Or, more likely, just ignorant about dog-nutrition.brimstoneSalad wrote:Anybody who suggests that most dogs can't or shouldn't eat vegan is a moron.
Today I got into an argument with my dad about whether or not it's healthy for a dog to consume vegan dog-food. He asked whether or not I would even consider it moral to own a dog because I would need to buy meat for the dog. This is of course a false dichotomy (either have a dog and buy meat for it, or don't have a dog). I said that if I ever adopt a dog of my own that I could feed it vegan dog-food. He then had a disgusted look on his face and said, "well then I sincerely hope that you never have a dog of your own." I tried to explain that dogs are capable of digesting plant-derived foods and that it doesn't matter what the sources of an animal's nutrition are so long as all of it's nutritional needs are met.
Unfortunately he's not easy to convince. The idea of a dog eating vegan is not something he's used to, and I don't think he wants to believe it's possible.
Does anyone have access to demonstrable scientific consensus (that they can show me) confirming that vegan dog foods are in fact adequate for dogs' nutritional needs? I would like to have some strong evidence to support my claims, if I ever again get into a discussion about vegan dog-food. If however there is no strong evidence that vegan dogs can be healthy, then I won't try to argue that it is. Intellectual honesty is important to me. I want to be able to convince people that vegan dogs can be healthy, but I won't talk out of my @$$ (making assertions that I can't defend).