The tendency to change the feeding of pets for one that does not include animal abuse has grown, we present some alternatives

When a person adopts the vegan philosophy for their lifestyle they find hundreds of questions. The most common are those that refer to food: how do I substitute milk, egg, mayonnaise, or gelatin? The reality indicates that almost all the products we consume contain in some way a product of animal origin, even the most unexpected.

Leer en español: ¿Las mascotas pueden ser veganas? Descúbrelo aquí

The feeding of the pets also has that problem, the majority of croquettes contains products of animal origin.

Of course, the first thing to consider is the ethical reasons. According to the newspaper El Salto, cats are carnivorous animals, while dogs are omnivores, so some voices consider vegan feeding in pets "unnatural". However, it also has arguments in favor, like those of Dr. Andrew Knight, veterinarian specializing in welfare, law and animal ethics, member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Knight argues that the feeding of cats in nature depends on what they hunt, ie small birds, mice or insects and that naturally, they could not consume pork, sheep or other types of meat that humans do consume; additionally, they would not get vaccines or other cares that are not natural either.

Alternatives

If you have decided to feed your pet with a vegan diet you should consider some things, the first is that you must find a diet that meets the nutritional requirements of your pet, depending on their breed, size, age, health status, physical activity, etc. According to the doctor in veterinary medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid, Roberto Elices, quoted by El Salto, "in principle any complete and balanced food is suitable for the target species and its physiological stage".

This means that it is possible, nutritionally speaking, formulate a vegan diet for a pet. However, he also emphasizes that one thing is that it is well formulated, but another is that it is of the animal's taste, also points out: "if it is strictly organic, ecological and natural it is complicated to brew for dogs and incompatible with the metabolism of a cat ".

Then, the cat is the animal that has the most difficulties to become vegan, so in its case "the adaptation of cats to a vegan diet can be very fast and positive or require a very long transition process", according to the vegan veterinarian María González. Therefore, she recommends strict monitoring of the animal's health to verify that everything is in order and to detect any change or deficiency.

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You have two options to feed your pet with a vegan diet, the first is that you prepare the food. For that, you would have to be very clear what we mentioned about the characteristics of the animal and everything about their diet, that is to say, their alimentary needs. For example, amino acids such as taurine, carnitine, arginine and tryptophan, arachidonic acid and some vitamins, according to Infobae, so you should include them in their diet in some way in addition to making them attractive to your pet. It really is an option that takes time, learning and money, so it would be recommended in principle for professionals.

The second option is to buy some vegan concentrate available in the market, although it is the simplest option, it also implies a higher cost than that of common croquettes. Moreover, as Dr. Roberto Elices mentioned, the one that is balanced and of the best quality does not guarantee that you like it. In each country, there are different options of the vegan diet for pets in the market, you must evaluate, together with your veterinarian, which is the best option for your pet and achieve the transition in the best way. Neither option exempts you from strict monitoring of your health to be on the lookout for any changes.

LatinAmerican Post | Luis Hernández Liborio

Translated from "¿Las mascotas pueden ser veganas? Descubrelo aquí"

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