Vegetarian Dog Food
Pet owners who are vegetarian or vegan often want to feed their pets a similar diet for the health benefits or because of their personal philosophy concerning animal rights and animal cruelty. Feeding dogs a diet without meat, however, may be of concern to some pet owners. Animals, like humans, need protein in order to thrive and even survive. And pet owners who find it difficult to believe that plant sources can offer an abundant amount of protein, still may have some concerns about their pets' dietary needs. The good news is that with modern advances in pet nutrition, any pet owner who wishes to give their dog vegetarian dog food or even vegan dog food can do so without compromising the health or well-being of their beloved pet.
A healthy, meatless diet is possible for dogs, but it is often achieved more easily when it is served in conjunction with certain nutritional supplements. One very popular vegetarian dog food supplement is Vegedog™ which was developed by James Peden, author of Vegetarian Cats & Dogs. Dog owners can add these supplements to vegetarian and vegan raw dog food recipes in order to fortify them with proteins and nutrients as sort of an insurance which offers peace of mind. Vegedog™ also comes in special formulas for puppies and lactating dogs. Supplements like these make balanced nutrition easy and practical for a vegetarian or vegan raw dog food diet.
Besides basic proteins, some dogs also need two amino acids called L-carnitine and taurine. These nutrients are not usually added to commercial dog foods - even raw dog food, and therefore almost always needs to be added to vegetarian or vegan dog food by the pet owner right before serving. A deficiency of L-carnitine and taurine can cause dilated cardiomyopathy, a fatal disease in which the heart becomes large and flabby and thereby stops functioning. Your veterinarian can tell you if your dog is susceptible to cardiomyopathy from L-carnitine and taurine deficiency.
Other than adding the proper nutritional supplements to a vegetarian or vegan raw dog food diet, creating meals is relatively easy. Commercial vegetarian and vegan raw dog food is available from select retailers - most of them, however, must be sought out online. Alternatively, there are lots of raw dog food diet recipes available online for free, and they often can be made with everyday ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
Raw dog food diet recipes do require a bit of processing, however... much like advanced raw food recipes for humans do. Particularly because raw plant food is difficult to digest if not chewed very very well, vegetables need to be chopped and blended as finely as possible for easy digestion. Homemade raw dog food diet recipes can usually be refrigerated, whereas frozen raw dog food will keep for about three months.
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