Guest guest Posted November 3, 2008 Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 We are seriously considering vegetarian/vegan options for our (rescue) dogs, not only because we are a vegetarian/vegan household, but we find that we are trully disgusted when we touch the dogs' wet and dry food. One of our dogs has lost most of his teeth so he pretty much eats wet food, and when we made that switch, that's when it hit us, well I probably don't need to describe it. I was wondering a few things before we switch to vegetarian/vegan food. For those who feed their pets/companion animals veg food: What support have you received from your vet? Do you mix/make/bake your own food and treats? What recipe(s) do you use? What supplements, if any, do you give your dog? Or do you use packaged food? What brands do you use or recommend, especially for dogs? Where do you purchase them - at the store or on- line? We have bought PetGuard vegetarian dog treats and vegetarian wet food but have not seen bags of dry dog food. Thanks, Danielle & Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Hi Danielle and Joe, We've used VegePet products by Harbingers of a New Age (www.vegepet.com <http://www.vegepet.com/> ) for 19 years now. We've used the kitten and cat products, but they have dog products, too. From my understanding (and the books that James Peden, Harbingers owner, has written), dogs can eat human food with very little supplements - but cats need taurine that isn't in human vegetarian diets, but is in the VegePet products for cats. We use their recipes and make our own food, adding the VegePet vitamin supplements, a yeast supplement and sometimes add a digestive enzyme they sell also. We use a special pH balanced vitamin supplement since our cat had typical urinary tract problems years ago, but has had no problems at all in that area since we changed to the pH balanced vitamins. As far as vet support - our vets (a 2-doc office) have both been very hesitant about the diet, until they saw results. We had a cat years ago who had kidney and thyroid problems (really common in older cats, especially of her breed and size), and James Peden helped us research which recipe would help her most, which supplements would work best, and our vet agreed to give it a chance before they strongly suggested we buy one of the animal-product foods in their lobby. On check-up day, the vet just stood staring at the blood tests, not able to figure it out, seemingly. He said, " okay, fine, she's in the normal range, I have no idea how you did this, but let's keep it up. " Then, when our current cat had the urinary problems, the vet said he was willing to give the pH vitamins and altered diet (also researched and recommended to us by James, he is so sweet and helpful and focused on animals) a chance, but we'd reevaluate at the next appt, and talk about their foods in the lobby and medications. At the next appt, he said, " the results are better than I could have expected with our bagged foods here or prescriptions - I don't know what to say, I am thrilled, keep it up! " Our cat has more recently had some health problems that were dramatically helped with diet and supplement changes again, and the vets now say things like, " oh, the hippies are here, " but then a discussion ensues about the special diet that has helped our cats. Now, are they interested in reading the books or even suggesting the products to other patients? - not really. But they are tolerant of our use of the products and shocked at our great results. :-) Oh, and our cat's treats are peas usually, or other veggies or fruits . .. . or the occasional thing he steals from us. :-) Have fun in this quest! And say hi to James for me if you contact him - he may remember us from all these different interactions, or from our quarterly purchases. :-) Lorraine On Behalf Of Danielle & Joe Monday, November 03, 2008 3:44 PM vegetarian/vegan pet/companion animal food We are seriously considering vegetarian/vegan options for our (rescue) dogs, not only because we are a vegetarian/vegan household, but we find that we are trully disgusted when we touch the dogs' wet and dry food. One of our dogs has lost most of his teeth so he pretty much eats wet food, and when we made that switch, that's when it hit us, well I probably don't need to describe it. I was wondering a few things before we switch to vegetarian/vegan food. For those who feed their pets/companion animals veg food: What support have you received from your vet? Do you mix/make/bake your own food and treats? What recipe(s) do you use? What supplements, if any, do you give your dog? Or do you use packaged food? What brands do you use or recommend, especially for dogs? Where do you purchase them - at the store or on- line? We have bought PetGuard vegetarian dog treats and vegetarian wet food but have not seen bags of dry dog food. Thanks, Danielle & Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 Here's some follow-up to this conversation. I spoke at length with our vet and here is what came out of that conversation. He made it perfectly clear that he and any other vet in the practice would support our choice for a vegetarian/vegan diet for our dogs. He did, however, caution a vegetarian diet for cats but I did not pursue that any further as we do not have cats. As for dogs, our vet felt that a vegetarian diet could sustain the overall health needed throughout a dog's life. He recommended: 1) Royal Canine - This is a prescription diet for dogs with diabetes and it happens to be vegetarian. (Go figure - the same works for humans - vegetarian diets for diabetes.) This option is costly since it requires a prescription from your vet. 2) Check for specialty/holistic pet supply stores - There happen to be two in my general area. Our vet specifically recommended PetSage located in Alexandria, VA (which also is on-line and has a 1-800 number). I corresponded with the buyer at Pet Sage and they do carry a vegetarian food - AVO. The other store is an organic market which also has a specialy pet store in the area. My Organic Market in Alexandria carries the PetGuard brand of vegan canned food and the sister store, My Mighty Pet, carries the vegetarian dry and canned food. I had the grocery store order the dry food since it is a more convenient location. 3) Make your own dog food - Our vet mentioned that there are several dog food recipes out there. This option is not the best for us since we have 2 70lb dogs which require a lot of food and my time to cook (when I am not cooking for a family of 5) and refrigerator space is limited. Our vet sent us some recipes. 4) Books - Our vet sent us info from a book (I can't find the title or reference at the moment). The chapter discusses the caloric intake for energy. 5) Check products with him - Our vet was open to helping us select the food combo (dry and canned) that would fully meet our dogs' needs. I found some products that we could buy locally (petguard, avo) and some on-line (v-dog) and sent our vet the nutrition links. I am sure we will hear back from him soon. We hope this helps others. Thanks, Danielle , " Danielle & Joe " <jdbdmob wrote: > > We are seriously considering vegetarian/vegan options for our > (rescue) dogs, not only because we are a vegetarian/vegan household, > but we find that we are trully disgusted when we touch the dogs' wet > and dry food. One of our dogs has lost most of his teeth so he > pretty much eats wet food, and when we made that switch, that's when > it hit us, well I probably don't need to describe it. > > I was wondering a few things before we switch to vegetarian/vegan > food. > > For those who feed their pets/companion animals veg food: > > What support have you received from your vet? > > Do you mix/make/bake your own food and treats? What recipe(s) do you > use? > > What supplements, if any, do you give your dog? > > Or do you use packaged food? What brands do you use or recommend, > especially for dogs? Where do you purchase them - at the store or on- > line? > > We have bought PetGuard vegetarian dog treats and vegetarian wet food > but have not seen bags of dry dog food. > > Thanks, > Danielle & Joe > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Wow, sounds like you have an amazing vet! ________________________________ Danielle & Joe <jdbdmob Sunday, November 9, 2008 12:15:42 PM Re: vegetarian/vegan pet/companion animal food Here's some follow-up to this conversation. I spoke at length with our vet and here is what came out of that conversation. He made it perfectly clear that he and any other vet in the practice would support our choice for a vegetarian/vegan diet for our dogs. He did, however, caution a vegetarian diet for cats but I did not pursue that any further as we do not have cats. As for dogs, our vet felt that a vegetarian diet could sustain the overall health needed throughout a dog's life. He recommended: 1) Royal Canine - This is a prescription diet for dogs with diabetes and it happens to be vegetarian. (Go figure - the same works for humans - vegetarian diets for diabetes.) This option is costly since it requires a prescription from your vet. 2) Check for specialty/holistic pet supply stores - There happen to be two in my general area. Our vet specifically recommended PetSage located in Alexandria, VA (which also is on-line and has a 1-800 number). I corresponded with the buyer at Pet Sage and they do carry a vegetarian food - AVO. The other store is an organic market which also has a specialy pet store in the area. My Organic Market in Alexandria carries the PetGuard brand of vegan canned food and the sister store, My Mighty Pet, carries the vegetarian dry and canned food. I had the grocery store order the dry food since it is a more convenient location. 3) Make your own dog food - Our vet mentioned that there are several dog food recipes out there. This option is not the best for us since we have 2 70lb dogs which require a lot of food and my time to cook (when I am not cooking for a family of 5) and refrigerator space is limited. Our vet sent us some recipes. 4) Books - Our vet sent us info from a book (I can't find the title or reference at the moment). The chapter discusses the caloric intake for energy. 5) Check products with him - Our vet was open to helping us select the food combo (dry and canned) that would fully meet our dogs' needs. I found some products that we could buy locally (petguard, avo) and some on-line (v-dog) and sent our vet the nutrition links. I am sure we will hear back from him soon. We hope this helps others. Thanks, Danielle @gro ups.com, " Danielle & Joe " <jdbdmob > wrote: > > We are seriously considering vegetarian/vegan options for our > (rescue) dogs, not only because we are a vegetarian/vegan household, > but we find that we are trully disgusted when we touch the dogs' wet > and dry food. One of our dogs has lost most of his teeth so he > pretty much eats wet food, and when we made that switch, that's when > it hit us, well I probably don't need to describe it. > > I was wondering a few things before we switch to vegetarian/vegan > food. > > For those who feed their pets/companion animals veg food: > > What support have you received from your vet? > > Do you mix/make/bake your own food and treats? What recipe(s) do you > use? > > What supplements, if any, do you give your dog? > > Or do you use packaged food? What brands do you use or recommend, > especially for dogs? Where do you purchase them - at the store or on- > line? > > We have bought PetGuard vegetarian dog treats and vegetarian wet food > but have not seen bags of dry dog food. > > Thanks, > Danielle & Joe > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 I felt like I should chime in on this one. I know a lot of people think cats can't be vegetarians, but they can. I've had 2 vegan cats and they've been healthy for their 6 years of being vegan. They're not overweight, very energetic, and have very soft fur. Obviously, you must be sure to research their food as they do have very specific dietary needs. I used to make their food but there are plenty of fully prepared dry and canned foods that they like just as well. I highly recommend reading the book " Obligate Carnivore " . It really breaks down what animals (specifically cats) need in their diets and why it's not a big leap from commercial meat pet food to vegan pet foods. I buy my Evolution cat food from vegancats.com and you can get the book there, too. Good Luck! , janeen minguillo <jminshan wrote: > > Wow, sounds like you have an amazing vet! > > > > > ________________________________ > Danielle & Joe <jdbdmob > > Sunday, November 9, 2008 12:15:42 PM > Re: vegetarian/vegan pet/companion animal food > > > Here's some follow-up to this conversation. > > I spoke at length with our vet and here is what came out of that > conversation. > > He made it perfectly clear that he and any other vet in the practice > would support our choice for a vegetarian/vegan diet for our dogs. > He did, however, caution a vegetarian diet for cats but I did not > pursue that any further as we do not have cats. As for dogs, our vet > felt that a vegetarian diet could sustain the overall health needed > throughout a dog's life. > > He recommended: > > 1) Royal Canine - This is a prescription diet for dogs with diabetes > and it happens to be vegetarian. (Go figure - the same works for > humans - vegetarian diets for diabetes.) This option is costly since > it requires a prescription from your vet. > > 2) Check for specialty/holistic pet supply stores - There happen to > be two in my general area. Our vet specifically recommended PetSage > located in Alexandria, VA (which also is on-line and has a 1-800 > number). > > I corresponded with the buyer at Pet Sage and they do carry a > vegetarian food - AVO. The other store is an organic market which > also has a specialy pet store in the area. My Organic Market in > Alexandria carries the PetGuard brand of vegan canned food and the > sister store, My Mighty Pet, carries the vegetarian dry and canned > food. I had the grocery store order the dry food since it is a more > convenient location. > > 3) Make your own dog food - Our vet mentioned that there are several > dog food recipes out there. This option is not the best for us since > we have 2 70lb dogs which require a lot of food and my time to cook > (when I am not cooking for a family of 5) and refrigerator space is > limited. Our vet sent us some recipes. > > 4) Books - Our vet sent us info from a book (I can't find the title > or reference at the moment). The chapter discusses the caloric > intake for energy. > > 5) Check products with him - Our vet was open to helping us select > the food combo (dry and canned) that would fully meet our dogs' > needs. I found some products that we could buy locally (petguard, > avo) and some on-line (v-dog) and sent our vet the nutrition links. > I am sure we will hear back from him soon. > > We hope this helps others. > Thanks, > Danielle > > @gro ups.com, " Danielle & Joe " <jdbdmob@ > > wrote: > > > > We are seriously considering vegetarian/vegan options for our > > (rescue) dogs, not only because we are a vegetarian/vegan > household, > > but we find that we are trully disgusted when we touch the dogs' > wet > > and dry food. One of our dogs has lost most of his teeth so he > > pretty much eats wet food, and when we made that switch, that's > when > > it hit us, well I probably don't need to describe it. > > > > I was wondering a few things before we switch to vegetarian/vegan > > food. > > > > For those who feed their pets/companion animals veg food: > > > > What support have you received from your vet? > > > > Do you mix/make/bake your own food and treats? What recipe(s) do > you > > use? > > > > What supplements, if any, do you give your dog? > > > > Or do you use packaged food? What brands do you use or recommend, > > especially for dogs? Where do you purchase them - at the store or > on- > > line? > > > > We have bought PetGuard vegetarian dog treats and vegetarian wet > food > > but have not seen bags of dry dog food. > > > > Thanks, > > Danielle & Joe > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I have been an animal nurse for quite a while and in that time have known many dogs on vegetarian diets (mostly for allergies.) They have all done well so I think you should make the switch. It does sound like you have a great, open minded vet. Stick with him/her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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