Philosophical Vegan Forum

Okay, so for some context, I'm 18, and live with my family who are all non-vegan. I have been trying to feed my dog a vegan diet, but like I said in my introduction post, my mom was able to get plant-based dog kibble, which was what I was going to feed him.

At first he was, but after I first gave some of it to him, he's not eating it.(although I did see some of it eaten, so he probably got really hungry) my dog is a maltese poodle, and we've had him since 2016. I've tried feeding him other things too like white and brown rice, which he does eat, but I found out today that rice isn't that good for dogs.

It might also have to do with for some dumb fucking reason, my mom got him the fucking puppy food instead of... oh I don't know, THE ADULT FOOD THAT WOULD BE THE MOST SUITABLE FOR HIM?!!

I've also tried feeding him watermelon. He likes the green part, but just now I put a bunch of watermelon blocks in a bowl for him to try, and he seems to not be eating it.

The reason why I'm relying on my mom for all of this is because I don't have a licence, or any money, or any credentials of my own.

So what can I do to feed him? I do have some lemons, and avocados which I haven't fed him yet, so those could work. But I also fed him cucumbers and carrots, which he doesn't seem to like either.

Any advice would be surely appreciated! And I'm sorry if this whole thing sounds stupid.

Trust me, it’s not a stupid question, it’s important to ask these things when you’re trying to avoid unnecessary harm.

That said, I’d strongly advise against feeding your dog avocado or lemon. Avocados can be toxic to dogs in large enough amounts (especially the skin and pit), and lemons can cause serious stomach upset due to the citric acid.

There are plenty of actual vegan dog food brands out there. Unless a dog is starving, they’re probably not going to touch plain watermelon or carrots. Are brands like V-Dog, Wild Earth, PawCo Foods, Benevo, or Halo available in your area? Those are properly formulated, nutritionally complete options. Try gradually introducing the new food by mixing it with whatever they’re used to, so it’s not a sudden switch that throws them off. Also, give your dog some variety, they'll get bored of eating the same stuff everyday.

Definitely talk to a vet, or if you’re short on money or time, try an online option like JustAnswer or Vetster. Emphasize that this isn’t just about ethics, it’s also about your dog’s health, since when done right, vegan diets for dogs can support a long and healthy life, so long as it's properly planned. If you need them I can pull up some scientific papers.

And yeah, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Hope this helps, follow up if you have any other questions (also sorry for delayed response).

Thank you for the advice, Red! as for your questions, yes there are places where I can get vegan/plant-based kibble for dogs. I live in Western Australia, and the neighborhood I live in is about 30 minutes away from the city where I could go to Subiaco, and head to the only vegan shopping center in Perth. I just haven't gotten around to going there myself, and I'm worried I'll piss off my mom with the hassle. (even though the hassle is morally understandable)

She did get me the vegan kibble, but as I said, that's puppy kibble, and he doesn't seem to enjoy it. Maybe it's because he just... doesn't, or maybe it's because he's getting a jarring switch in his diet. Possibly both.

The big worry comes from what do I feed him in these moments? I'm not going to feed him the dog meat, obviously, but we do have kibble that my mom says that only *some* of set kibble is non-vegan, though I remain skeptical.

I spend a lot of time holding it off because I don't want to think about possibly having to feed him (possibly) non-vegan kibble, still making me complicit, which just as I said leads me to avoid it, and procrastinate, but when it gets late, I have a "OH SHIT!" moment.

Anyway, that's enough rambling. I might be able to go to that store either tomorrow, or the day after, so I'll be able to get him the ADULT version of that kibble to see if he likes it.