Transitioning rescued dogs and cats to healthy vegan diets: practical tips

[red dog]

This was inspired by another "pet" discussion, which unfortunately generated a lot of nasty accusations and unsubstantiated rumours. I hope this thread will be a place to discuss the practical matter of feeding our dog and cat babies in a supportive and non-hostile atmosphere. My own dog has been nearly vegan since 2008, but occasionally she's had nonvegan cat food and other stuff she shouldn't have had. Once this summer, I panicked and intentionally fed her some nonvegan food because she was refusing foods she normally likes--fortunately it was just a temporary reaction to the stress of too many foster animals being introduced at once. My fosters have all been adopted, and I've decided I'm going to focus on my own three babies for now.

 

My dog's main food is Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula, but lately she's been having some digestive problems and I'm thinking of switching her over to homemade food. I just bought some VegeDog supplements and I can see that the enclosed recipes are very simple (but will need to be cut way down because she's so tiny). I'm a bit nervous because I'm not used to preparing food and worrying about how long it's been hanging around, etc., but my dog does seem to like home-prepared food better than kibble. I'm also concerned because Natural Balance has vitamin D, and I don't see that listed on the VegeDog label ... plus I was surprised to see that the recipes call for salt. My dog is on heart medicine, but the vet says her problem isn't serious enough to require a special diet. Still, should I *add* salt to her food or would it be better to omit it from the recipes? She can be a picky eater at times, but nutritional yeast and baby food are usually enough to entice her to eat.

 

My cats still eat flesh, but the kibble portion of their diet is vegan now (Amicat). At first they really seemed to hate Ami, but when I finally tried again and sprinkled it with some nutritional yeast they started eating. Now they'll eat it even without the yeast, but they *really* like canned food and beg for it often.

 

I'm really hesitant to make them eat nothing but kibble, and I'm afraid they may be eating too much kibble as it is ... I've heard this can cause kidney problems, but I don't know how reliable that information is. I've bought some VegeCat and was glad to see the recipes are very simple.

 

BUT my cats are super finicky eaters. I'm not sure if they'll eat what I prepare--so far I haven't had much luck getting them to eat fruit, vegetables, grains or tofu.

 

There's also the question of medicines/pesticides and which ones are really necessary. My animals were vaccinated recently, mainly because I was planning to take in fosters, but I really wonder if I should allow future shots. What are everyone's thoughts on these matters?

[Susan Cho]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, red dog.  What kind of heart condition does your dog have?  And it's true that vets get little schooling on nutrition, but that seems to be getting a little better.  There are nutrition consultants and holistic vets, too.  It's a shame that most of the training out there is bound to be backed by pet food companies themselves.

I hope you find a solution soon!

[red dog]

Her heart is enlarged--it's been that way for at least three years and has gotten worse over the past few months. You're right, there are other people I could have asked these questions and I really should have researched supplements and home-cooked diets two years ago before putting her on medication.

[Susan Cho]

But it's hard to think of these things when nobody suggests them, and the trusted expert (your vet) just gives you the one option.  Sorry to hear about her heart.  I hope things go well with both of you!

[red dog]

Thanks Susan ... she's still her usual lovable self but her test results haven't been good and I think she's resisting the medication. Unfortunately I feel I have to feed her prescription food because she's such a light eater, she refuses home-cooked food more often than not, and the one commercial veggie (maybe in transition to vegan?) food she likes is too high in salt. The vet has approved co-enzyme Q-10 but not vitamin E, and I haven't been able to find any other heart-supporting supplements such as l-carnitine. I do feel terrible for using nonvegan products but right now my biggest priority is keeping her alive.

[red dog]

Here's a link that looks helpful:

http://www.vegandognutritionassociation.com/vegandogs.pdf

Unfortunately this paragraph is discouraging:

"Discussion of nutritional therapy for medical problems is beyond the scope of this book.
Refer to a veterinary nutritionist for consultation on meeting the nutritional needs of dogs, old or young, with medical problems that affect nutritional requirements."

[Susan Cho]

Here are some vegan canine treats:

Vegan Flower's K9 Kitchen: Recipe Guide

 

[red dog]

Thanks for the link. I'm not sure what to do about my dog ... she's still getting mainly prescription food until I'm sure I have a safe replacement. She did eat her vegan dinner tonight ... a homemade dinner based on quinoa, wheatgerm and flaxseed, none of which she'd ever had before. I hope it doesn't upset her little stomach.

The kitties just had some Evolution canned "gourmet entree" ... I mixed it with a little bit of conventional canned food as the label suggests, to provide an introduction, but I can see that they really like it! I was shocked because they completely ignored the company's other flavour when I tried it a few years ago. Maybe the kitties will be vegan soon. I'll know more about my dog's health status tomorrow and will have to take it a day at a time.

 

[Flor De Oro Cabrera]

 

Hi,

 

If you would like I can send you more info on dog's nutrition. Let me know. Have a great week.

[red dog]

Thanks Flor ... unfortunately I gave up trying to feed my princess homemade food because she just wasn't eating enough, and I was throwing out most of the food I was preparing. She's eating nonvegan prescription food now and I feel really bad, but I'm not sure whether there's an alternative that meets her needs. Fortunately she seems stable for the time being, but her condition is very serious and salted dog food could shorten her life. If you post a link I'll check it out.