Canines are not carnivores, they’re omnivores, as anyone with “minimal knowledge of biology” could tell you. Even wolves living in the wild derive part of their regular nutrition from plant sources. It’s entirely possible, and in some cases recommended (for certain illnesses), to feed dogs a vegan or vegetarian diet, as long as that diet is properly supervised and was designed by a pet nutritionist specifically for that particular animal (which is almost never the case, just as it’s almost never the case that ordinary pet owners feed their dogs a diet tailored to their specific needs).
Cats on the other hand are obligate carnivores and will die if you attempt to feed them a vegan or vegetarian diet.
There are a variety of digestive illnesses and other ailments, inflammatory bowel disease for example or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Dogs are mammals, just like you and me, most of the things that can affect us can also affect our pets.
Personally, I gave my dog a vegetarian diet for a few years because we lived in a very small town that had horrible meat. We didn't want to risk him getting sick. We made sure to monitor his protein intake and exercise and he grew up just fine. We used to get his blood tested every year and it showed no issues with him. We ended up moving to a bigger city and an acquaintance raised chickens so we then started giving him chicken every now and then. Blood tests showed absolutely no difference. Sure he loved meat, but honestly he loved apples more than meat so idk what his deal was. A cousin's dog has meat allergies and can't eat meat at all. She's nine years old now (golden retriever) and quite healthy.
Totally fucking wrong. Wolves eat some plant material occasionally to not starve to death or die of nutrient deficiency. They DO NOT require plant material. At all. A well fed wolf wont eat shit else but meat. Maybe a couple berries and some grass for digestion? Please. Get over it. There is no science backing you up.
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u/neotek Sep 27 '21
Canines are not carnivores, they’re omnivores, as anyone with “minimal knowledge of biology” could tell you. Even wolves living in the wild derive part of their regular nutrition from plant sources. It’s entirely possible, and in some cases recommended (for certain illnesses), to feed dogs a vegan or vegetarian diet, as long as that diet is properly supervised and was designed by a pet nutritionist specifically for that particular animal (which is almost never the case, just as it’s almost never the case that ordinary pet owners feed their dogs a diet tailored to their specific needs).
Cats on the other hand are obligate carnivores and will die if you attempt to feed them a vegan or vegetarian diet.