What you need to keep in mind
The viability of putting your dog on a vegan diet remains a controversial topic within the industry. However, feeding your dog a plant-based diet is relatively safe and simple. This is as long as the dog is getting all the necessary nutrients. When it comes to vegan dog food options, you can either choose to buy special vegan dog food at the pet store or prepare it yourself at home. Whichever you prefer, the goal is always to ensure that your dog gets a well-balanced diet.
Takeaway. It is safe to feed your dog a vegan dog diet provided that it contains all the right nutrients for your dog.
It is important for dog parents to know that conventional dog food usually contains other things, besides pure meat, including blood, bones, skin, and other parts of the dead animal. Some food products are also made from sick animals; a type of food that no normal human would ever consume. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the current dog food industry is partially responsible the increased cases of obesity and cancer among dogs.
Your dog has the dentition of a carnivore. Thus, their teeth are designed to catch prey and rip off meat. In addition, the digestive tract of a dog is different from other animals that feed on plant-based diets. Dogs have a much shorter small and large intestine that is mainly designed for meat-based diets. So, the more plant-based a dog’s diet is, the longer the body will take to complete the digestion processes.
Please note that the digestive tract of a dog is only 2-7 meters long while that of a cow is up to 63 meters!
Nutrition tips for a dog: Here are the most important nutrients for your pooch
Dogs should be fed food types containing proteins, vegetables, fat, carbs, and other important nutrients.
Dogs need a proper mix of fats to be able to absorb enzymes.
These nutrients are calculated in the following percentages: carbs (40%), vegetables (30%), vegetables (27%), and oils (3%). You can feed your dogs foods like rice or spaghetti and soy meat provided that you leave out the sugar, salt, and other spices. If you choose to go more vegan, ensure that you include important ingredients like iron, calcium, taurine, L-carnitine, and Vitamin E, B12, and D in your dog’s food plan. Your best bet is to go for a balanced, diversified meal plan. Avoid any food items that may be poisonous for your dog. If you are considering putting your dog on a vegan diet and would like to get some suitable vegan chews for your dog, I recommend google searching vegan dog chews.
What are the downsides to a vegan food plan?
The first important thing to note is that meat, particularly raw meat, guarantees the provision of important nutrients including protein, Vitamin E, B12, and minerals like iron, iodine, and calcium. Even though soy products can serve as a good replacement for meat, they don’t have the aforementioned minerals. As a result, they have to be acquired from a different source. In addition, studies have found that excessive consumption of soy can lead to excessive oestrogen and a hormone imbalance among dogs.
Below we have provided a list-based summary of the disadvantages of a vegan dog diet:
– Lacks certain important nutrients for your dog
– Requires proper knowledge of vegan food
– Preparation is time-intensive
– The digestive tract of canines wasn’t designed for plant-based diets
Putting your dog on a vegan diet also provides a range of benefits
Benefits of a vegan dog diet:
– Reduces the smell of dog excrements
– Rare to no digestive issues
– Reduces the risk of articular gout through less bones and joints deposits from food
– Reduced risk of diseases like hypothyroidism or cancer
– Helps to protect the environment. Consider the fact that 15,000 litres of water are required to produce just 1 kg of beef.