Seeing the Vegan day thread has got me thinking, what do you guys do to feed any Dogs or Cats you may own?

Not getting at you Im interested to know do you choose not to own Cats as they are natural carnivores. Dogs ive herd can survive on vegtables but can anyone confirm this?

I feed my dog normal dog food. She's not a vegetarian; I am.

Dogs, being omnivores, can and do indeed live happily and healthily on a vegetarian diet. Omnivory only states what can be eaten, nothing to do with any imperative to do so.

Felines on the other hand (all members of the cat family, not just domestic moggies) are not just omnivores or even carnivores but obligate carnivores - they have to eat meat because they need a supply of taurine, without which they soon go blind.

I'm an obligate carnivore. So is the dog.

Wrong on both counts.

And he/she is not a vegan or veggie.

The natural diet of dogs includes, "Bones, pieces of carcass, rotten greens and fruit, fish guts, discarded seeds and grains, animal guts and heads, some discarded human food and wastes"

Ref - Coppinger, Ray and Lorna, Dogs: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior & Evolution, Scribner, 2001. 59 -- 78.

I would suggest that anyone that thinks a vegetarian diet is appropriate for dogs really shouldn't be keeping one as a pet.

<Whoooooooosh>

Well said.

oh god youre off again arent you

I have never made my dogs follow a veggie diet. But, I have friends who have in the past. There are several off the shelf brands available:- This site is quite interesting and shows how a dog lived to be 17 on one. However, these diets can be expensive and/or time consuming. It can be done but I am not sure whether it should be done.

http://www.veganpoet.com/articles/do...-vegan-too.htm

Can't you supplement cat food with Taurine though?

I feed all my pets strict diets of cerial, maize, carrots, and apples.

they are rabbits afterall...

What? Pointing out that somebody has made a factually incorrect statement? Yes, I tend to do that.

I've certainly heard that it can be done, Eric, but I don't know enough about the subject to know whether it's a realistic/feasible way to feed cats.

he eats meat and feeds his dog meat

its his choice not yours its only wrong to you as youre a strident vegan who believes youre superior to everyone who eats meat.

so yes youre off again

Well he's also correct, neither humans or dogs are obligate carnivores.

In these discussions people always forget that no pet dog eats a diet that is at all natural, and dogs that are fed meat have no more choice in the matter than dogs who don't. Vegetarians are not taking away their choice or their natural diet any more than non-vegetarians are.

We have feral cats in the large grounds of my workplace to keep the rodent population down. I leave them vegan cat food, a complete one with synthetic taurine, and they can hunt to supplement it with meat if they wish. It's only really there to help them out if they have a bad hunting day.

As for dogs I have never seen any reason to feed them meat so if I got one, I would feed him or her a vegetarian diet.

you can get vegetarian cat food, not sure, but it could have even been vegan.
made using synthesised taurine.

however, if you're going to keep a pet, i don't believe you should push your dietary choices upon them, they should be fed a proper diet designed for their species.

if you want to feed your pet a vegetarian diet - get a rabbit, guinea pig or a tortoise.

there's no doubt a dog can probably be very happy on a vegetarian diet, but they would naturally hunt and eat meat as well as forage for berries & bits.
for cats i completely disagree with vegetarian foods. they are obligate carnivores and should be fed meat.

My Gerbils eat Museli from the Pet Store which has chicken in it.

It doesn't bother me (vegetarian)

I have budgies (who are veggies anyway) so to supplement their seed /supplement diet I give them leaves, herbs and appropriate veggies sparingly.

If I had a dog, cat or other carnivorous animal I would feed them meat and biscuits/cereal as appropriate for their healthy diet and needs. Even though I have the choice of being a vegetarian/vegan, the animals don't, and I would only give them what was their natural diet to keep them fit and healthy.

I'm vegetarian and that it my choice. I buy meat and fish for my cats.

And thats your choice the same as its his to eat meat if he chooses to and to feed it to his pet if he chooses to it dosent make him or you right or wrong, the poster i was replying to has been posting in Vegan threads that she is superior to everyone who eats meat.

My point is follow whatever you wish and eat and feed yourself and your family how you see fit, but dont ram it down peoples throats shouting they are "wrong" as their choices dont agree with yours and certainly dont act morally superior, and im not saying you did btw just pointing out Mambo who did infact say that more than once, it is wrong for her to tell him he is wrong for his choices, they are his the same as hers are hers.

Anyone remember the scene In 'Shirley Valentine' when Shirley feels so sorry for the vegetarian neighbour's dog not being given mean that she feeds him a steak?
Still makes me laugh.

Tinned pet food is nearly all veggie anyway, read the label....4% Meat.!

Mine eat meat I chose to be veggie they had no choice. But we did have one veggie dog he hated meat would never eat it. So we gave him a good quality vegetarian diet and vitamin supplements just in case. He lived to 13 before cancer and senility over took him.