Vegan Pets

I was listening to a podcast the other day about animal rights. The podcast is called Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach Commentary. The host of the podcast, Gary Francione, was talking about veganism and pets. As an abolitionist, he believes in the end of all animal exploitation used for entertainment (circuses, rodeos, zoos), and the wearing or consumption of animals (fur, leather, wool, etc.). Even though he doesn’t think we should continue to bring new animals into the world, such as dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, cows, etc., he acknowledges a moral obligation to the ones that are already here.

He strongly advocated for vegan pets. He has dogs, but no other animals. It got me thinking… Should we impose our ethical beliefs on our pets? Would we force a tiger to eat only fruits and vegetables? Doesn’t their physiology count more than our ethics? Are dogs and cats obligate carnivores, meaning they need meat? Can dogs or cats even be vegan?

Religious parents “force” (for lack of a better word) their beliefs onto their children. Parents impose ethical and moral values (or lack thereof) on their children as they see fit. Should I force my beliefs on my dog and cats? Their health is my responsibility. Should I force a diet that, while it’s ethically responsible, may cause them harm? Some cats may be able to go vegan with no adverse effects. That’s great. But is it the norm? I’m not a vet, clearly, so I can only go by vets and authors that I trust who have researched the issue and concluded that cats cannot be vegetarians. Cats have short digestive tracts. Short digestive tracts are made for meat and the rapid elimination of food that rots quickly. Human digestive tracts are long and windy, used to squeeze vitamins and minerals out of our food. Herbivores, like cows, horses, zebras, iguanas, deer, rabbits, elephants, and hippos have complex digestive tracts. They secrete digestive enzymes in their saliva, just like humans, which starts to break down food immediately. Humans and herbivores also have to chew their food in order to swallow it. Carnivores can take it big chunks. Dog owners will know what I mean if they've ever watched their pooch hoover up their favorite meal in seconds. 

Carnivores, unlike Herbivores, have 10 times the amount of hydrochloric acid in their stomachs. This prevents sickness from pathogens like Salmonella, E. Coli, campylobacter, worms, etc. On the pH scale, their stomach acid with food is at 1. Humans, at 4 or 5. This is why humans have to cook animal products to a certain temperature to kill off bacteria. There are also differences in uric acid levels, but I’ll spare you the biology lesson.

Dogs resemble carnivores. They have sharp teeth made for tearing. They gulp their food instead of grinding it like humans. They have short intestines and acidic stomachs. They eat garbage, literally, out of cans, food off the street, fruits, vegetables…. Hell, they even eat poop occasionally. Just because they can, it doesn’t mean they should.

My dog is not currently vegan, although I have considered it. He has hypothyroidism and gets fat on too many carbohydrates, so his diet is protein heavy with low-carb vegetables and occasional fruits. I don’t know if soy is a good protein source for him and what, if any, protein requirements dogs have. Again, not an animal nutritionist.

Until I know more, I am not changing his diet. My cats will continue to be high-protein meat eaters. After watching the difference in my male cat after transitioning him off a dry food/high carb diet to a 100% protein-rich wet food diet, I will never feed carbs/grains to my cats again.

I thing I like about Gary Francione is he always gets me thinking. I love a good mental challenge.