These recommendations are great, thank you.  I've considered a vegan, or at least vegetarian, diet for my dogs, as I realize that the dog food industry has a part in factory farming.  I, just as everyone else, also want to make sure they're getting the proper nutrients.  I had posted a question about this to a holistic vet on FB with very negative results...no response from her and pure nastiness from a few, and one in particular, followers.  It was very disconcerting, but I s'pose, sadly, that sometimes that kind of reaction simply comes along with bringing up the idea of veganism. 

http://eatplantsandrun.com

my dogs - sigh - are not vegan, but I've read quite a lot on the subject.

I reccomend this: http://www.behavetech.com/vegandogs.html

you can download for free a book about vegan dogs  nutrition, join a yahoo group and find other useful links.

hope it helps!

Hi Alicia,

I think it's awesome that you're vegan, but it's completely unnatural to feed dogs a that way. Dogs are NOT meant to eat grains. It is hard for their bodies to digest, and as a result will not live the same quality of life as a dog who eats what nature intended him to. We feed our dog Cubby what he would eat in the wild - raw meat, bones and blended leafy greens. I know you've been to Dr. McCutcheon's office in Toronto and he is all for the raw diet. Remember, we are our dogs mouthpiece. 

When people get nasty about my dogs being on a vegan diet and act all knowing, I throw the bible and them and quote Genisis when God was telling Adam (and creation)  that they could eat any plants, nuts, and seeds and that would be their meat.  God created animals and man to be vegetarians in the beginning of creation.  That for me is proof enough.  If man had not sinned, the animals would still to this day be vegetarian.  So I trust God to feed my pets what they were meant to eat from the beginning of creation.  Go Vegan!

Well, I'm not even going to start on the bible... (but I have to say that's a crazy place to determine what is best for your pets!)... that aside - dogs are CARNIVORES - (and I guess we could get into a discussion on Evolution if we all cared to) - the point being that dogs were meant to AND DO eat meat in the real world when humans are not guiding them. I dont' think I can explain it better than here: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/01/19/vegetarianism-for-pets.aspx    

Now - as for humans we can choose what we do and do not wish to eat, and we can add supplements when necessary - but how silly to NOT feed your dogs & cats what THEIR bodies need! 

Call me crazy - but I just was at the grocery store buying fruit, veggies & whole grains for myself - and tons of veggies to make my own vegan dog food "stew" - AND whole chicken thighs for my dogs. They deserve what is best for them, even if it DOES gross me out to watch them munching on raw meat and chomping on bones - otherwise I have no business owning them.

Dogs are NOT carnivores, but cats are.  Dogs thrive on vegan diets just like people. My three big dogs (Siberian Husky, Yellow Lab and Choc Lab mix) all live on homemade vegan dog food and are much healthier eating this food than they were eating traditional dog food or meat. I make their food twice a week and portion it out in containers in the fridge.  I rotate through different proteins like lentils, every bean imaginable, tofu, TVP, etc and also rotate through brown rice, oats, barely etc.  I buy all in bulk to keep cost down. Each batch is unique and i make all the beans, rice etc in my rice cookers so i dont have to watch the stove.  I literally dump a batch of rice in one, beans in the other, hit start and walk away till the timers go off.  I buy TONS of veggies and chop them and refrigerate until the meal its needed. Clearance last day veggies at the supermarket are great for feeding dogs, and i also am a CSA member so i love all the random veggies i get each week in my pick-up. Its great because it helps me rotate through veggies for myself and my dogs for optimal nutition. I stock up on frozen veggie sales at the grocery store in case im low on fresh produce some days, and i have a garden a few months of the year.  I add the vitamins above that Alicia recommends and also add ground flax, flax oil, olive oil,  brewers yeast, and nutrtional yeast flakes, which i buy for very cheap in bulk at my local health store.  it sounds like a lot of work for 3 large dogs but its really not. Plus i buy all these foods for myself anyway.  I may invest about 30 minutes a week into making their food. My dogs stand in the kitchen at meal time, tails wagging all excited to get a big bowlful of beans, rice, zucchini, squash, green beans and kale.  My dogs eat better than most people.. and it costs less than low quality kibble.  

shortyrin....THANK YOU, I am glad you said it....I was debating whether to go there....my dogs are vegan as well- they lately had a few carnivorous treats- but I gotta say they weren't at their best, then again- after years of being vegan- their bodies are used to all the good foods.  They are athletes, well retired now- they are 12-13- and 13- years old, but still get comments on how young they look and act! People are shocked they are as old as they are.....the PROOF IS IN THE PICTURE as they say!

I put my two dogs on Natural Balance Veg Formula two months ago and have been thrilled so far!  The chronic allergies and ear infections are completely gone.  I have one dog that is apparently allergic to all forms of animal protein.  I had tried grain free and raw, all different formulas, all for an appropriate amount of time.  

I initially toyed with the idea of dogs' natural diet, but whether you're feeding low or high quality kibble, organic free range ground raw meat, organs and other parts, or chicken thighs...  NONE of these things are natural!  Most are products of factory farming - loaded with chemicals, hormones, pain, fear, and torture.  And they're all processed to some point and taken apart into bits so that you have to add back in the bone, organ meat, and vitaims to make sure you're feeding a complete diet.

If you want natural, let your dog eat the rabbits, groundhogs, moles, and raccoons in the backyard.  Dogs were domesticated and practically turned into garbage pickers and scavengers whenever they first began cohabitating with humans.  

Since I'm not about to put my pet dogs on that kind of natural diet, I feel this is the very best I can do for them!  I hope one day to move on to something like Dr. Harvey's but I've been through so many changes of food for him and the allergies have been so allusive up until now that I'm reluctant to mess with what's working!  I'll probably start by adding some xtra fresh veggies and oils to the Natural Balance Kibble just to ease in.