about vegetarian diets.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you have any questions or concerns, contact a veterinarian before putting your dog on a vegetarian diet. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.
Related Searches
Comments
-
cranberries lower acid levels surely aren't theyalkaline tothe extreme?
-
vook- my sister rescued a maltese with the same problems. He had a heart condition. Have you asked your vet to check his heart? If it is a heart condition he may benefit from a veggie diet.
-
It is true that dogs are omnivorous and not strict carnivorous like cats are. And it is also true that they don't break the same food components at the same place as we do. However it is irrelevant as an argument against vegetarian diet that their amylase is not produced by the salivary gland as the amylase breaks down the starch. As dogs produce a lot of amylase in their pancreas they are able to tolerate a lot of starch in their diet. Keep in mind that a vegetarian diet does not contain necessarily more starch than a carnivorous diet. It just contain a different source of protein and a load less bad fat, which overload the dog's liver, especially if you feed him supermarket dog food.
-
Dogs CAN"T be vegitarians! they are omnivors and they NEED meat to survive and behealthy! They can't break down the same things we can They DON"T have the amylase in their mouths like we do! They have it in the large r small intestine and a vegitarian diet is not healthy I would NEVER feed my dog vegitarian.
-
voook
Apr 08, 2010
Whatever - I'm going to turn my mom's maltese into a vegetarian. The dog's breath is horrid; it can be detected from 10 feet away. The dog itself smells horrible too, and this is an inside dog. We've worked with the vet doing everything we can to improve the dogs breath, nothing works. This isn't related to the cleanliness of it's mouth, we even brush her teeth. The odor comes from the dogs stomach. As for the post from 1/23 - while one is able to discern from an animals' teeth the diet that animal had as it was evolving, this doesn't indicate that the animal could not thrive on a non meat diet. Nutrients are nutrients. It may be a challenge to provide an meat eater with with all of it's necessary nutrients without meat, but it is certainly possible. Like the article said, dogs are omnivores - they are able to, and do, survive in the wild when sources of meat are scarce. ...
