söndag 3 mars 2013

Vegan diet for dogs and cats? What is a "natural" diet for animals, 'predators', 'omnivores', herbivores ?

First of all - a comment for those that are advocating for breeding and against feeding their dogs a vegan diet:

So you are advocating that we should breed animals - which compromises their right to be born into freedom as free and independent individuals; and that we should kill other animals (which isn't ethical, see e.g. this article: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/a-note-about-michael-vick/) to feed animals that can be healthy on a vegan diet. Using violence is unethical.
Two articles about the problems with breeding animals (I am repeating one of them in case someone didn't read the post above):
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/animal-rights-and-domesticated-nonhumans/47
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/pets-the-inherent-problems-of-domestication/


Vegan dogs?: http://www.farmedanimalfriends.org/1/post/2013/05/the-vegan-canine-can-my-canine-companion-be-a-vegan-by-laurie-jeffreys-dvm.html

A study that confirms dogs thrive on a nutritiously appropriate vegan diet: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v495/n7441/full/nature11837.html

It is simple. I won't inflict unnecessary harm and death on animals to feed another animal that I have rescued from an animal shelter, who can live and thrive on a vegan diet.
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Some People argue that it is cruel to feed a dog a vegan diet.
You think it is cruel to ‘deprive an dog a meat diet’, but you don’t think it is cruel to deprive a dog, cat or another animal of their life, to brutally slaughter them on a slaughter house (visit one if you don't believe me), just for palate pleasure/convenience of animal foods that are completely unnecessary for us living a healthy life of optimal health?
 

-Sometimes the argument comes up about a diet being 'natural' for a 'predator'.
For a cow, a fish, or a pig to be killed to become someone’s food is not natural for them and is definitely not healthy for them. They don't want to be killed. They want to live. Their purpose of life is not to become someone's food.
For us to kill other animals – in order to feed anyone, either a dog, a cat, a human, or any other being, is not natural for us, and is not ethical.

If we think that it is morally wrong to consume other sentient beings and that it is detrimental to our physical and spiritual health, why would we ever kill other beings and feed them to other individuals who could be healthy and thrive on a vegan diet?
Why would a healthy, nutritious, cruelty-free vegan diet for an animal be ‘unnatural’, while a diet of products which caused other individuals death and suffering be ‘natural’?
Just because of some ‘predators’ are e.g. killing others, raping others and eating their own species (some of these actions done for survival), does not mean that these are ethical actions, or actions we should allow the animals we take care off to partake in. We are responsible of the actions of individuals that we take care off. If we take care of an animal we are responsible to minimize the suffering that they are causing other beings. Furthermore, as have been said, we are responsible for own actions, and it is not ethical to kill an individual to feed another individual who can be healthy on a vegan diet.

Some cats can't survive on a vegan diet, what do you do?? This is a good pod cast about this: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/follow-up-to-pets-commentary-non-vegan-cats/
 I don’t believe that we are helping the ‘predators’ who can survive on a vegan diet with e.g. synthetic taurine and all necessary nutrients, if we are feeding them a diet of cruelty and oppression (and being unethical and killing someone else in order to do this).
I am discussing this more here about if there is any universal moral for non-human and human animals:
http://bloganders.blogspot.no/2013/05/should-non-human-animals-be-vegan-is-it.html

Some more information about cats is found in this article: http://bloganders.blogspot.no/2013/02/om-man-har-adopterat-en-katt-ar-man.html

-----Dogs and anathomy?

Dogs are 'omnivores':

    Dogs have teeth (molars) with relatively flat surfaces designed to grind up bones as well as fibrous plant material.
    Dogs can digest almost 100% of the carbohydrates they consume. [1]
    Dogs have a small intestine that occupies about 23 percent of the total gastrointestinal volume, which is consistent with other omnivores; the small intestine of cats occupies only 15 percent. [2,3 ]
    Dogs can create vitamin A from betacarotene found in plants


        1 Walker J, Harmon D, Gross K, Collings G. Evaluation of nutrient utilization in the canine using the ileal cannulation technique. J Nutr. 1994; 124:2672S-2676S.
        2 Morris JG, Rogers QR. Comparative aspects of nutrition and metabolism of dogs and cats, in: Nutrition of the dog and cat, eds. Burger IH, Rivers JPW, Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 1989;35-66.
        3 Ruckebusch Y, Phaneuf L-Ph, Dunlop R. Feeding behavior in: Physiology of small and large animals, B.C. Decker, Inc. Philadelphia, PA, 1991;209-219.

Vegan cats:
A person wrote this:
“Sarah, my cats are doing very well on their AMI vegan cat food. They eat it ravenously and even prefer it over the reputable and healthy non-vegan brand I had them on before. At first, I was just as skeptical as the others commenting above, but trust me, I did my research. This particular thread helped a lot, I think you might find it interesting. Read as many of the posts as you can!"
http://m.topix.com/forum/pets/cats/TG2QFA6I3E3STRAUJ

We know that many cats can get all nutrients from a vegan diet and be healthy.
Just because that they in the wild can't get all nutrients (e.g. there is no synthetic taurine in the wild) doesn't mean that they can't be healthy on vegan cat food.
Evidence from many feeding their cats vegan cat food is that they can live very healthy lives.
So how could we then ever morally defend taking another sentient beings life? Then we really talking about depriving another being on his/her health.

About snakes: I haven't studied about this. I am now talking about species, which we know in many, many cases can thrive on a vegan diet.
Please also listen to the lectures of Gary Francione on the issue of vegan cats.

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  • " And just because a cat likes a certain food, it doesn't mean it's healthy for them. "

    If you have vegan cat food that contains all amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients that a cat requires and we know that the cat can absorb these, why wouldn't it be healthy?
    Your claims that it is not healthy contradicts many people's experiences with vegan cats that lived long and healthy lives without any diseases.
  • Debbie Heaton What?? For the 2nd time you didn't answer my question. Oh, well. Supplements although better than nothing aren't nearly as good as the real thing (what a cat actually needs). They aren't going to be as healthy as they could be if they're getting supplements instead of what their actually meant to eat.

  • Anders Branderud "Omnivore means that they need plants and meat. "
    Well, maybe it has different meanings.
    Vegan dog food, like this: http://www.benevo.com/ , contains the amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients a healthy dog needs.
    There are thousands of healthy vegan dogs, e.g. these: http://www.veganpoet.com/articles/dogs-can-be-vegan-too.htm
    These dogs show that it is possible to live a very long and healthy life on a vegan diet.

    When we know this I don't understand that we can kill so many other animals to feed the animal we take care off; to enslave them, separate their families, and take away their purpose. Their purpose is NOT to become "dog food" or "cat food".
    We are taking their life, we are taking their health from them.
    If we are talking about healthy animals we can never forget about the animals who would suffer if we choose to feed the animals we take care of on a non-vegan diet.

Anders Branderud "What?? For the 2nd time you didn't answer my question."
I think I did if you are talking about the snakes. Did you listen to the podcast?

Anders Branderud " And just because a cat likes a certain food, it doesn't mean it's healthy for them. "

If you have vegan cat food that contains all amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients that a cat requires and we know that the cat can absorb these, why wouldn't it be healthy?
Your claims that it is not healthy contradicts many people's experiences with vegan cats that lived long and healthy lives without any diseases.


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"dont be a part of the killing by not owning a meat eating animal."
There are millions of cats being killed each year on animal shelters. We are responsible for these precious beings since we have put them in their dire situation because of our tragic domestication.
If we adopt one of these cats from an animal shelter we do a very good deed.

Of course we shouldn't breed or buy a cat, or any other animal:
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/animal-rights-and-domesticated-nonhumans/
Some resources:
Very good podcast about cats and diet:
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/follow-up-to-pets-commentary-non-vegan-cats/#.UW2TJMr3LS8
Some of my thoughts: http://bloganders.blogspot.no/search?q=vegan+dog
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People feeding animals who can thrive on a vegan diet, non-vegan food:

Do you believe that the purpose of the rat, fish, pig or other animal you are killing is to become "dog food" or "cat food"?
Is that how they deserve to live?
I think that when we are killing another individual we are stealing his/her purpose, we are stealing his/her freedom and life.


Nicky Hoad I have 2 beautiful rescue staffies, my female is X-Bait my male was born in rescue, both mine are vegan, before they become vegan they were ill quiet often, always being sick, but now their mega healthy, the change is amazing, cleaner teeth, bright clear eyes, even the colour of their nose has changed, as for their coats well its almost mirror like (so shiny) they have now been vegan for 4 years, I myself was vegetarian for 26 yrs then turned vegan 

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Anders Branderud There are many who have healthy cats on a vegan diet.

A person wrote this:
“Sarah, my cats are doing very well on their AMI vegan cat food. They eat it ravenously and even prefer it over the reputable and healthy non-vegan brand I had them on before. At first, I was just as skeptical as the others commenting above, but trust me, I did my research. This particular thread helped a lot, I think you might find it interesting. Read as many of the posts as you can!"
http://m.topix.com/forum/pets/cats/TG2QFA6I3E3STRAUJ

We know that many cats can get all nutrients (including synthetic taurine) from a vegan diet and be healthy.
Evidence from many feeding their cats vegan cat food is that they can live very healthy lives.
So how could we then ever morally defend taking another sentient beings life to feed a cat that can be healthy on a vegan diet? Then we really talking about depriving another being on his/her health.
Some more of my thoughts: http://bloganders.blogspot.no/2013/03/vegan-diet-for-dogs-and-cats-what-is.html

We should also work towards ending all domestication: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/animal-rights-and-domesticated-nonhumans/ (and of course take care of the animals living until this is accomplished)
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/what-are-the-roots-of-freedom-and-slavery/


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People feeding animals who can thrive on a vegan diet, non-vegan food:
Do you believe that the purpose of the rat, fish, pig or other animal you are killing is to become "dog food" or "cat food"?
Is that how they deserve to live?
I think that when we are killing another individual we are stealing his/her purpose, we are stealing his/her freedom and life.
If a cat or a dog can be healthy on a vegan diet (all dogs can, but some cats can't), we are not depriving him/her anything. We are actually helping them to live a loving and compassionate lifestyle to all beings.
However, as I said, if we kill animals to feed the animals we take care of, we are certainly depriving many beings of both their life and purpose.

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The oldest living dog is vegan.
http://thebark.com/content/vegan-dogs


---More testimonials:
Paula Zoe All my vegan friends have a beautiful and healthy vegan dogs.. When u feed your dog a dead body... It will probably get sick sooner or later, kidney disease, different skin infections, allergies... Vegan dogs have no health problems like that.. My friend had a vegan French bulldog he was living over 20 years .. French bulldogs live usually 10 years and I know many vegan examples like that.. Vegan life is healthy not only for humans..
 

Daria Malishkin We have a Saint Bernard and we feed her "v dog" kibble and she is loving it. Cats do not do good on vegan diet but vegetarian is possible, dogs can do just fine eating vegan. Our Maggie ( the dog) lives vegan kibble and also "v dog" breath bones, which are great for her breath and teeth. Her coat is beautiful and she is healthy in all other aspects.
 
 
Super healthy for dogs, oldest dog was 28 and vegan. I also know a few vegans with vegan dogs. As well as a few guardians that had dogs with health problems, and those problems resolved via a vegan diet. So seeing is definitely believing. Dogs are a lot like people in the vegan diet sense, we can eat meat but doing so won't be as beneficial as a vegan diet. As for cats, it's a little more complicated, they need taurine but the thing is taurine is already added to their meat. So you can get the vitamin additives and make vegan cat food. I haven't tried it myself but I know one vegan girl who has been feeding her cat a strict vegan diet using the kit from online and her cat has had no problems.
 

Paula Zoe My dog has been vegan for many years and he is the healthiest doggie.. He eats veggies,fruits,beans,grains! He is crazy about Tofu!

Chris:
My dog has been vegan for nearly 5 years. She runs up to 16km with me. The vet says she's the "epitome of good health".

Of course all the nay-sayers out there will simply shrug it off as further anecdotal evidence...


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Faye Williams I'm in Australia & I use Veganpet both wet & dry, Augustines Super boost & their recipes. It can work out very cheap to make your own, there is loads of recipes online. Btw my 14 year old pooch is very healthy, vet thought he was much younger, he has no health issues. My 4 year old cat was so fussy it really worried me but now loves the vegan food & is thriving. As vegans we know more than the average person what we are putting in our bodies, same deal with our furry friend & I like that :))

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Gary L. Francione: The Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights Sharon: Our dogs have been healthy vegan for decades and we have lots of friends who have healthy vegan cats.

Gary L. Francione: The Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights Pamela DeRitis: We usually use the canned Natural Balance (along with veggies, grains, etc.) but have recently started adding a bit of the dry food just on top. They love it.

Maria Comninou Dogs have adapted to grain diets just as humans have, through long evolutionary association. Some people and some dogs may not do well on grains, but that is not the rule. Latest study confirmed this recently. I am sure you can find it by searching. I will try to retrieveand post.

Gary L. Francione: The Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights Sharon Azar: I have had rescued dogs on the verge on death that lived to a very old age. My oldest now is 17 and she is in great shape. As far as the research is concerned *****no one***** maintain s that dogs need meat. There is a controversy about cats but not at all about dogs

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Maria Comninou Here is the original study http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v495/n7441/full/nature11837.html

Maria Comninou See also http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/01/dog-domestication-tied-to-starch.html

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