Yes, feeding your pet a vegan dog diet is animal abuse. Dogs don’t have grinder teeth, and they should not feed mainly on vegetables.
Dogs will eat vegetables if you give them to them, but they don’t have teeth to grind it for a reason.
You can give your dog some greens as fiber to help him go to the bathroom, but he’s a carnivore.
Dogs Are Facultative Carnivores
Dogs are somewhere between carnivores and omnivores because they need meat. They can, will, and should eat other things. But unlike true omnivores like humans and chickens, they cannot survive and thrive without a certain amount of animal protein.
Dogs are facultative carnivores who can digest some plant matter, but most of their diet must be meat to survive. Cats were domesticated as mousers (cats have only been pets more than rodent fighters for 120 years). And there was no reason for them to adapt to human food as anything more than an optional extra.
Dogs are not designed for a vegan diet, and their digestive systems are incapable of processing vegetables, fruits, and diets containing animal protein. Medically, this is a bad idea; ethically, it’s also bad
As someone said, if a vegan wants to have a pet that eats a vegan diet, they should choose an animal that does well on that diet. Rabbits, horses, goats, sheep, mice, rats, hamsters, adult iguanas, gerbils, and guinea pigs are all wonderful pets that would be suitable.
Anyone who says it’s okay because they can “survive” with it makes a false logical connection. Survival does not mean it is not abuse. Instead, something has to be alive before being abused.
And since survival is a prerequisite for abuse, the fact that the dog survives on that food does not mean that feeding it that food is not abuse.
Is It Abusive To Feed A Dog A Vegan Diet To Punish It?
Yes. Not everyone would want to punish the dog with the food, and that’s just pathetic to do so. If your dog misbehaves, give it a quick pat, nothing more.
Dogs Are Not As Conditioned As Humans
If you don’t want him jumping up on people, give him a pat on the butt and tell him no calmly. That’s it. Don’t feed him apples or silly stuff like that for the rest of his life.
Positive Rewards Are Good Too
Instead of punishing him when he disobeys your command, reward him when he does what you want him to do. Remember that dogs also have a brain and can think and have feelings.
And finally, as the owner of a dog (or any other animal), you are responsible for ensuring your pet gets the food he needs, a warm bed, and lots of love. Don’t be silly and think you can teach him a lesson by giving him only vegan food.
Dogs can eat a vegan diet, but you must ensure they get enough nutrients to stay healthy. There is already enough violence and cruelty in the world, and the best thing we can do is be kind to animals.
They are kind to us when we are kind to them. Dogs are our companions who are there for us when there is no one else. Don’t punish them unnecessarily. Also, treat them the way you would treat someone you love.
Risks of a vegan diet for dogs
- The dog may not get all the protein it needs.
- The dog may cause an imbalance of specific amino acids such as taurine and L-carnation.
- The dog may suffer from vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
- Add supplements to your dog’s vegan or vegetarian diet to compensate for these risks. There are different kinds of accessories on the market, but it is essential to choose one that contains taurine, L-carnitine, and vitamin B-12.
- A commercial vegetarian diet can alleviate your concerns about an unbalanced diet. If you choose a natural food for your dog, ensure it is free of animal and plant byproducts and chemicals such as BHT, BHA, and ethoxyquin.
- If you choose to prepare meals yourself, it’s best to consult your veterinarian or a pet nutritionist to help you create a balanced diet.
- Keep in mind that dogs in the wild prefer animal protein. They must eat a diet closest to what they would eat if they went hunting.
- Most veterinarians strongly discourage feeding a puppy a vegan diet and recommend more frequent checkups, including blood tests, for dogs on a vegan diet.