[nagdu] dogs cats transitioning

[Becky Frankeberger]

Dogs, cats differ on transitioning to plant-based diet

May 1 2015 12:01 am

Pet Docs

Question: For ethical reasons, I am a vegetarian. I am the owner of a cat
and two dogs. I

feel very guilty feeding them animal products, but I continue to do so for
their

health. Can I safely make vegetarians out of them.

Answer: The first time I (Henri Bianucci) gave this matter any thought was
during my residency.

One afternoon, while conducting a teaching lab, I heard a student mention
that she

was a vegetarian. I knew this student, and knew that she had cats.

I asked, "Are you a vegetarian for health reasons, or is it out of concern
for animal

welfare?"

"Animal welfare," she exclaimed.

"Well, what do you feed your cats?" I asked.

Her response surprised me. She broke into tears and upbraided me for putting
her

in an uncomfortable position in front of her classmates.

I truly asked only because I was interested in how she handled this dilemma.
Clearly

this was something she had not quite come to terms with. It was a clash
between her

moral convictions, and the bare necessities of her cats' nutrition.

She is not alone. As I mentioned in a recent column, there is a growing
awareness

in this country that the conditions food animals are subjected to are
manifestly

cruel. When we consume animal products, we become participants in this. That
has

driven many to become vegans and vegetarians, and they have extended this
practice

to their pets' diets as well. Many more are interested in doing so, but
can't quite

make the leap, often due to the belief that dogs and cats are, naturally,
pure carnivores.

For cats, this belief is fairly accurate. For example, cats require an amino
acid

called taurine because their body cannot synthesize (make) it. They can only
obtain

this from meat sources or supplements. Vitamin B-12, cobalamin, is another
nutrient

that cats best obtain from meat. Without these vital nutrients cats will
develop

heart failure, blindness, neurological disease and anemia.

Convincing studies that cats can reliably derive these nutrients from
plant-based

diets are lacking. For this reason, I could only advise that a vegetarian
program

for cats be implemented under the supervision and monitoring of a qualified
veterinarian

or veterinary nutritionist.

Dogs are much better candidates for conversion to a plant-based diet. Dogs
belong

to the order carnivora. They descended from the wolf 15,000 to 20,000 years
ago.

So, they are primarily carnivores, but through their association with man,
their

gastrointestinal tracts have evolved in the direction of the omnivore, and
they actually

can derive virtually all of their nutritional requirements through a
vegetarian diet

and supplements.

A 2006 National Research Council report by a team of leading experts in
animal nutrition

definitively confirmed that a vegetarian diet for dogs is completely healthy
as long

as it provides adequate protein and vitamin D.

Warren, a black Labrador, was plagued with skin and digestive problems. At
the age

of 1, he was diagnosed with a high-grade cancer and was given no more than a
year

to live. His owner knew he had to act. After painstaking research, he came
to the

conclusion that if his diet wasn't killing Warren, it certainly wasn't
helping.

He concluded that, aside from ethical concerns about using animals for food,
"Commercial

dog food is essentially slaughterhouse waste products. It's disgusting."

He formulated his own vegetarian diet, primarily made up of lentils, basmati
rice,

and fresh vegetables. Warren's skin and intestinal problems resolved almost
immediately

after implementing the new diet.

Warren, now four years out from a terminal cancer diagnosis, came to me for
the removal

of a suspicious mass on his spleen. Before I even knew he was a vegetarian,
I was

immediately struck by his appearance. He was solid, sharp and had a thick,
lustrous,

black coat. He appeared exceptionally vital, and demonstrated a vertical
leap that

Michael Jordan would envy.

He underwent surgery to remove his spleen. After four tense days, the
diagnosis returned:

It was a benign hematoma, essentially a pocket of blood. A huge relief to
his owner

and a reason to continue to believe in his dietary choice.

It is a widely held sentiment that its just not natural to deprive a dog of
meat.

It is an understandable belief until one really considers what is allowed
into a

bag of some dog foods. For example, meat is derived from what is known as
"The four

D's," meaning animals arrive at the slaughterhouse dead, diseased, dying or
disabled.

In most states, it is legal to use what are otherwise unusable animal parts
in pet

food. Furthermore, these diets already contain large amounts of plant-based
starches

from corn and other grains. There is really nothing "natural" about what
most dogs

consume in commercial foods.

There are commercial vegetarian dog foods, which are nutritionally complete.
When

selecting these, it is recommended that you select a food that conforms to
the standards

set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
Alternatively,

you may opt for cooking your own recipe up at home. If so, it is recommended
that

you consult a credentialed animal nutritionist, or follow a diet that was
created

by one, to ensure that its nutrients are properly balanced.

If you are not quite ready to make the full plunge into vegetarianism, you
could

supplement a conventional commercial diet with plant-based meals.

Dr. Henri Bianucci and Dr. Perry Jameson are with Veterinary Specialty Care
LLC.

Send questions to petdocs at postandcourier.com
<mailto:petdocs at postandcourier.com> .

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150501/PC12/150509991/1117

 

 

Becky Frankeberger

Butterfly Knitting

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