Feeding your poodle a vegetarian diet

For thousands of years, many people have lived long and healthy lives being vegetarians or even vegans.   Have you ever wondered about feeding your poodle a vegetarian diet?  By now you must have heard about the long list of pet foods that have been recalled and the salmonella scare concerning many dry food brands.  Is a vegetarian diet for your dog a healthy option or not?

How about the story of Bramble.  She was a 27-year-old border collie whose vegan diet of rice, lentils, and organic vegetables.  She is in actually in the Guinness Book of World Records and she holds the official record for the world's oldest living dog in 2002. 

It is true, and yes, you can feed and make your own vegan and vegetarian meals for your poodle.  Gary Null, who is a best-selling author, nutritionist and expert in the field of natural health, writes that dogs (including poodles) can do very well living on a vegan diet.  His book "Natural Pet Care" has some recipes which have foods like yams, oatmeal and honey and grated carrots as some of the ingredients included in them.

Feeding your poodle a vegetarian diet

Livinggreenmag.com had this to say, when it comes to the question of giving your poodle or dog a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Some people wonder if it’s “unnatural” to omit meat from the diet of a dog.  Wild dogs are scavengers; a dog is, by genus, metabolically classified as a carnivore.
However, they are omnivores—which means you can safely raise your dog on a vegan diet.
In any case, if you are feeding your dog commercial dog food, then you could be jeopardizing your furry pal’s health. Pet food often contains animal by-products deemed by U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors as “unfit for human consumption.” This includes the flesh of animals who fall into one of the categories of the four D’s—dead, dying, diseased or disabled.

Original article may be found here

Those are pretty strong words in the last paragraph, but I cannot argue with them.  I don't mean to insult any meat eaters out there, and I am not a vegetarian, myself.  But I do know that the vegan diet and lifestyle is a very healthy one, and probably better than a diet which includes a lot of meat, dairy and animal fats.

Try making a couple of recipes at a time and adding it as a treat or snack.  Maybe throw a vegan dish in once a week as a replacement for the usual dinner for your pup.  I'm sure if it's made from tasty fresh ingredients, that your dog will eat it happily.  After all, your dog may be a little tired of eating the same old thing in day in day out, so a change might be refreshing.

Could this poodle be a vegetarian?

Feeding your poodle a vegetarian diet and getting off on the right "paw" starts with a little background and education on the subject and here's a very good video by Trudy Pachon on exactly how to get started.  It covers quite a bit of the basics, including what kinds of ingredients you will want to use and the nutritional requirements of dogs that need to be satisfied.

Why not share this article with some friends who might also like to know that there are healthy alternatives to a diet of commercial dog food and that homemade vegetarian dog food is actually really healthy for your dog.