Content area
Full Text
BUYING MEAT-BASED commercial pet food for your dog or cat presents an ethical quandary for vegetarians and vegans. The good news? Some pets can adapt to a plantbased diet.
"One of the main criticisms is that [a veg diet] isn't natural," says Armaiti May, DVM, a Los Angeles-based vegan vet. "However, there are many things we do to our animal companions that are not completely natural-including giving them regular meals and veterinary care, luxuries they would not have in the wild."
Before switching your fourlegged friend to a plant-based diet, it helps to understand two important facts:
Dogs are omnivores
"Dogs you can definitely make vegetarian," says Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, the CEO of VETgirl and author of It's a Dog's Life... but It's Your Carpet.
In fact, studies have indicated that as humans started to eat a starch-based diet with the advent of agriculture, dogs also adapted to foods like wheat, barley, and com. "Having the ability to digest carbohydrates allowed dogs to become domesticated...