Posted By Nancy Houser on June 29, 2009

For a long time it has been assumed that dogs are basically a carnivores animal who survives best on meat instead of vegetarian diets for dogs. The majority of canned dog food and dry kibble dog food are beef, chicken, lamb or meat by-products mixed with a little bit of everything else—mainly by-products and grains. This is a theory being challenged by today’s scientific studies regarding the “all meat disease syndrome”, with more and more dog owners moving their dogs to vegetarian diets or raw food diets.

ALL MEAT DISEASE SYNDROME

Scientific studies show that dog diets with meat alone can cause dogs to develop assorted problems–soft bones; poor health conditions; lack of adequate calcium,  iodine, vitamins A and B1, and inadequate ratios of calcium to phosphorus. When we look at the carnivorous background of  dogs throughout history, we refer to dogs in the wild who have eaten the meat diets of wild game and small mammals but also ate grain and plants with it.

What we have not taken into consideration is the fact that the these wild dogs consumed the organs and the bones which are rich in calcium, something all meat seriously lacks.  Plus they ate the intestines of the wild animal, containing vegetable matter from the diet of the consumed game or animal. To mimic this diet, dogs slowly being moved to a vegetarian diet should be fed two meals daily, a small breakfast (such as shredded wheat, porridge in milk, or wholegrain cereals)  and a main or larger meal fed in the late afternoon or early evening.  Meanwhile, the smaller dogs should eat three to four small meals a day as their system is different than a larger dog. Their tummies are smaller and food travels through them quicker. Plus…many small breeds are locked into high gear all day which causes them to require food more consistently than the laid back larger dogs.

VEGETARIAN DIETS FOR DOGS

• Grated cheese
• Cottage Cheese and poached eggs are easily digestible
• Tinned or home made nutmeat
• Textured soya protein
• Cooked lentils
• Raw or cooked vegetables (carrots, cauliflowers, etc.)
• Raw or dried fruit (raw can be chopped or grated)
• Fresh or toasted wholemeal bread
• Brown rice
• Sprouted grains
• Chewing exercise foods: raw whole carrots, cabbage stumps which are lightly roasted, nylon bones, hard wholemeal dog biscuits, or raw whole apples.
• One teaspoon of uncooked sunflower seed oil daily for medium-sized dogs for essential fats for the coat. If it causes diarrhea, reduce the amount.

CONTROVERSARY OVER MEAT DIETS FOR DOGS

The world is full of thousands of unwanted and shelter dogs, kept alive through steady diets consisting of meat.  What is becoming controversial is that the lives of dogs are being saved while the lives of poultry, baby sheep (lamb), and beef are being killed off in a world where animals raised for food is becoming inefficient as a food production. People who are making a stand for such things in addition to health reasons are moving their dogs to vegetarian diets, along with their own diets.

Related posts:

• Are Vegetarian Diets Healthier for Dogs than Meat Diets?
• What About Raw Dog Bones?
• Food allergies in dogs
• Dog Food With Fresh Meat & Vegetables
• Healthy “Human Foods” for Dogs

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This post is filed in: Dog Health Problems, Food information for dogs | Tags: all meat diet for dogs, all meat disease syndrome, dog diets, dog vegetables, healthy dog diets, vegetable diets for dogs, vegetarian diet for dogs, vegetarian dogs
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