As the number of people who try out a vegan diet recently has risen significantly and more and more people opt for a plant-based diet and healthy lifestyle, they want their pets to follow the same type of diet.
I get it. As a vegan, you make right and ethical choices for your life, like going cruelty-free and wear vegan fashion. And you want the same right life choices for your pets.
But… Is a vegan diet for dogs and cats as healthy and safe as it is for humans?
A vegan diet for our pets meets with many contradictory opinions. How do you know what to believe and what the best diet is for your pet??
Let’s have a look at this issue now. Later, you may want to make the right decision about what diet you will feed your pet!
Vegan diet as a trend for our pets
It’s almost surprising how many pet owners want to feed their dogs and cats the same diet that they follow. No matter what diet you eat, you probably have a strong tendency to give your pet the same type of food you eat. Right?
An interesting online survey about this topic was conducted by the research team from the University of Guelph’s Veterinary College. They asked 3,673 pet owners from all around the world what kind of diet they feed their pets and themselves.
6 percent of respondents were vegans and over a quarter of those vegans already fed their pets a vegan diet. The rest of them did not feed their pets a vegan diet but they were very interested in a vegan diet for their furry friends. However, they wanted to make sure that the pets wouldn’t miss any important nutrients and that the diet is balanced.
More than half of correspondents who were not vegans were interested in feeding their pets a vegan diet, too, but had a suspicion if a vegan diet is suitable and meets all nutritional needs of their pets. The pet owners wanted to make sure that a vegan diet would be balanced and nutritious that their pets would continue thriving.
The outcome of this study? People want to feed their pets a vegan diet while they still want to be responsible. That is great!
Is possible to have a vegan cat?
There has been a lot of rumor lately about cats and a vegan diet. Can cats follow a vegan diet and stay healthy?
Just to start with, cats are obligate carnivores. In other words, they have to eat meat to survive. This fact basically makes impossible to turn our cats to a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Cat needs to eat meat because it provides them taurine, arginine, arachidonic acid, along with vitamin B and vitamin A. These are the main components that cats need to meet in their diet in order to stay healthy. In other ways, not all protein is the same and it really does matter where it comes from.
Essence of taurine
For instance, let’s talk about taurine as one of the most important components in a cat’s diet. Taurine is a specific amino acid that cannot be found in a plant-based diet. Cats are not able to synthesize taurine by themselves. Simply put, taurine has to be provided through a carnivore diet and therefore, taurine is classified as an essential nutrient for cats.
Without providing taurine through their diet, cats might lose their sight and go blind. A taurine deficiency can also cause heart failure because the heart cells become too weak to function properly. Cats can also develop severe problems with their digestion system.
Bad enough, it takes a very long time, sometimes even months, for all these health problems to occur. The deterioration of health develops slowly and sometimes it goes unnoticed for weeks. In the worst-case scenario, the deficiency of taurine could lead to irreversible blindness, heart failure or even death.
The vegan diet can be particularly dangerous to pregnant cats and little kittens because it can cause severe birth defects, low birth weight, and slow development.
The whole magic is to provide enough taurine and other essential amino acids on a regular basis. Cat food should provide enough taurine to meet cats’ diet needs. Since the 1980s, taurine is recognized as one of the essential amino acids for cats.
If you have any doubts, take your cat to a vet. They will run some tests to check taurine levels. If they are insufficient, taurine can be supplemented.
To conclude, it is very risky and irresponsible to feed your cat exclusively a vegan diet with no supplementation of taurine. For these poor diet choices, you can cause serious health problems for your cat.
Can dogs thrive on a vegan diet?
The anatomy of dogs has developed a little bit differently than for cats. Dogs are omnivores and can thrive on a plant-based diet, carnivore diet, or a combination of both.
Dogs, unlike cats, are able to digest most of the carbohydrates. They also have a larger small intestine that is different than the small intestines of cats. Dogs also have the ability to create vitamin A that is one of the essential nutrients.
So, enough proof to believe that dogs are omnivores. If you wish to feed your dog an exclusively vegan diet, there are a few rules that you have to follow in order to maintain the good health of your dog.
Dogs have to obtain enough protein that is easily and rapidly digestible. Dogs will struggle to digest the food that is too rich in fiber or food that doesn’t supply enough vitamin B and vitamin D.
Structure of a vegan diet for dogs
Dogs can eat and enjoy a wide range of vegan food. They eat and safely digest leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, collard greens, etc. Dogs like grains, such as quinoa, bulgur, millet, and bulgur. Rice is also good. Lentils and beans can be served in moderate portions as they cause bloating. Almost any kind of vegetable is perfectly digestible. Feed your dog with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, and other vegetables!
Of course, there are certain foods that dogs should never eat. What are these foods?
- Avocados: only skin and leaves of avocados are dangerous for dogs as they contain persin, an oil-soluble toxin.
- Onion and garlic: both are highly toxic to dogs. Onion and garlic decrease oxygen flow which can even lead to anemia and organ damage.
- Tomatoes: unripe tomatoes and tomato plants are dangerous because they contain a toxin called solanine. This can cause weakness and lethargy.
If you want to see a full list of dangerous food that you should never feed your dog, visit this page.
It’s very possible for your dog to thrive and be perfectly healthy on a vegan diet as long as the diet is balanced and supplies enough essential nutrients, including adequate protein intake, essential amino acids, vitamin B, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other nutrients.
Homemade vegan food dog
Providing only vegan food high in protein can be quite challenging, especially if you decide to prepare food for your dog at home. Store-bought dog food should provide enough protein.
Homemade vegan dog food can be a good solution if you are familiar with your dog’s allergies and you know exactly what goes in their food. The base of homemade vegan dog food should include some kind of cooked beans, for example, pinto beans, black-eyed beans, black beans or butter beans. Make sure the beans are cooked properly until completely soft.
Add grains, mashed cooked vegetables, even spices. Make sure everything is cooked properly, mashed, or blended. Let cool down completely before serving the food to your dog. It’s possible to freeze any remaining food.
If you want a recipe for a homemade vegan food dog, you can visit this page.
If you feel like you don’t provide enough necessary nutrients or you don’t know how to make vegan food for your dog at home, always consult with a vet. They can recommend additional vitamin supplements, such as L-carnitine, taurine, or vitamin B or D.
Is a vegan diet good for your pet?
Whatever you decide, always do your research before serving vegan food to your pets, particularly dogs. Like it was discussed in this article, cats are obligate carnivores and have to eat meat in order to stay healthy. Not to provide meat to your cats can seriously harm them.
To feed your dog a vegan diet is possible. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all dogs should eat vegan food. At the end of the day, it’s only you who is responsible for your dog and you should make ethical decisions to ensure your pet is healthy.
It’s very good that pet owners want their dogs to follow the same diet as themselves but before making any major decisions, they want to make sure that their dog will continue thriving. Vegan dogs can be healthy, happy, and live a long life. In any case of doubts, discuss with your veterinarian what is the best choice of nutrition for your dog. Good luck!
Klara Walterova
Klara is a professional freelance writer for hire. She offers web content, blog posting, ghostwriting and copywriting. She writes for a healthy lifestyle, wellness and travel websites. She focuses on veganism and the vegan diet. When she's not writing, she develops new tasty vegan recipes, travels the world or plays with her cats. Please contact her for her online writing services on her website writtenbyvegan.com or visit her Instagram profile @writtenbyvegan.