Is there a plant-based diet for kitties? I've read many times that dogs can thrive on vegan diets but cats don't. I hate opening those gross cans! 

Ah :-) You guys are so amazing. We've just bought some Ami cat food for the neighbourhood stray cats who cuddle up in our house :)

Thanks Alicia!  I've been feeding my dog Natural Balance with added veggies like peas, green beans and sweet potatoes--she won't eat it alone now and my husband says I have really spoiled her!  I can't wait to pick up Dr Harvey's and get her started on it!  I am soaking some beans right now!

there are info and useful links here too

http://girliegirlarmy.com/lifestyle/20120131/how-to-switch-your-dog-to-a-home-cooked-vegan-diet/

For the last several years I have been volunteering at the AMAZING animal sanctuary and rescue center in India called Animal Aid Unlimited. www.animalaidunlimited.com

Animal Aid rescues sick, malnourished, starving dogs in the hundreds each month.  They all thrive on a vegan diet.  I have watched literally thousands of weak, skinny doggies get fat and healthy on only bean, lentils, and rice.  All of the food for the animals at the shelter is cooked daily at the hospital in HUGE pots by the staff.  For anyone that doubts that a vegan diet is not enough for dogs, Animal Aid Unlimited has proven them wrong!

I love the photos of you, your husband, and your dogs!  All look so happy, healthy, and sweet.  Thank you for sharing.  This is great info., even though I currently don't have a dog.  I'll still save this for the future.  Plus, it inspires me to educate myself more on what I should REALLY feed my three kitties.  Like Andrea above, I'm curious about what I should do to do better for my kitties' food.  They are my babies and I want them to eat as well, and feel as well, as I do.  

I agree that putting your dog on a vegan diet does wonders for the furry children others call our pets. My poor dog Frida (a pug/chihuahua rescue) had the worse hotspots. I was so concerned, she was in constant agony, scratching and chewing herself raw. The vet couldn't answer why she had such a problem but she and I discussed the benefits to putting her on a vegan diet.

I, unfortunately do not have the money to buy the wonderful vegan dog food items that Alicia spoke of, but I do feed her a mix of Natural Balance vegetarian (it's vegan) wet and dry dogfood. My dog loves her food and gets excited to eat. Her hotspots are gone completely and her coat is gorgeous and supple. I get attacked by other people when they see me buying food for her that is vegan, but I don't care because I keep in close touch with my vet and Frida is in perfect health.

As for the CAT question, there is a lot of debate on that. Dogs are omnivores, so like us it is very easy for them to transition to a very healthy life as vegans. Cats unfortunately, are OBLIGATE CARNIVORES and most people will contest that they cannot eat vegan. It is important that you understand that cats have a very different makeup than dogs and humans alike and their needs for nutrition and longevity may not balance with your beautiful vegan lifestyle. I feed my cat "Taste of the Wild" as it does carry meat but is a very high grade food that came strongly recommended by my veterinarian.

What I would say in making all the choices for your pet is to always keep your vet informed, it was my vet that encouraged my dog eat vegan to help with her hotspot problem when I asked her and explained to me about obligate carnivores. Whatever you choose is your decision and we are all looking out for the well being of our furry children.

Are there any veggies (or vegan offerings) that dogs can't eat?  Saoirse do you need to add anything to the Natural Balance veg food? Supplements? I am nervous about using it again. My malamute had auto immune and I was hoping switching to a vegan diet would help him, my vet said it would be ok, we would just check his levels periodically. He started to lose some weight and the day he was scheduled to see the vet, I came home to find him dead. My vet assures me that it was just his time, and switching his food was not the cause. I rescued a fabulous dog and have been nervous of using N B V. But it is also the only veg formula I can afford, (and that is even stretching it on my salary). Just want to make sure I am the best doggie mommy I can be!

I was just thinking about my cats' diet over the weekend.  Their (vet prescribed) food is the only thing in my kitchen that's not vegan.  Like Saoirse, I've been told that my cats must eat meat in order to be healthy, so that's what I have continued to feed them. 

What's funny, though, is that my younger cat, Coco often gravitates toward plant-based foods instead.  She will cry and beg for a taste of our dinner...current favorites include organic pumpkin (from a can), black beans, nut butters, and weirdly enough, air-popped corn!  My husband and I have taken to calling her "our little vegan kitty." 

You say a lot of things about veganism being great, but there's not much meat into these toughts so we could take them seriously... The first credible person on record to have openly advocated veganism is Greek mathematician Pythagas, who said that "eating an animal might involve eating a human soul"... Leonardo da Vinci said that "in the future harming an animal will be considered as much a crime than harming a human", I'm still waiting... It's encouraging to read that philosopher Peter Singer believe that personal purity is not the issue. I didn't read anything about potential healt gain by eating vegan, the only real argument is that eating animals is cruel, if animals are treated correctly during the slaughter process where is the problem... A few years ago I've seen a video taken by a hidden camera in a Asian chicken farm where the young male roosters were dropped into a crusher while still alive because they can't give eggs, that's what I call cruelty... In fact I've read that "vegetarian diets may be selected to camouflage an existing eating disorder"...

@Julie I feed my dog 1 cup of dry Nature Balance Vegetarian with a 1/4 can of Nature balance wetfood as prescribed by my vet twice daily. I also give her small treats when I am preparing food and she loves kale and chews them like she would a rawhide. I am so sorry to hear you lost your furry child, but he knew how much you loved him and trust your vet. I can imagine if you are on this forum and concerned about his health still, you are a great doggie mama.

Foods toxic to dogs: Onions, garlic, dairy, chocolate, some nuts, mushrooms, raisins/grapes...the list goes on. For more information: http://www.risingwoods.org/OURFAMILY/THEDOGS/knowntoxicfoodsfordogs.htm

More information about "Obligate Carnivores":

Obligate or true carnivores depend solely on the nutrients found in animal flesh for their survival. While they may consume small amounts of plant material, they lack the physiology required for the efficient digestion of vegetable matter and, in fact, some carnivorous mammals eat vegetation specifically as an emetic.

All felids including the domestic cat are obligate carnivores requiring a diet of primarily animal flesh and organs. The ability to produce synthetic forms of essential nutrients such as taurine in the lab has allowed feed manufacturers to formulate foods for carnivores including domestic pets and zoo animals with varying amounts of plant material.

Cabbage1979, raising animals without suffering is a much better alternative than raising them most farms do.  However, the issue here is that, even if they were raised well, we are still taking their lives, and I don't believe that any living creature has the right to take another living creature.  That's the point.  I know that there are animals that are carnivores, but they don't have a choice, do they?  We, as humans, do have the choice.  That's where the main issue lies.

I just ordered some of the Dr. Harveys and got it in the mail a couple days ago, I added some beans and olive oil for my 80lb golden female and she loves it. We have had her on other Vegetarian dog foods, even V- Dog which she loves but she also likes this so I know one thing, I cannot afford to buy the Dr. Harveys all the time, so I need to supplement it with another food.

 

Thanks for the suggestings on dog foods.

Also, I ordered the Boston Baked Bonz and she loved them too.....

 

To force a vegan diet on a cat would be cruel. I have 3 cats and I got them before I was vegan. Now I wouldnt have cats because of the continued purchase of meat for cat food. Theres a lot of bad things going on in the pet food industry as well and We only feed our cat the highest grade organic food. Its expensive but well worth their health.