Post From
PETA
If you have been feeding your companion animals commercial pet foods,
you may be jeopardizing their health. Supermarket pet foods are often
composed of ground-up parts of animals deemed by U.S. Department of
Agriculture inspectors unfit for human consumption. The flesh of animals
who fall into one of the categories of the four D’s—dead, dying,
diseased, or disabled—is what often goes into pet food. Many of these
animals have died of infections and other diseases.
In all but a few states it is legal to remove unusable parts from
chickens and sell them to pet food manufacturers. Most pet foods contain
the same hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics that are found in
commercial meat products for humans. If you are concerned about your
companion animals’ health and about the cruelty of the meat industry,
now is the time to stop buying meat-based commercial pet food.
Vegetarian Dogs and Cats
Many vegetarians and vegans feed healthful, meatless diets to their
companion animals. One remarkable example is that of Bramble, a
27-year-old border collie whose vegan diet of rice, lentils, and organic
vegetables earned her consideration by the
Guinness Book of World Records
as the world’s oldest living dog in 2002. Studies have shown that the
ailments associated with meat consumption in humans, such as allergies,
cancer, and kidney, heart, and bone problems, also affect many
nonhumans. Pet food has also been recalled during mad cow disease, or
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), scares because of the risk that
contaminated meat was processed into the food. One deputy commissioner
states that cats especially “are susceptible to BSE.”
The nutritional needs of dogs and cats are easily 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 a
dog or cat. Animals in the wild commonly eat quite a lot of plant
matter. Besides, 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 is unfair to native species of birds and
other small animals, since companion cats and dogs have been removed
from the food chain and have advantages that free-roaming animals lack.
Vegetarian or vegan dogs and cats enjoy their food and good health, and a
vegetarian diet for your companion animal is ethically consistent with
animal rights philosophy.
Important Supplements
Making vegetarian food for dogs is easy because dogs are omnivorous
and usually hearty eaters. Recipes for vegetarian and vegan dogs are
available along with the Vegedog™ supplement from James Peden’s company,
Harbingers of a New Age. It is important to follow directions
carefully. If you make any changes in ingredients, make sure that you do
not change the nutritional balance of the recipe. If a dog receives too
little protein, calcium, or vitamin D, his or her health could be
jeopardized.
Additionally, some dogs need two amino acids called L-carnitine and
taurine which are not generally added to commercial dog foods and can be
insufficient in homemade dog food as well. A deficiency of 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 deficient in
L-carnitine or taurine because of breed, size, individual genetic
make-up, or diet. Supplemental L-carnitine and taurine can be bought at
your local health food store
Cats are often more finicky than dogs, and their nutritional
requirements are more complicated. Cats need a considerable amount of
vitamin A, which they cannot biosynthesize from carotene, as dogs and
humans do. Insufficient amounts may cause loss of hearing, as well as
problems with skin, bones, and intestinal and reproductive systems. Cats
also need taurine. A feline lacking taurine can lose eyesight and could
develop cardiomyopathy. Commercial pet food companies often add taurine
obtained from mollusks. James Peden found vegetarian sources of both
taurine and vitamin A, plus arachidonic acid, another essential feline
nutrient. He then developed veterinarian-approved supplements Vegecat™
and Vegekit™ to add to his recipes. These recipes are probably the
healthiest way to feed cats a vegan diet at this time.
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 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.
Companies That Sell Vegan Dog and Cat Food
If you decide to prepare your own vegetarian dog or cat food, we recommend that you read
Vegetarian Cats & Dogs
to ensure that you understand the nutritional needs of dogs and cats.
Do not rely on this factsheet for complete information. The book has
several recipes and helpful hints. If your library or bookstore doesn’t
have it, you can order it from
Harbingers of a New Age.
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 adding soy milk,
nutritional yeast (available at natural-food stores), olive oil, catnip
(for cats), powdered kelp, baby food that doesn’t contain onions or
other seasonings, or by serving it warm. 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.
After switching dogs or cats to a vegetarian diet, monitor them
closely to make sure that their new diet agrees with them, especially if
they are still puppies or kittens. Watch for chronic gastrointestinal
and skin problems, and note any new health problems. Most dogs and cats’
health improves on a vegetarian diet, but occasionally an animal may
not thrive, so use common sense if this occurs.
