If you have been considering putting your dog on a vegetarian diet but were unsure of the possible health risks or if it can even be done then you have come to the right place as the good news is that dogs can in fact eat and thrive on a vegetarian diet. Even more surprising is that dogs can also technically live off of a vegan diet as long as the right balance of different plant bases of protein are met.
While dogs may technically belong to the order Carnivora, they are actually omnivores. The canine body has the ability to transform certain amino acids into others, meaning that dogs can get all of the amino acids they need without having to eat meat or other animal products.
How To Switch Your Dog To A Vegetarian Diet
One of the only real issues with switching your dog to a vegetarian diet is that sometimes your dog may be picky and not accept the food right away, but even this is somewhat rare as most dogs will eat just about anything you put down in front of them. In order to make the transition from a meat diet to vegetarian diet, try mixing increasing amounts of the new vegetarian food in with decreasing amounts of meat until your dog becomes more used to the idea, at which point you may then cut out meat altogether.
There are quite a few vegetarian and even vegan dry kibbles that can be found online and/or in specialty stores for your dog to eat. It is also a great idea to supplement these kibbles with fresh produce. Always make sure that you don’t feed your dog produce that is poisonous such as onions. Foods should also contain taurine. One other option may be to include things like flax seeds or vitamins with your dogs meals to make sure they are getting enough nutrients. Speak with your veterinarian for more information on how to do this safely and efficiently.
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