Guest guest Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Cmon lets all disagree with this vet in Dallas : 07:20 AM CDT on Monday, June 26, 2006 By Shawn Messonnier Dear Dr. Shawn: I am a vegan and strive to improve my nutrition. I feel it important to do the same for my dogs. Both are adults at 7 and 10 years of age. Is it safe to slowly change their diet from their existing brand of dog food to a vegetarian diet? What is a safe protein I can feed them that is not an animal by-product? Can they eat soy? Can I make them tofu? Can you give me some advice? Answer: While dogs are not strict carnivores like cats, I prefer they eat animal protein in their diets as this closely resembles what they eat in the wild. While I respect your decision to not eat animal protein, in reality animal protein has the best ratio of amino acids (more important than the "protein" value of food) when compared with vegetables. Even vegetarians must work hard to properly balance the diet to prevent vitamin and amino acid deficiencies. Giving your pet extra vegetables is a great idea. It serves to fill them up due to the fiber content, provides potent cancer-fighting antioxidants, and they are very low in calories, which make them perfect as a treat for dieting pets. I'm not a big fan of soy for dogs or people, especially in large amounts, as soy can cause extra intestinal gas. Soy contains high amounts of glutamine, which is an excitotoxin that may cause nerve damage. However, for variety, small amounts of tofu can be fed if the dogs will eat it. Send questions to Dr. Shawn Messonnier at Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, 2145 W. Park, Plano, TX 75075 or naturalvet@juno .com. Visit him at www.petcare naturally.com. Peter H Inbox full of spam? Get leading spam protection and 1GB storage with All New Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 What does he think amino acids are ????? Jo - peter VV Tuesday, June 27, 2006 6:01 PM Re: A vegan diet for my dog? Cmon lets all disagree with this vet in Dallas : 07:20 AM CDT on Monday, June 26, 2006 By Shawn Messonnier Dear Dr. Shawn: I am a vegan and strive to improve my nutrition. I feel it important to do the same for my dogs. Both are adults at 7 and 10 years of age. Is it safe to slowly change their diet from their existing brand of dog food to a vegetarian diet? What is a safe protein I can feed them that is not an animal by-product? Can they eat soy? Can I make them tofu? Can you give me some advice? Answer: While dogs are not strict carnivores like cats, I prefer they eat animal protein in their diets as this closely resembles what they eat in the wild. While I respect your decision to not eat animal protein, in reality animal protein has the best ratio of amino acids (more important than the "protein" value of food) when compared with vegetables. Even vegetarians must work hard to properly balance the diet to prevent vitamin and amino acid deficiencies. Giving your pet extra vegetables is a great idea. It serves to fill them up due to the fiber content, provides potent cancer-fighting antioxidants, and they are very low in calories, which make them perfect as a treat for dieting pets. I'm not a big fan of soy for dogs or people, especially in large amounts, as soy can cause extra intestinal gas. Soy contains high amounts of glutamine, which is an excitotoxin that may cause nerve damage. However, for variety, small amounts of tofu can be fed if the dogs will eat it. Send questions to Dr. Shawn Messonnier at Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, 2145 W. Park, Plano, TX 75075 or naturalvet@juno .com. Visit him at www.petcare naturally.com. Peter H Inbox full of spam? Get leading spam protection and 1GB storage with All New Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.