Another dilemma - a vegan with a dog in the family?
Yogi_Carl
Posts: 1,906 Member
We have a dog, he is a member of our family and I am not prepared to re-home him so we can "purify" our vegan home - that would only shift the problem to someone else anyway.
The best I can do is stand by him until his death and then do not replace. I don't think we are planning to have another dog after him anyway - you can't replace one being with another and I am busy with my own garden allotment growing veggies etc to really focus training another new doggie.
Obviously he eats meat, obviously that meat comes from the meat industry - I can't do anything about this - or can I?
Any vegan dog carers out there? Have you managed to resolve?
(it's never easy is it?)
The best I can do is stand by him until his death and then do not replace. I don't think we are planning to have another dog after him anyway - you can't replace one being with another and I am busy with my own garden allotment growing veggies etc to really focus training another new doggie.
Obviously he eats meat, obviously that meat comes from the meat industry - I can't do anything about this - or can I?
Any vegan dog carers out there? Have you managed to resolve?
(it's never easy is it?)
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So, this is quite a big topic for me because I struggle with this with the beautiful cat that's been with me for 10 years now. Obviously, giving her up for adoption was not an option when I became vegan, I am aware that by buying her cat food, I am supporting the industry I am personally against, but cats are pure carnivores and she hasn't really the possibility to hunt for her food.
Anyway, dogs are a bit easier because they are omnivores, you can feed your dog more veggies and get cleaner meat from a small farm or something other than buying processed dog food.. I also heard there are a couple of brands that produce vegan food for cats and dogs, so you could maybe try that..? But again, personally, I feel we should not stop true omnivores/carnivores from getting their meat.0 -
I have worked towards a compromise by using a brand of dog food that does not use beef, pork or sheep apparently and is based around ocean white fish - but I know I am fooling myself if I think that solves the problem completely. Then there is the choice of whether I take on another rescue dog when my present dog passes on - there are enough cruelly treated dogs in rescue waiting for good homes;will I be able to resist when that time comes?
I'm old and ugly enough to know that nothing is ever all or nothing.0 -
Yes, I guess as vegans we do the best we can. Just think what suits you best and what is more ethically correct for you.
For myself, I think it's more vegan of me to create a safe, loving home for stranded animals. That is worth buying pet food from the meat industry.0 -
the good thing is, if buying the "normal" dog food really does bother you, there are great vegan dog foods out there!
this brand is really popular:
http://v-dog.com/0 -
I think if it as an opportunity to support the companies whose values most fit with my own. Dogs and cats need meat for optimal health and well being. I used to cook chicken for my dogs and would go down to the farm where the chickens were raised in as humane a way as possible and buy directly from them. If you know any hunters, maybe you can get venison or bones from them (personally I feel hunting is often more ethical than raising animals for food but I know others may not agree). If you cant do that, you can find meat in the store that is more ethically treated and support that. Honestly I think supporting these companies may do more to change the meat industry than refraining altogether. As you said, you can also find brands of pet food where meat is sourced from less questionable industries. Of course this is all more expensive than Alpo but I think it is worth it, and you may end up saving in vet bills too.
This probably doesn't help, but the "meat" used in most commercial pet food is just by-product not approved for human consumption so it would be discarded otherwise. Another reason to avoid it, IMO.
Interesting topic and one I have thought a lot about.0 -
A bit of googling brought up a UK company who produce a fortified vegan dog food made in the UK and it is cheaper than the dog food I am currently using.
My current dog food is around £45 for 15K, James Wellbeloved Adult Ocean White Fish and the one I have just ordered on-line is Benevo Vegetarian (Vegan) Dog Food 15kg and it cost just about £35 and the daily quota is the same. I had always thought a specialist dog food would be way out of my budget.
So, I will gradually wean my dog over and hopefully that will go fine.0
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