I’m going to be getting a dog again for the first time in 16 years in a few weeks, and have made the decision that I would like to feed him a vegetarian dog food. Has anyone had much experience of vegetarian pet foods, and can recommend a good brand, or should I just go out and do some taste testing? 
I used to think like you about 20 years ago, but then I started to realise how unnatural the process of producing pet food is, and what it’s doing to our environment and started considering the alternative. A lot of people argue that humans ‘need meat’ in their diet, but they don’t and neither do dogs.
How is it causing suffering to feed a dog a tasty nutritious diet? If you have dogs yourself you know you can’t FORCE them to eat anything they don’t like.
Could everyone offering me their unsolicited opinions kindly go away and do some of the ‘research’ they’re asking me to do, such as maybe read a few of the clinical studies that have been done in the last five years which have proved conclusively that a vegetarian diet is perfectly healthy and safe option for dogs.
And while you’re at it, save the word ‘cruel’ for people who actually want to cause dogs harm.
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Feeding a carnivore a vegetarian diet is not only unethical, it’s unhealthy. If you’re not going to feed species appropriate food, don’t get a dog. A rabbit might be a better pet for you.
No, that is cruel.
You cannot deprive a carnivore of meat, it’s unethical.
Just because you might not want to eat meat does not mean the dog should have to suffer too.
If your not happy with the way pet food is produced, then feed raw.
There is no such thing as a “good” vegetarian food for a dog. Dogs are not designed by nature to be vegetarians. They need meat & meat proteins. They are carnivores and are meant to process & utilize the proteins found in meats not grains & veggies.
****You are very very wrong..dogs DO NEED meat in their diet…I suggest that you study canine anatomy and digestive systems..take a good look at teeth and jaws..they ARE carnivores….they are made to process meat…they are made to extract nutrition from meats & bones NOT veggies & grains!!!! *******
*****Yup got to love those “clinical” studies that say that vegetarian foods are safe & healthy for dogs…..especially when they are done by the companies that are selling & promoting these products..**********
Feeding Your dog a good quality vegetarian diet is no worse than feeding him any good quality kibble, the process of making dog food actually means that even meat based dog food needs the vital vits and nutrients added back into it.
I am a vegan but decided to feed my dogs on a mix of homemade food and a fish and rice kibble (James welbeloved). The brand is expensive (although not as expensive as veggie dog food) and only used ocean caught white fish, which I can live with.
Other food they eat are :
Veggies (raw and cooked), rice, oats, cooked potato, TVP with nutritional yeast flakes.
The odd wild caught bunny gets on the menu as well when my collie is feeling speedy
Dogs are not vegetarians and feeding a vegetarian diet to him would cause him to be unhealthy and it would be cruel. You need to do more research on this before you get a dog and subject him eating veggies his whole life. Dogs have the teeth of a carnivore for a reason, don’t mess with nature.
If you want to feed your dog a correct natural diet feed him the BARF diet. Raw meat, raw bones, pureed veggies, etc. Otherwise go to a pet store and purchase a high quality brand of pet food like Innova Evo or Wellness.
And just because a dog likes eating something doesn’t mean it is nutritious. A dog would probably love to eat potato chips and ice cream all the time but that doesn’t mean it is healthy for him. If you don’t like the idea of feeding a dog meat, you should get a herbivore for a pet.
Kelly B may be feeding a vegetarian diet but it includes fish as a main ingredient. You could give that a try since it is still a healthy source of meat.
And if you don’t want people opinions, why did you ask for them?
Don’t get him if this is how he’s going to live. He’s a meat eating wolf descendant and works in a different mindset to us. He can’t decide to eat veggie food, because he isn’t a herbivore. He’s a carnivore, and even though I know you might think it’s good for him to eat veggie food, his system is not adapted to that diet. He will have health problems and won’t grow as fast. It’s cruel (because he needs the protein and iron and wet food is more moist so he won’t dry his mouth out) He has ancestors who hunted in packs, so it comes naturally to him to do this. I’m sure you want the best for your dog, so please take my advice here. You don’t have to get ‘processed’ food, there are alternate meat foods for dogs out there (ask any good vet)
Humans are omnivores, dogs are carnivores. And humans DO need the nutrients from meat…some just choose to get it from other sources.
NO dog can thrive on a veggie-only diet. In fact, they shouldn’t —they should be eating as much meat/bones as possible and little to no veggies at all. Hence why they are called “carnivores”.
If you don’t like the way pet food is produced, you could always feed a RAW diet.
ADD: I agree with “tigerlily”–if you don’t want a pet that must eat meat, try something along the lines of a rabbit.
Dogs can eat both veggies and meats, but it’s BEST they eat meat. Wouldn’t you want to do what’s best for your dog?
You said: “A lot of people argue that humans ‘need meat’ in their diet, but they don’t and neither do dogs.”
I am actually am a vegetarian, but the difference is humans are omnivores and dogs are carnivores. You have to feed the dog meat.
Dogs are carnivores. They NEED meat. Feeding a dog a vegetarian diet is abusive and neglectful. You might as well not feed him at all. And, you are cruel, and WILL cause the dog harm. You think wolves wander around eating plants? NO. They get all the vegetation they need eating the innards of the animals they kill for the meat.
GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE AND FEED YOUR DOG WHAT HE NEEDS TO SURVIVE AND BE HEALTHY.
Actually, better yet, don’t get a dog. Get a bird. They are vegetarians.
I agree with Lioness. I just watched a show on TV last night about dog nutrition. They talked about the vegetarian diets that are out there for dogs and all the vets and nutrition experts agree that dogs need meat as the main source of protein. The dogs that were on vegetarian diets had more illnesses due to poor nutrition.
The show from a large resuce and adoption organization somewhere in the western US. I can’t remember where exactly.