Fido and Fluffy Go Veggie…
Ever gone shopping with a fellow
vegan or vegetarian, been happily
chatting while you cruise through the
lentils, chickpeas, wheat gluten, soy
and meat alternative aisles only to be
horrified when you turn the corner
and witness your friend reaching for
the canned dog food?
It’s a distressing situation many
vegans/vegetarians have found
themselves in, after assuming that all
veggie people are feeding their companion
animals a meat-free diet.
The good news however, is that
things are changing; many
vegans/vegetarians are finally
switching their dogs and cats to a
compassionate diet and even those
who choose a veggie path not necessarily
due to ethical concerns are
making the switch, mostly due to
their concerns over the contents of
animal-derived products.
There has been and remains much
debate surrounding a vegan/vegetarian
diet for dogs and cats. Even
among veterinarians the issue is
hotly debated. What almost all vets
agree on though is that dogs are
omnivorous, mostly due to 60,000
years shared with man, and cats are
carnivorous. Meaning that dogs
have evolved to consume both animal
protein and vegetation and that
cats have evolved to eat only animal
protein. But when we say this, we
must remember that cats and dogs
are not scientists and in the wild they
will choose what they know instinctively
to contain the nutrients they
need. That does not mean however
that those same nutrients are not
available in other sources of food.
We, as guardians, are equipped with
brain functions that allow us to make
smart and science-based choices for
ourselves and our animal friends not
purely based on instinct. Thankfully,
research tells us that a variety of
foods can provide these essential
nutrients and finally the death of
another being is no longer necessary.
Many studies and surveys have
shown that cats and dogs are doing
well on a vegan/vegetarian diet and
indeed not merely just doing well but
doing great on it. Generally, dogs
are finding the change over relatively
easy being less finicky than cats
who may take a little while longer to
adjust. Feeding cats a veggie diet is
going to take a bit more work if you
do not buy a correctly formulated
prepared food off the shelf. The truth
is that the feline intestine is adapted
for a high fat, high protein diet. The
cat is not able to synthesise certain
essential nutrients from other food
components and therefore needs
these pre-formed in their diet. The
big concern in the nutrient arena for
cats and to a lesser degree dogs, are
two amino-acids called L-Carnitine
and Taurine which has been excluded
from many brands of vegan dog
and cat food. Serious health problems
are likely to arise if your companions
diet is deficient in these two
nutrients. Both dogs and cats need
many nutrients for optimum health,
these include but are not limited to
Arachidonic Acid (vital for cats),
Vitamin A, B12, D and digestive
enzymes.
In a field study done in Europe,
only two of the twelve prepared vegetarian
pet food products analysed
could be recommended without
reservation, though this is likely to
have increased.
If you prepare meals at home particularly
in the case of cats, you will
need to supplement nutrients and
make informed choices as it is
home-cooked meals that are most at
risk of not containing the correct
nutrients at the required levels.
Whether you choose home-cooked
or prepared meals, make the change
gradually and watch what your little
friends prefer in a food.
Keep a close
eye on animals when changing their
diet, be alert, if there are any changes
that concern you, don’t hesitate to
grab the phone and call your vet.
Unfortunately, vegan “pet” foods
haven’t yet hit the mainstream in
many countries and are still regarded
as specialty foods, the slightly higher
price tag on some brands reflecting
this. But like all products the
more popular these foods become,
the more competition they get, the
more inexpensive they will eventually
be. With a little luck and some
good marketing, this could become a
reality relatively quickly and
well-known supermarkets should
pick them up if they have not done so
already.
Hopefully when the price and
availability matches that of
animal-derived products even meat
eaters will be reaching for them
without even knowing it, convenience
and low cost could mean saving
lives.
Sadly, so many vegans and vegetarians
are choosing not to become
the guardians of dogs and cats
believing that animals are not meant
to be in a human domestic situation
or because of diet concerns, and
while their ideology is sound, it does
little to alleviate the suffering of the
thousands of abandoned animals and
animals removed from abusive and
torturous houses living in shelters or
on the street. A rescued dog or cat
can be a welcome addition to a veggie
family. So many vegans and
vegetarians find themselves living in
a perpetual state of grief over the
horrific state of the human/animal
relationship, and often have nobody
with whom they can share it. Sharing
days, thoughts and happiness with a
pure heart is a therapeutic and often
very needed relationship.
Vegan foods offer our animals and
us a way to help save all animals.
Dogs and cats can have a home,
enjoy a life without fear and we and
our rescued companions no longer
have to contribute to the death of
other animals as clearly they can not
only just survive but also thrive on
the veggie alternative.
Karen Compt, Australia -
kafico@email.com
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