You may want to feed your pet a vegetarian diet (or vegan, even) for a variety of reasons:

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• Ethics — owners who abstain from eating animal products for reasons related to the cruel conditions on factory farms may not want animals to be eaten, even by other animals
  
• Pet health — “logic” would dictate that if a vegetarian diet is better for humans, it would also make your pets healthier, right? Hmmm…
  
• Questionable ingredients in commercial pet food — studies and reports by the USDA and other organizations have shown that what goes into commercial pet food is generally less than wholesome and savory (or safe). “Animal derivatives” and “animal by-products” in pet food ingredient lists most often represent chicken entrails, parts from 4D (dead, dying, diseased, and disabled) animals considered unfit for human consumption. The list goes on, but I’ll stop there. For more information, please see this article by veterinarian Andrew Knight: Fishy Business? Veterinarian Andrew Knight on the Best Diets for Our Pets. (Please note that we do not necessarily advocate a true vegan diet for pets, but this article does contain some good information on the pet food industry).
  

In today’s episode of the Vegetarian Zen podcast, we’ll be discussing this controversial topic. You’ll hear a little about the nutritional needs of dogs and cats, risks of removing meat from your pet’s diet, and some tips and guidelines for switching your pet’s food.

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• Foods Your Dog Should Never Eat
  
• Foods Your Cat Should Never Eat
  
• Vegan Dog Nutrition Facebook group
  

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• Sweet Potato Dog Chew – Vegetarian Alternative to Rawhide 
  
• Heart Healthy Recipes for Dog Treats Cheesy Flax Squares 
  
• Pumpkin Dog Treats with Peanut Butter
  
• Wheat Free Dog Treat Recipes: Apple Carrot Nibbles 
  
• Peanut Butter Carrot Puppy Biscuits
  

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

— Roger Caras

In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.

— Terry Pratchett

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• Healthy Pets
  
• Can Dogs Stay Healthy On A Vegetarian Diet?
  
• 100 Vegan-Eating Dogs; An encyclopedia of Vegan Dog Nutrition
  
• 100 Dogs on a Vegan Diet
  
• Vegetarian Cats and Dogs
  
• Foods Your Dog Should Never Eat
  
• Foods Your Cat Should Never Eat
  
• Veterinarian Andrew Knight on the best diets for our pets
  
• DIY Vegan Dog Treats
  
• To Feed or Not to Feed Meat: One Vet’s Take on Vegetarian Dog Diets
  
• Health hazards of meat-based diets
  

Thanks for listening!

Peace and Veggies,

Vickie and Larissa

The post VZ 073: You Can Feed Your Pet a Vegetarian Diet…But Should You? appeared first on Vegetarian Zen.