Vegetarian Diets For Your Dog

Vegetarians like animals as well - they simply do not eat them. Or perhaps that is why they do not eat them. Whatever! There is an issue that bothers some vegetarians that own pets, and it is: do I have to feed them meat or can I supply vegetarian diets for my cat and dog. It is well worth thinking about this dilemma before acquiring a normally carnivorous pet.

Domestic carnivores such as cats and dogs are omnivores, meaning that they will eat pretty much anything If a domestic animal goes ferule (wild) it will revert to its primitive kind, which means that it will hunt and forage.

Cats and dogs will eat grains and grasses but they prefer them semi-digested, which is why, when they make a kill, they usually tear the stomach open first and eat that and the internal organs. The meat comes last on the list.

You can see by looking at the pets' teeth that they have fangs for killing and gripping (for tearing) and molars for grinding and crushing. The grinding and crushing is meant for grains and bones.

This means that you may be able to sustain your pets on a vegetarian diet, |but it probably will not be easy. There has been a lot of investigation into the dietary needs of human beings and so someone on a diet, measures what he eats against what his body needs and takes supplements to match the deficit.

However do you know precisely what your pets' requirements are and how you can supply them? If you do not, where will you find out? I am certain you can with quite a bit of study, but do you have that degree of commitment? And do you think that your pet would thank you for making it a vegetarian? It may even turn your pet into a rapacious killer to make up the deficit or fulfill its craving for meat.

Cats and dogs require a high percentage of protein, so do you think that you will be able to slip enough nuts and tofu into its diet to provide enough? You may find your pets chasing every bird in your garden trying to catch some meat, instead of observing them lazily from under your seat.

All in all, a vegetarian diet is not a good notion for domestic animals such as cats and dogs, and if you have trouble opening the cans or giving it raw meat, perhaps you could ask someone else in the family who is a little less squeamish to feed the animals or you could feed them meat less frequently, say only if you take them to your friend's or mother's house, then you can let them do it for you.

The other approach is to have rabbits or gerbils and tropical fish. Cats are not useful animals as dogs are in the sense that a dog will discourage burglars but if you are just thinking of pets as stress-reducers or a manner of introducing your kids to the animal world, a rabbit will do that equally as well.