Coming from Texas A&M University, this article from the Veterinary Department, “Should Your Pet Be A Vegetarian?” kind of surprised me. It came out in their newsletter, and the article discussed planning a well-balanced vegetarian diet for pets. Why? What is this world coming to anyway? Since when do pets have to stand for a cause? Why can’t they just be our beloved companions? Here is an excerpt from the article…
There are so many human vegetarians that some of you may have wondered if your beloved four-legged friend is able to share the same passion and cause as you. If you have ever been interested in having your pet become a vegetarian it should be helpful to know the certain nutritional needs that your pet has, in order to make the right decision regarding vegetarianism. There is no scientific basis on the idea that a specific breed of cat or dog would fare better as a vegetarian, it is simply an issue between the species. In the Canine world, being a vegetarian has no negative effect on their nutritional needs.
“Dogs are opportunistic carnivores” said Dr. John Bauer, M.L. Professor of Clinical Nutrition at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, “which means they will eat meat when they have the chance or when no other type of food is available. For wild dogs, prey is not guaranteed, so especially in the colder seasons dogs will eat more plants and vegetables as meat is difficult to find. As for pet dogs, they can easily be converted to vegetarians, and if done properly, it is just as healthy as an omnivorous diet is for a dog.”
Dogs have the same types of protein balances in their bodies that humans have, therefore making it easy and safe for them to convert back and forth from a vegetarian diet to one of an omnivore.
“One problem with having your dog become a vegetarian” said Dr. Bauer “is that it is easier to feed him meat and vegetable based diets, without having to worry about protein types. There are commercial plant and vegetable based diets around for dogs, which seem to work well for the animal’s health and overall well-being.”
It doesn’t have to be that your animal is vegetarian for a “cause”, it can be simply because you have compassion for animals in general. By feeding our pets meat, we are forcibly taking hundreds if not thousands of other animals into awful conditions for the entirety of their lives at the early end of which they are violently killed. What exactly is wrong with avoiding that? If we are true animal lovers and compassionate people, doesn’t it make more sense to feed them a vegetarian diet? Especially when, as I have learned from many owners who practice it, that the animals love the vegetarian food and don’t seem to care less?
It can be very hard to allow ourselves to look at and acknowledge how meat gets onto our plates and into our petfood cans. I know it was for me. But if you’re interested in connecting more with what goes on, this 2 minute trailer is a good place to acquaint yourself. Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.
http://www.earthlings.com
Sorry Eric but that doesn’t make sense. We’re carnivores and meat is nutritious and good for us and our pets too. ‘Nuff said.
I don’t mind if you choose to be vegetarian though.
Chuck,
We’re carnivores? I think you might want to look into that a bit.
Thanks Chuck. And I don’t mind if you choose to eat meat either. And I agree that meat is nutritious. And so are vegetables. And I agree that eating meat is good for us (at least in moderation). And so is eating vegetables (which have been shown to prevent disease). Eating meat is not so good for the animals however. They are confined to tiny spaces, neutered without anesthesia, and forcibly impregnated and then suffer a violent death. There is a being that can feel pain, fear and love behind those eyes. I know its hard to connect with that fact. I certainly had trouble with it. Its so easy to gloss over it and say its ok because it tastes so good and they’re too dumb to really know what’s going on. And because our culture and families have ingrained it into us for so long. And we don’t like change and we don’t want to believe we are hurting anything. Its so easy to gloss over. I did it for many years. But when we suppress our compassion it goes a lot further than just causing animals to suffer. When we allow our compassion to atrophy is it really a surprise that we live in a world so filled with war and violence? Like Tolstoy said, “so long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields”. We are omnivores which means we can survive on vegetables or meat or any combination. So knowing all this we can make our own choice, and I support you in making whatever choice makes the most sense to you.
Best to you
I have had a Belgium Shepard… Magnificent Girl too and totally vegetarian. I know that dogs can be meat free as I have seen it with my own eyes and the coats of these dogs just shines. I never had any health problems with her and she never had bad breath. Many animals can convert to vegetarian meals with little problems but it has to be gradual or what they are brought up with from babyhood. smiles Michelle
I guess cat’s can’t be vegan. To bad; we have cat’s. It’s weird buying food for your cats that you are morally opposed to eating yourself.
I think it’s safe to say that our personal eating habits and our pets are two points that hit pretty close to home with folks. I’m glad this blog post generated some discussions. To Eric, I’m sorry you feel that animal agriculturalists lack in compassion. I care for hundreds of cattle each and every day, and I assure you that their general well-being is in my first priority. With the millions of people that go hungry everyday, I think of the people I can help through my work as a food producer. I don’t equal the life of an animal to a human, and neither did the Bible. I think that’s where our differences lie. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
God Bless the American Farmer and Rancher!
Amanda