Guest guest Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 My dogs and cats both eat regular dry food. They do love to get lettuce and other veggies if they get the chance, but I think that's probably because they still need some green food in their diets. Even when we ate meat, they hardly ever stole any of it. Green beans were a different story! I caught Patches (the oldest cat) on the stove one night after dinner dining on the green beans that were left in the pan! On Behalf Of Alyssa Monday, April 09, 2007 3:08 PM Feeding Dogs Tabitha, It's kind of funny to me that you brought this subject up. I was just thinking about it last night. For those who own dogs, do you feed them vegetarian foods? I know that there is at least one food (Natural Balance) out there and am curious about this since dogs are technically carnivores and because I had no idea why the vegetarian food was created, unless some vegetarians are just really uncomfortable even feeding their animals meat. -Alyssa On Behalf Of Tabitha Sunday, April 08, 2007 9:19 PM Question and the sweet sound of success! My question is, typically how do vegetarians feel about owning animals that eat meat like a snake that would have to eat a mouse? -- Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.26/748 - Release 4/5/2007 3:33 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Hi, I think that I've read that felines/cats are true carnivores whereas dogs are obligate carnivores. Admittedly there are sites that say they are omnivores. I have read that dogs do better with some meat in their diet, they have a shorter intestine than we do and they have more sharp pointy teeth. I have read emails and articles about people feeding their dogs entirely vegetarian diets. I feed my dog some meat. I'm not totally happy with it but I think they might be healthier with some meat. I've read some articles that say they are better off with raw meat but I don't go that far. This is a pet food site so they are probably a bit biased: http://www.pets4life.com/index.php?p=research/faqs Here's another site saying they need some meat: http://www.petville.com/pet_community/2006/04/dogs_omnivores_.html Here's vrg: " Dogs are typical carnivores, but their intestinal characteristics have more in common with omnivores. Wolves eat quite a lot of plant material. " http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/omni.htm This site says they are obligate carnivores: http://dogs.suite101.com/article.cfm/canine_cuisine " Dogs are what are described as obligate carnivores which means they will scavenge for food -any kind of food dead or alive or otherwise - in order to survive. However, this also means that given a natural choice or preference they will choose a meat and bone diet for their optimal health to thrive. " Anyway, I'm not sure. However I do know that I want my dog to be healthy. Gary --- Alyssa <LyssasSong wrote: > Tabitha, > > It's kind of funny to me that you brought this > subject up. I was just > thinking about it last night. For those who own > dogs, do you feed them > vegetarian foods? I know that there is at least one > food (Natural Balance) > out there and am curious about this since dogs are > technically carnivores > and because I had no idea why the vegetarian food > was created, unless some > vegetarians are just really uncomfortable even > feeding their animals meat. > > > -Alyssa > > > > On Behalf > Of Tabitha > Sunday, April 08, 2007 9:19 PM > > Question and the sweet > sound of success! > > My question is, typically how do vegetarians feel > about owning animals > that eat meat like a snake that would have to eat a > mouse? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 PLEASE READ before forcing pets to be vegetarians. Vegan dogs do fine, but vegan cats do not. There is plenty of information on this on the internet. The most important site I found is vegancats.com In their FAQ section, they go over all the info regarding taurine, an enzyme cats need to survive which is found in meat. Synthetic taurine does exist, but it's complicated to figure out which pet foods have synthetic taurine. Rather than risk the health and life of your cat, even vegancat.com recommends feeding cats a 50% meat diet. If not, the cat can suffer serious urinary and kidney problems. It's takes a great deal of commitment to the health of your pet cats to completely eliminate meat from their diets, but it is possible according to PETA and come other groups. However, this is up for debate. I heard a speaker on C-Span who gave a 2-hour speech about how the entire planet would benefit if everyone were to become vegetarian. From the benefits to the environment and the rainforests, and the benefits to humans if the the land used to feed cattle were used instead to raise grains to feed the starving in countries like Africa, he made many powerful arguments for vegetarianism. Even he, though, had to admit that in most experiments with animals, cats simply had to have some meat in their diets. Cats were the only animal the vegans were convinvced could not be healthy as a vegan. Regarding snakes being fed something other than mice, I have no info since I am not familiar with keeping reptiles as pets. Cheers, JB Alyssa <LyssasSong wrote: Tabitha, It's kind of funny to me that you brought this subject up. I was just thinking about it last night. For those who own dogs, do you feed them vegetarian foods? I know that there is at least one food (Natural Balance) out there and am curious about this since dogs are technically carnivores and because I had no idea why the vegetarian food was created, unless some vegetarians are just really uncomfortable even feeding their animals meat. -Alyssa On Behalf Of Tabitha Sunday, April 08, 2007 9:19 PM Question and the sweet sound of success! My question is, typically how do vegetarians feel about owning animals that eat meat like a snake that would have to eat a mouse? -- Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.26/748 - Release 4/5/2007 3:33 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Gary, Dogs are nothing more than domesticated wolves, and what do wolves eat? They kill other animals for food or eat animals that are already dead. Sure they may eat some plants and fruits, but they are mostly carnivorous. Cats are even more pure carnivores, but in Puerto Rico they do eat avocados too!!! Bryan , Gary Mattingly <gsmattingly wrote: > > Hi, > > I think that I've read that felines/cats > are true carnivores whereas dogs are obligate > carnivores. Admittedly there are sites that > say they are omnivores. > > I have read that dogs do better with some > meat in their diet, they have a shorter > intestine than we do and they have more sharp > pointy teeth. I have read emails and articles > about people feeding their dogs entirely vegetarian > diets. I feed my dog some meat. I'm not totally > happy with it but I think they might be healthier > with some meat. I've read some articles that > say they are better off with raw meat but I don't > go that far. > > This is a pet food site so they are probably a > bit biased: > http://www.pets4life.com/index.php?p=research/faqs > > Here's another site saying they need some meat: > http://www.petville.com/pet_community/2006/04/dogs_omnivores_.html > > Here's vrg: > " Dogs are typical carnivores, but their intestinal > characteristics have more in common with omnivores. > Wolves eat quite a lot of plant material. " > http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/omni.htm > > This site says they are obligate carnivores: > http://dogs.suite101.com/article.cfm/canine_cuisine > " Dogs are what are described as obligate carnivores > which means they will scavenge for food -any kind of > food dead or alive or otherwise - in order to survive. > However, this also means that given a natural choice > or preference they will choose a meat and bone diet > for their optimal health to thrive. " > > Anyway, I'm not sure. However I do know that I > want my dog to be healthy. > > Gary > > --- Alyssa <LyssasSong wrote: > > > Tabitha, > > > > It's kind of funny to me that you brought this > > subject up. I was just > > thinking about it last night. For those who own > > dogs, do you feed them > > vegetarian foods? I know that there is at least one > > food (Natural Balance) > > out there and am curious about this since dogs are > > technically carnivores > > and because I had no idea why the vegetarian food > > was created, unless some > > vegetarians are just really uncomfortable even > > feeding their animals meat. > > > > > > -Alyssa > > > > > > > > On Behalf > > Of Tabitha > > Sunday, April 08, 2007 9:19 PM > > > > Question and the sweet > > sound of success! > > > > My question is, typically how do vegetarians feel > > about owning animals > > that eat meat like a snake that would have to eat a > > mouse? > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 My dogs have been vegan nearly 10 years now. Dogs are nutritional omnivores actually. There are great cook books out there that can help you formulate a good diet for your dog. Just like with any diet you feed your animals (whether home made or commercially produced) you should research and educate yourself when making decisions that effect your companions. The info I'm describing is based on things I have read and are some of the reasons I feel confident about feeding my dogs the way I do. Every dog has different needs, just like humans, so anything you choose to do, choose because you believe it is best for your own dog. Anyway, trying to keep it short, here are just a few things I found interesting. Veg dog food has many benefits for dogs prone to kidney problems, dogs with cancer, dogs who have allergies, dogs who have digestive problems (meat can be too heavy for some dogs), and of course, there are the people who find it icky. When I worked at a vet *lots* of dogs were on it for health reasons. Commercial dog food is a relatively new thing and has a lot more meat in it than most dogs ever ate before. It's a way for companies to get rid of otherwise unusable meat products. Before the 50's, most dogs ate leftovers. Factory farming hadn't taken over and meat was very expensive and not something people ate all the time or in such huge quantities. Rarely would any, even the scraps, be " wasted " on the dog. There are some great books and studies out there about the origin of the domestic dog and the evidence now pointing to domestic dogs being descendents of scavengers, not hunters. There are many many brands of vegan dog foods out there. Nature's Recipe, Wysong, Natural Balance, Purina, AvoDerm, PetGuard, Evangers, Addiction, V-Dog, and I know I'm forgetting some. Plus there are even more companies selling training treats, chews, etc. The world's oldest dog is vegan and has been her whole life. My cats, turtles, and short-tailed opossum eat meat. All my animals who I am confident can be vegan are, including my dogs. You have to do what you feel most confident doing for your own animals. V. At 03:08 PM 4/9/2007 -0500, you wrote: >Tabitha, > >It's kind of funny to me that you brought this subject up. I was just >thinking about it last night. For those who own dogs, do you feed them >vegetarian foods? I know that there is at least one food (Natural Balance) >out there and am curious about this since dogs are technically carnivores >and because I had no idea why the vegetarian food was created, unless some >vegetarians are just really uncomfortable even feeding their animals meat. > >-Alyssa ******** Yummy for Dogs...a fun way to treat your dog and help rescue animals too! www.yummyfordogs.org Veronica Noechel, Trainer, Sylvie's K9 Solutions...we train to please! and the canine crew... Harvey Milk's Revco Ubercute Superdog Hellion's Dump-n-Drive Usagi Tsukino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 In a message dated 4/10/2007 11:35:40 AM Pacific Daylight Time, kup writes: > My question is, typically how do vegetarians feel about owning animals > that eat meat like a snake that would have to eat a mouse? > Dogs and cats digestive system (guts) are not made for a diet of vegetable matter. I believe they are carnivores and might enjoy the occasional vegetable but meat is best suited for thier digestion. That was what was told to me by my vet and I tend to agree with her. Ever try to keep a tiger fed properly on a vegetarian diet? I would not want to try it. Lisa Marie ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Our dog is diabetic. I feed her what the vet recommends. And yes, it does contain meat. Sue ---- Alyssa 4/9/2007 5:00:09 PM Feeding Dogs Tabitha, It's kind of funny to me that you brought this subject up. I was just thinking about it last night. For those who own dogs, do you feed them vegetarian foods? I know that there is at least one food (Natural Balance) out there and am curious about this since dogs are technically carnivores and because I had no idea why the vegetarian food was created, unless some vegetarians are just really uncomfortable even feeding their animals meat. -Alyssa On Behalf Of Tabitha Sunday, April 08, 2007 9:19 PM Question and the sweet sound of success! My question is, typically how do vegetarians feel about owning animals that eat meat like a snake that would have to eat a mouse? -- Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.26/748 - Release 4/5/2007 3:33 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I love this story!! It sounds like the myth of Psyche and Cupid, in which Psyche had to sort a huge pile of mixed grains and seeds. Only she had the help of ants, not birds! pdw wrote: > My grandmother used to feed bread crumbs to the birds. Well, one time > she made some kind of bread that the kids wouldn't eat - soy or rye or > something, and so she crumbled it up and scattered it in the yard for > the birds with the regular breadcrumbs. > > Well, wouldn't you know it, when she went out later, all of the > regular breadcrumbs were gone, and the " bad " breadcrumbs were all in a > little pile on the picnic table! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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