Vegan dog food: Remember this
Something like vegetarian food for your dog was an unthinkable subject for years. Nevertheless, getting your pup on a vegan-only diet is relatively easy. The fundamental thing to do here is to ensure your dog is getting all the requisite nutrients. Options include purchasing special vegetarian dog food, or making it yourself. When formulating the diet plan of your pooch, you should always aim for a balanced diet.
Veggie dog food is healthy and safe, provided it contains all the nutrients.
Dog owners need to know that regular dog food encompasses other things, in addition to pure meat, it also includes bones, blood, skin, and other animal parts. Dog food can also be manufactured from ailing animals; food or meat not fit for human consumption. This is why it’s not surprising that the present dog food sector contributes significantly to dogs contracting conditions like cancer and obesity.
The dentures of dogs are carnivorous in nature, which means no molar teeth. The teeth are designed to grasp prey and tear off the flesh. What’s more, the digestive tract of dogs is different. Their large and small intestine is considerably shorter and designed to suit a meat diet. In the case of a plant-based diet, the digestive process will be longer.
The intestinal tract of a dog is 2-7 m, while that of a cow is 60 m.
Nutrition tips: The following nutrients are essential for your dog
For a dog to be fit and healthy, it needs to eat foods rich in fat, carbs, protein, vegetables and other essential nutrients.
Without fats in the diet, dogs can’t absorb enzymes.
The recommended percentage of oils is 3%, vegetables 27%, protein 30%, while that of carbs is ca.40%. You can also serve your pup with meals like soy meat, rice covered with tomato sauce, or spaghetti. When you do this, remember to leave out the sugar, salt and other types of spices. In the event you opt for a vegan diet, ingredients like L-carnitine, taurine, calcium, iron, Vitamin D, B12, and E shouldn’t miss out on your pup’s meal plan. A balanced and varied meal plan is the best food choice for your furry friend. Just take care not to serve your pooch any poisonous stuff. If it’s in your best interest to put your dog on a vegan diet, rewarding your dog with vegan dog treats would help ease your dog into its new diet and lifestyle.
Cons of a vegetarian food plan for your mutt
Meat provides your dog with Vitamin B12, E and other essential minerals which include iodine, calcium and of course a high protein intake. You should note that these nutrients are mostly present in raw meat. Although soy foodstuffs are a feasible meat substitute, they don’t have the above-mentioned minerals. Taking this into consideration, the nutrients will have to be supplemented. Additionally, you should avoid giving your dog high amounts of soy because the product holds a range of hormones, which aren’t suitable for your pup.
Below, we have given a summary of the disadvantages of vegan dog food.
- Insufficient nutrients available for your mutt
- The dog owner must learn and have an understanding of vegan food
- Preparing meals is time-consuming
- The intestinal tract of dogs isn’t meant for a plant-based diet, which means the digestive process will take long
- Advantages of a fruitarian diet plan for your mutt
- The excrement of the dog will smell less
- Fewer joint deposits and bones from food, which reduces the risk of articular gout
- Few to potentially no digestive complications
- Less susceptible to conditions like hypothyroidism or cancer
- Helps in safeguarding the environment: for instance, to produce one kilogram of beef, you’ll require 15.000 l of water