We all know dogs are groceries, but dogs can be vegetarians, you know? A 48-year-old girl from Adelaide, Lea.
McBride, a healthy picture of her and her two senior goldenhounds, Darcy, 10, and Emilie, 8. Like Lea, both dogs are strict vegetarians and almost everyone in life likes plant-based diets.
“We raised them into vegetarians,” said Lea, Director of Adelaide Vegetables and Coordinator of Activities. “They fed them when they were young, but we slowly transformed Darcy into a vegetarian in four months. Six months later, he was completely vegetarian. Emilie was 100 percent pure vegetarian in four months, and we've done research with Darcy. “...
Lea and Darcy (left) and Emilie.
Look at a healthy, lively golden doggy, and it raises the question: can every dog survive in pure food or actually thrive?
In changing dog eating habits, Lea and Derek, a veterinarian from The Parade Norwood Veterinary Clinic in South Australia,
Dr. McNair worked closely to ensure that all nutritional needs were provided.
“At that time, there was not much documentation of pets being fed,” she revealed. “We did as much research as possible, and Dr. Derek told us that if their health were to be slightly affected, we would recover meat.”
Dr. Derek admitted initial skepticism, but after 10 years she found herself always admired the health of the dog. "I've been looking after them because they're dogs," he said. “They are very healthy and do not encounter any problems. They move a lot and enjoy a good level of energy.
“Lea provided them with commercially available dry food, which the company claimed was nutritionally balanced. She also redoubled her efforts to provide them with home-made food and snacks, adding supplements such as LSA for Omega-3s and yeast for vitamin B12. She provides bean products containing plant protein and fatty acid, which provide light skin, good skin and a healthy nervous system. “...
They haven't eaten meat for almost a decade.
This may not be a nutritionist.
Ruth Hatten, a pet nutritionist in Brisbane, believed that some dogs could eat pure food safely, but stressed that dogs needed extra care to thrive.
“This is about the bioavailability of nutrients”, she said. “Dogs are predators, and current research shows that nutrients found in animal sources are more bioavailable to them.
“You can increase biological use by feeding a variety of plant proteins, but food must be provided in a way that dogs will absorb all nutrients.
“The lack of starch enzymes in dog saliva is necessary for the processing of carbohydrates. They also do not produce cellulose enzymes, which are necessary for digestive plants. This means that it will be difficult for them to digest plants unless measures are taken to help digest them.”
With this in mind, all plant substances should be cooked, shredded and/or shredded by partially digestive dogs. Ruth also recommended digestive enzyme supplements containing starch and celluloid enzymes. Similarly, apple vinegar can help.
Darcy and Emilie, though old, are still alive and healthy.
While plant-based proteins can provide sufficient nutrition for dogs, essential nutrient-aided enzymes Q10 and vitamin B12 can only be extracted from meat.
“Other nutrients include essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, which are present in vegetable foods”, Ruth said, “But I can still choose some raw bones, loose eggs and fish. Although not pure vegetarian, it can reduce meat while significantly reducing health problems that may arise from pure vegetarian diets.
“I know it may be challenging for pure vegetarians to feed their dogs, but I believe our primary responsibility is to take care of our animals. Sometimes dogs do not enjoy pure food, which is also an important factor. If it gets too hard, then a person may choose not to eat meat pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens or horses. Another option is to feed healthy meat, which can be found in local organic meat. This will provide additional health guarantees for your pets, not for the meat farmed in the factory. “...
If you start raising dogs as vegetarians, experts will stress the need to do it slowly, and then you will need all the nutrients mentioned above.
“it will take at least one month”, Dr. Derek suggested, “to set aside time to adjust the intestinal bacteria”.
Lea suggested gradually replacing vegetarian food with meat for each meal. "I started adding puritan dog products to their meat and alternation brands," she said. “In the end, we completely eliminated meat and rotated their vegetable diets with supplements, creating them a diet suitable for overall nutrition.”
Lea's husband and son and two dogs at home.
Emilie was a 100% vegetarian from childhood.
Although Lea relies on pure veggie food purchased by some shops, she also prepares her own meals several times a week.
"I make wet foods with a variety of pulses, lentils, vegetables, gypsies and apple vinegar. We replace vegetables with sweet potatoes, kale, spinach and carrots, "She said.
And don't forget the regular health checkup, "If your dog just starts to eat pure food, check it every six months," Dr. Derek suggested. “About two years later, if all blood tests look good, they are postponed every year, which is recommended for every dog, regardless of diet.”
Emily's eight, healthy.
As for Darcy and Emilie, their most recent annual examinations provided a clear health condition.
"Someone always talks to me, but the evidence is on my dog," Lea said to the critics. “I can't think of any reason for me to change my meat back. Their hearing is good, their bodies are good, their eyes are good, they're very healthy.
"When we go to the vet, I'll admit to being a little nervous. I fear that if there were any problems, I would be criticized. Fortunately, however, this year the reports of our two dogs are very healthy.
At the age of 10 and 8, Darcy and Emily were happy, healthy, smart and socially capable, but I did make a lot of effort to ensure that they stayed in that state."