Going vegan for yourself was an easy decision. You care about animals, and you care about the environment, so giving up meat was the best decision you could make. Humans are omnivores and thus can survive off a plant-based diet. In fact, some research even indicates that a plant based diet is healthier than eating meat. You may have lost weight, felt more energized, and seen your health improve since ditching meat and dairy products. Because you feel so awesome since going vegan, you might be wondering whether your pets would feel the same on a vegan diet. After all, meatless diets have been linked to lower risk of heart disease and cancer in humans, could it have benefits for your cat or dog?
Why Would You Want To Feed Your Pets a Vegan Diet?
The argument for feeding your cat or dog a vegan diet is that it may be healthier for them. Livestock from commercial farms are often injected with hormones and live in unsanitary conditions. It’s common for livestock to be disease ridden, thus passing on both their diseases and hormones into the consumers of their meat. Popular brands of dog and cat food use these animal by-products in their formula, meaning they could potentially be passing on harmful hormones or diseases to your pets. By avoiding meat products or meat-based pet food altogether, you can eliminate the risk of your pet ingesting something harmful. But can dogs survive on a vegan or vegetarian plant-based diet?
Pets on a Vegan Diet
Dogs and cats evolved to eat meat as their primary source of nutrition. They require specific nutrients to survive, most of these nutrients are found in meat. Cats specifically must eat animal protein as their nutritional needs are even more specific than dogs, who evolved alongside humans to be omnivores. Though some studies show that cats and dogs can survive on a plant based diet, this is only if their nutritional needs are very specifically met with other food sources. To meet these nutritional needs using plant-based ingredients is tricky, and should only be fed to your pet under the guidance of a veterinarian. The bottom line is that while cats and dogs may be able to survive on a plant-based diet, it’s not recommended that they do. For our pets’, eating meat is a natural way of life, not an act of cruelty.
Where Can You Find Healthy Pet Food?
If you are health conscious about what your pet eats, be selective about where you buy your pets food. Look for organic dog food brands and cat food made from natural ingredients from your health food grocers that carry pet supplies. Independent, healthy pet food brands use better quality meat ingredients that are more nutritious and don’t contain harmful byproducts. When you choose better ingredients for your pet, you’re choosing a longer life for your pet.
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