Food for vegetarian dogs? yes or no?
Feeding our dogs with a vegetarian diet is a debate that has always divided a large part of owners and veterinarians. Can our dog be feed based on vegetarian food? The answer is not simple. Today, dog vegetarian diets are becoming very popular in places like Great Britain or the United States of America. And if there is demand, the offer inevitably appears, so there are many manufacturers who have decided to get the market food For vegetarian dogs. In Spain, balanced food for vegetarian dogs is also something that is becoming fashionable among dog owners. It is increasingly frequent that dog owners ask veterinarians if they can make their veterinary dogs since they are. Obviously everyone is free to eat whatever and feed your dog according to your thinking. You always have to respect others. But if we imagine a dog or a wolf in the middle of nature, it is much more likely to see them eat an animal like rabbits or deer to "graze" grass. Thousands of farmers can account for it. It is true that the fiber is part of the wolves diet, they usually eat seeds but their percentage is very small compared to the amount of proteins of animal origin they ingest. Therefore, the question is very simple, if what the dog or the wolf eats in nature is mainly meat, why am I going to give my dog or corn dog? Of course, there are some dogs that may have allergies or intolerance to meat products and in that case vegetarian food is justified under the supervision of a veterinarian and being careful that the dog does not have deficiencies of minerals or vitamins. But these cases are very rare, it is much more frequent to meet cereal intolerant dogs. There are several things that must be taken into account to know if a vegetarian diet is healthier and more natural for our dog than a diet based on animal protein: It may seem very obvious, but the dog descends from the wolf and, as we said before, this in a carnivorous animal. It is true that over time dogs have become omnivorous animals. In general, dog feed is divided into 40% proteins and 40% carbohydrates. But in nature, a dog or a wolf does not eat grains of corn, soy or Brussels. Surely you have never seen a herd of wolves enter a corn field to eat the grains (the farmers cannot say the same with their cows or lambs). 
I can agree with the opinion of many owners in which dog food is often made from low quality raw materials: in many cheap brands they use animal by -products such as peaks, feathers, bones, etc.. But not all brands make their feet with poor quality raw materials. There are brands such as Acana, Lobo Azul or Taste of the Wild (to mention only a few) that use high quality ingredients in all their feed. Many brands market food for vegetarian dogs and feed without cereals. In addition, if we do not want to use think for dogs, because we believe it is full of additives and other chemicals, we always have the option of cooking our dogs, pasta and vegetables. The dog feed was born as a matter of convenience, but if the dog does not have specific health problems that require special diets and we have the time, money and knowledge to give it a “home” food, welcome! Of course, it must be a balanced meal, fat -free and condiments, making your food yourself, does not mean that you can eat like your meat with barbecue sauce.
Another issue that must be taken into account is the concept of "natural." The dog's life as we know it today is very unnatural, is it natural for a living animal at home? Well, if we were talking about the wolves, of course, I would say no, but we know that the dog was the first animal to be domesticated, so it seems logical that the dog lives with human beings. Another thing argued by the defenders of food for vegetarian dogs is that vegetables and fruits provide the same nutrients as products of animal origin. In my opinion, this is not true, however, even based on the fact that this statement was true, if you stop to read the labels of vegetarian feeds, you can see that to avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies, many supplements are included. It is logical to think that a complete and balanced food should not need so many supplements. This is because this type of food lacks certain nutrients necessary for the dog. Therefore it is not natural. These are just some of the doubts posed by vegetarian nutrition for a dog. For my part, I maintain that in most cases it cannot be avoided by giving animal protein to the dog, except in specific cases of intolerances and seriously proven allergies, but this must be determined by the veterinarian. The important thing is to avoid giving our dogs a vegetarian diet without consulting a veterinarian before. We must make sure that what we feed our dog is good for him. Other articles that can be of interest:
I can agree with the opinion of many owners in which dog food is often made from low quality raw materials: in many cheap brands they use animal by -products such as peaks, feathers, bones, etc.. But not all brands make their feet with poor quality raw materials. There are brands such as Acana, Lobo Azul or Taste of the Wild (to mention only a few) that use high quality ingredients in all their feed. Many brands market food for vegetarian dogs and feed without cereals. In addition, if we do not want to use think for dogs, because we believe it is full of additives and other chemicals, we always have the option of cooking our dogs, pasta and vegetables. The dog feed was born as a matter of convenience, but if the dog does not have specific health problems that require special diets and we have the time, money and knowledge to give it a “home” food, welcome! Of course, it must be a balanced meal, fat -free and condiments, making your food yourself, does not mean that you can eat like your meat with barbecue sauce.
Another issue that must be taken into account is the concept of "natural." The dog's life as we know it today is very unnatural, is it natural for a living animal at home? Well, if we were talking about the wolves, of course, I would say no, but we know that the dog was the first animal to be domesticated, so it seems logical that the dog lives with human beings. Another thing argued by the defenders of food for vegetarian dogs is that vegetables and fruits provide the same nutrients as products of animal origin. In my opinion, this is not true, however, even based on the fact that this statement was true, if you stop to read the labels of vegetarian feeds, you can see that to avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies, many supplements are included. It is logical to think that a complete and balanced food should not need so many supplements. This is because this type of food lacks certain nutrients necessary for the dog. Therefore it is not natural. These are just some of the doubts posed by vegetarian nutrition for a dog. For my part, I maintain that in most cases it cannot be avoided by giving animal protein to the dog, except in specific cases of intolerances and seriously proven allergies, but this must be determined by the veterinarian. The important thing is to avoid giving our dogs a vegetarian diet without consulting a veterinarian before. We must make sure that what we feed our dog is good for him. Other articles that can be of interest:
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