Hello all,

Great forum! I have been enjoying reading the exchange of information here, but I haven't come across anything about pet foods and am interested in hearing what some of you can tell me about that. I have studied canine nutrition for a couple of yrs. due to a dog that had liver issues and work in a health food store for cats and dogs. We promote good quality high protein, no grain kibble when people don't want to consider feeding raw or making a homemade food for their pets.

Now that I'm eating vegan, I'm feeling guilty about where the meat that is in my dogs' kibble is coming from! The pet food industry is huge and they are, no doubt, one of the top buyers of meats in my country and in the U.S. I buy from a Cdn. company that uses only regional ingdts. which does help with some of the issues I have with the environment, but I'm sure the meats are coming from factory-farmed animals. So now what do I do? Does anyone know of pet food companies that get their meat from local farms that do not produce and slaughter their animals the way factory farms do?

well dog food comes from injured horses usually. so your dog is eating horses

Um, no, dog food does not come from "injured horses usually". The cheaper, poorer quality pet foods may have horse. They certainly have very poor ingredients from all kinds of unreliable sources, but I'm talking about companies that only use "human-grade" meat and other ingredients in their kibble. The best kibbles contain meat from the muscle of the animal, not by-products, rendered carcasses or stomach and bowel waste. These are a very different category of pet food and I couldn't even begin to list all the crappy ones out there. Some truly make your stomach turn.

Anyway..... I can't imagine that no vegan owns dogs or cats, right? What do vegans feed their pets?? I could buy only those meats that come from farms I've visited and have humane practices, but I do have 2 dogs and 3 cats, not to mention 3 teens that are eating us out of house and home! lol

PETA is a great resource for this

http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=34

I'm still sifting through this info myself, and plan to feed my dog a veg diet soon

you might want to check out this site: v-dogfood.com and naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/Vegetarian.html
both sites offer vegan food for dogs.

I recommend a book called The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book. It explains dog nutrition and gives advice about how to feed dogs a vegan diet.

It also has recipes, but if you're not into that, I suggest either:
V-dog vegan dog food that's reasonably priced and shipped to you: http://www.v-dogfood.com/
Natural Balance vegetarian formula, for sale everywhere at PetCo.

My two dogs are very happy eating vegan kibble.

I'm in the process of switching my dog over to this veggie food. I'll let you know how it goes.

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Balance-Vegetarian-Formula-Dogs/dp/B000634HCS/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

I'm a vegan and I feed a whole ground prey raw diet to my dog and two cats.

I found a source that raises them FAR better than factory farms. Farmers who also raise smaller prey animals for raw feeding are popping up all over the country, and raw food coops are also being started in a lot of places. The thing about food for animals is that they don't have to comply with USDA agribusiness models and for the smaller animals, they can end their lives on site rather than having to send them to USDA approved slaughterhouses. Its still important to check out your supplier (I have spoken extensively to the woman who raises the animals I use to feed my guys, and plan to visit her farm this spring).

Cats are Obligate carnivores, and dogs are opportunistic carnivores. Unlike us, they need meat for their long term health.

Thank you for all your input.

I don't feel that feeding grains, corn, rice and other wheat products is a healthy diet for dogs, or cats, but I'm sure there are pets that do just fine with those foods. I am looking into finding meats that are healthy, raised and killed humanely and I can get locally. Not sure if or what I'll find, but will keep looking.

Its FAR from perfect, but world's beter than factory farmed (though she does get her chicks from a factory farm hatchery....but then so does Polyface farms . Again, a lot worse than a fully sustainable farm, but a lot better than what goes on a t a factory farm. She also welcomes her customers to come and visit her farm.

http://hare-today.com/