soyabean chunks

[yogesh]

hello every body ,

I have one question.... I am pure vegetarian and my dog was also vegetarian but from last 4 days she refused to eat anything ... i bought some rawhide foods and she started eating, i was happy , i kept offering her ...now problem- i come to know that its a proper non veg product and i am not a non vegetarian...so i asked one of my friend(dog owner) to tell me how to stop feeding her non veg food,he said offer puppy soyabean chunks she started eating them very well.... then i started mixing soybean chunks with pedigree puppy food to let her give a try (as before she was also not eating pedigree puppy food) I was amazed she ate all instantly... i come to conclusion that i will mix pedigree puppy food with soyabean chunks(boiled)... but i would need experienced people advice as i am a first time pet owner and don't know much about food and habits of dogs.. my dog is 4 months old.

help will be appreciated

Thank you.

Yogesh Aggarwal.

[stephremon]

dogs re not naturally vegetarian. IMO they shold not be fed a vegetarian diet. It is not a choice that they themselves make and I don't think it's our place to make that for them. They need meat. If you wanted a vegetarian pet - choose a herbivore not an omivore.

Try feeding dog food - I'm sure she'll love it 

[yogesh]

she is already eating now not the veg but non veg as puppy food contains good amount of chicken but may be because of regular diet she refused to eat puppy food buut my question is - its good for dogs to eat soyabean chunks(boiled)?

as i am not the one who cooks non veg food and even i am pure vegetarian... so i am asking you this question?

[Sheryl]

According to one article I read, 'dogs lack an essential amino acid to convert soybean into protein' so based on that I would say no.  Hope that helps xx

[yogesh]

thank you

[BeckyD]

dogs re not naturally vegetarian. IMO they shold not be fed a vegetarian diet. It is not a choice that they themselves make and I don't think it's our place to make that for them. They need meat. If you wanted a vegetarian pet - choose a herbivore not an omivore.

Try feeding dog food - I'm sure she'll love it 

i completely agree with this, its not fair on the animal, they naturally want to eat meat

[stephremon]

thanks BeckyD... thought I was gonna get slated for that... phew! x

[Coco]

If you do not like to prepare meat for personal or religious reasons you could try a nutritionaly balanced dry food (with meat). You can just scoop it out and not even need to touch it. 
If you want her to continue on a veggie diet you should make sure that you know all about it. Try reading this http://www.peta.org/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=34
Some recipe ideas
http://pet-nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/vegetarian_dog_food_recipes
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Homemade-640/dog-food-recipes.aspx

You shouldn't make too many changes in her diet though.

You may also want to consider giving her a supplement to make sure she is getting the right nutrition she needs.

[speedyjaney]

Dogs are carnivores but can like Coco has mentioned live happily on a nutritionally balanced veggie diet.....please do your research tho and make sure you can get hold of the food if you choose to switch on to it.

[yogesh]

thank you for your reply

[bluegirl]

I agree with what others have said, dogs are designed to be meat eaters and as such that should have been a consideration when you got the dog. So as I see it you have 2 choices, feed the dog a diet full of meat and you stick to your vegetarian diet or research dog vegetarian diets which would be suitable to meet all your dogs needs. Remember this is a young dog which requires increased nutrients to allow it to develop healthily into a sound well adjusted adult. Messing with diets where there is no actual balance will for sure lead to problems in your dogs future health.

[stephremon]

spoke to the vets at work, as feeling a bit guilty over my harsh reply to you... they have seen dogs that were fed a veg diet incl. soya... however... they came in as they had developed gasto-intestinal problems and developed an allergy to soya as they are not meant to eat it.... the others had renal failure to lack of appropriate diet.

why don't you feed a dried food? or fish?

surely that's better than predisposing our dog to illness?

personally I think it is cruel and selfish... think what you like about me... mods/admin boot me if you feel necessary.

[Rats and Dogs]

I've been a strict vegetarian for over 25 years, but I have always fed my dogs on the food they need. I was horrified when I first had to cut up some chicken for dogs at work, but gradually got used to preparing food for pets, as I don't actually touch it. 

I don't feel that feeding meat to my pets compromises my principles in any way, as I don't eat it myself, nor do I cook it for my OH. 

[Coco]

I must say that I agree that dogs should have a non veggie diet,  (I personally don't really agree with just preference, however if religious reasons dictate or such or you feel sooo strongly you can't get by it...)  but if you do so, you have made an important decision that may affect the health of you dog, as such there is no excuse not to become well informed on it. It's plausible, maybe better than feeding a dog all sorts of cr@p as some do, but you HAVE to find out what you need to be doing for the sake of their health otherwise IMO it's tantamout to under/over feeding which in turn IMO is abuse.
I'm glad the OP posted, we don't know their exact reasons for a meat free diet, misguided or not, but if that's what they have chosen to do then so be it.
Yogesh, have a look at the other options available, such as a quality dried food which would not involve coming into contact with meat, responsibly sourced meat, but if you feel that you must continue with the veggie option please find out all you can to provide your pup a balanced diet.
If your reasons for a non meat diet are due to feelings that meat eating causes cruelty to animals, consider what an undernourished dog in your care would be. I hope you can find the solution that keeps you both happy