# Vegan Diet For Small Dogs?



## 420

We've spent hundreds of hours over the last 2 years researching online forums/reviews in search of the perfect diet for our Silky Terriers. Started out with kibble, then upgraded to ZiwiPeak, then switched to K9 Natural.

Now we are finding more and more data supporting the fact that dogs are actually Omnivores and can thrive amazingly well on a strict Vegan diet. This does however contradict most of what I read here in these forums, where almost everyone claims dogs are Carnivores and need meat to survive. Knowing full well that many also claim the same for humans, which is not true at all. So I would like to get some feedback and/or hardcore scientific facts and data, as opposed to personal opinions if possible.

Here is a video from a friend who feeds her dogs a Vegan diet, what are your thoughts?








Thank you for your valuable time and feedback, we are truly grateful.


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## Tobi

Well, science shows us that dogs and wolves are in the same family, they are both carnivores by classification. Dogs have vertically hinged jaw, which means it cannot move side to side as we and pigs, and other omnivores can, it moves straight up and down in a scissor motion, there is no scientific evidence showing that those teeth are supposed to be used in a plant cutting manner, which... They really can't, furthermore, canis lupus is the gray wolf, canis lupus familiaris, is the modern dog. They are classified under the same name because of their near identical DNA, if you look to nature and see what a wolf eats you will see what it's nearest relative will thrive on.

There have been as many studies on a vegan diet as there have been on a raw diet for dogs... None.You would be feeding your dog vegan by word of mouth and faith, but with less evidence of it being their true ancestral diet.


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## FBarnes

The Smithsonian classifies dogs as carnivores. The structure of their jaw, the lack of chewing molars or side-to-side jaw motion, their short digestive tracts, their lack of enzymes to digest plant material, their high stomach acid pH to dissolve bones - none of that says they are meant to eat plant matter. In fact, just the opposite.

People are omnivores and if vegan they have to find a supplement to fulfill some of the requirements we have for B vitamins that are only found in red meat. We have molars, we have long digestive tracts for processing starches, we have a lower stomach pH.

Dogs are not people and people are not dogs. We need to recognize the difference. Probably with great effort and extreme measures, one could get a dog to survive on a diet that's totally unnatural for them.


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## Unosmom

Even if you believe that dogs are omnivores, it doesn't mean that they are vegan. The reason dogs can survive on vegetarian commercial food is because its heavily supplemented and processed. If you watch any of the videos on youtube of people making homemade vegan dog food, they need to cook, puree, mash the ingredients (in order to break down the plant cell wall), then add a ton of supplements to "balance" it. Which just underlines the point.. if they can't process it in raw form, is it really appropriate for them to be eating it in the first place? give your dog some corn on the cob and next time he goes to the bathroom, you'll get your answer.


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## NewYorkDogue

Agree with the posts above.

Besides that, just watching the video also underscores how truly "un-natural" everything is that she had laid out: pretty much all processed stuff (except the carrot and potato.) I mean, salty canned "braised tofu" to get them interested in the new food? Yikes...

And WAY too complicated. I...just don't get it.


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## 1605

420 said:


> We've spent hundreds of hours over the last 2 years researching online forums/reviews in search of the perfect diet for our Silky Terriers. Started out with kibble, then upgraded to ZiwiPeak, then switched to K9 Natural.
> 
> Now we are finding more and more data supporting the fact that dogs are actually Omnivores and can thrive amazingly well on a strict Vegan diet. This does however contradict most of what I read here in these forums, where almost everyone claims dogs are Carnivores and need meat to survive. Knowing full well that many also claim the same for humans, which is not true at all. So I would like to get some feedback and/or hardcore scientific facts and data, as opposed to personal opinions if possible.


"Vegan" is a human concept that does not apply to dogs at all. If someone wants a "vegan" pet they should consider ruminant like a goat or a cow, not a dog or a cat.


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## MollyWoppy

Isn't she the one who says cats should eat a vegan diet too? Hasn't this been done to death on Facebook already? 
What worries me is that you want hardcore scientific facts and data that dog's need meat to survive, but on the other hand you aren't providing any hardcore scientific facts and data that cats and dogs can thrive on a vegan diet. 
Why are you contemplating a vegan diet, is your friend influencing you or did your dogs not do well on Ziwipeak or K9 Naturals?


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## Georgiapeach

Put a bowl of meat and a bowl of veggies in front of a dog. Guess which one the dog will choose? Dogs are primarily carnivores, and only obligate herbivores. They'll eat veggies/grains if that's the only choice.


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## Tobi

Georgiapeach said:


> Put a bowl of meat and a bowl of veggies in front of a dog. Guess which one the dog will choose? Dogs are primarily carnivores, and only obligate herbivores. They'll eat veggies/grains if that's the only choice.


Oh god, don't do that with mine he would make you think he's a rabbit...:wacko:


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## SoyMilk

Though I suppose technically a dog can be a vegan/vegetarian I don't think I would recommend it. Personally I don't think it's natural to feed a dog like that (but what many people feed isn't natural either), I think dogs should eat what their ancestors ate: raw meat or at least a high meat diet. 
(And just to make sure people don't think all vegans are insane I myself am vegan; well almost I eat honey)


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## naturalfeddogs

Dogs are carnivores, period. As some of the posts above mentioned, dogs and wolves are in the same family. So closely related they share I think 99% of the same DNA. I have yet to hear of wolves raiding peoples gardens. But their goat and cattle herds could be in trouble, if you know what I mean. 

I believe, and this is JMO, but anyone who intentionaly feeds their dog or cat a vegan only diet should be cited for animal cruelty. Talk about starving them of nutrients to death slowly. :tsk: Small OR large dogs. It makes no difference.


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## Celt

While dogs are not obligated carnivores like cats, they are carnivores. It is possible for a dog to survive and (maybe) even thrive on a vegan diet BUT extreme care would have to be taken that all the essential nutrients, aminos, minerals, etc are being supplied in the correct amounts. Personally, I think feeding this way long term would be very difficult, need a lot of research/knowledge, and (imo) extensive bloodwork, etc to make sure that all is well. Being biologically carnivores, dogs are much more capable of extracting the nutrients they need from meat sources, with the minor ability of being able to at least somewhat digest plant matter when neccessary for survival but I doubt a dog would last very long on this type of diet without a lot of support.


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## naturalfeddogs

Celt said:


> While dogs are not obligated carnivores like cats, they are carnivores. It is possible for a dog to survive and (maybe) even thrive on a vegan diet BUT extreme care would have to be taken that all the essential nutrients, aminos, minerals, etc are being supplied in the correct amounts. Personally, I think feeding this way long term would be very difficult, need a lot of research/knowledge, and (imo) extensive bloodwork, etc to make sure that all is well. Being biologically carnivores, dogs are much more capable of extracting the nutrients they need from meat sources, with the minor ability of being able to at least somewhat digest plant matter when neccessary for survival but I doubt a dog would last very long on this type of diet without a lot of support.



I think "survive" maybe, but thrive not at all. It would just be lacking too many nutrients.


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## SuperPug

I agree, a diet with no meat is simply too unnatural and (IMO) shouldn't even be considered to be given to any carnivore.


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## Celt

If enough "work" (research and indepth knowledge of ALL the nutrients, amino acids, minerals, etc) is put into the diet then I can see where a dog could thrive on a vegan diet. Unnatural as this diet is, I would think that a lot of supplements would be needed to "guarantee" the dog is receiving adequate nutrition.


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## Caty M

That's the crazy raw fruitarian girl! LOL. Cute Italian greyhound though.

Dogs are carnivores and to feed them plant material only is wrong. Personally I think if you own a pet you should do the best you can for them, whether that be a good kibble, raw or cooked. Intentionally feeding an animal opposite of what it is supposed to eat is pretty wrong IMO.

Esp for an IG who have terrible teeth to begin with!!


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## naturalfeddogs

Celt said:


> If enough "work" (research and indepth knowledge of ALL the nutrients, amino acids, minerals, etc) is put into the diet then I can see where a dog could thrive on a vegan diet. Unnatural as this diet is, I would think that a lot of supplements would be needed to "guarantee" the dog is receiving adequate nutrition.


If the diet is truly correct and balanced for the species, supplements aren't needed to give nutrition. If that's the case, that's not thriving.


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## FBarnes

SoyMilk said:


> Though I suppose technically a dog can be a vegan/vegetarian I don't think I would recommend it. Personally I don't think it's natural to feed a dog like that (but what many people feed isn't natural either), I think dogs should eat what their ancestors ate: raw meat or at least a high meat diet.
> (And just to make sure people don't think all vegans are insane I myself am vegan; well almost I eat honey)


To me, people like you are the people I most respect in raw feeding. Those who gag at the sight of raw meat at first, who can't stand to look at chicken quarters, etc. etc. - and yet will get past all that for their dogs because they accept their dogs are not humans and have their own nutritional needs. True love


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## SuperPug

FBarnes said:


> To me, people like you are the people I most respect in raw feeding. Those who gag at the sight of raw meat at first, who can't stand to look at chicken quarters, etc. etc. - and yet will get past all that for their dogs because they accept their dogs are not humans and have their own nutritional needs. True love


I am on a FaceBook group where I see a few vegan/vegetarians coming together to encourage a newbie vegan/vegetarian when switching to a raw diet. Someone who was raised or spent the majority of their life on a non-meat diet would find it very contradicting and upsetting to even just look at meat. But these people accept that they are caring for a carnivore and they must do what is best for their carnivore. I read many getting sick by the smell and feel of prepping the meat. But they force themselves to "suck it up" and eventually get used to it. I as well have a great respect for them. It takes a great deal of love for a carnivore to do what you must to make them happy/healthy, even when it goes against your beliefs.


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## SoyMilk

I was raised eating meat, but I went vegetarian and then vegan. I researched for a full year before I got my dog what they are meant to eat. I'm not going to force my opinion on an animal who I think if she had the choice; would choose organs and bone over a salad and tempeh anyday 
True vegans do what's right for their animals.


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## MollyWoppy

Wonder when 420 will turn up.


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## 420

Sorry guys. The email notifications in this forum are not advising me that there are replies, even though I have my settings correct to receive them.

Thank you for all the feedback everyone, we are truly grateful.

I am Vegan and do feed my dogs K9 Natural raw meat after 2 years of research, even though the sight and smell makes me sick to my stomach every time. I love my dogs with all of my heart and will do whatever it takes to get through this.

Please see these threads for my continued analysis so far.
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/8766-artemis-innova-karma-why.html
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/raw-feeding/18762-silky-terrier-food-allergies-ziwipeak.html

I wouldn't even be going this route, if the K9 Natural wasn't making them scratch and bite their tails just like ZiwiPeak did.

After 2 long years of back and forth with everything and everyone, I'm at my wit's end at this point. No idea what to do. 

Everything is turning into GMO poison, large chemical companies are taking over all of the good dog food companies and changing the ingredients and not the labels. 

The meat here in America is all tainted with GMO, antibiotics, growth hormones and other toxins and everyone wonders why their dogs are getting sick.

One thing I wanted to add is the story my pet food store (Pets Plus) clerk told me, which added some light to the subject however did not fix it. She claims that small dogs do not have the same digestive system as large breed dogs do, making them different than large dogs who are closer to their original ancestors DNA. She says that feeding raw meat to small breed dogs sometimes causes Pancreatis by giving their system too much high protein. When this is done, the protein exits the anus still smelling like protein, because all of it does not get digested. So basically it's like smearing some raw dog food on their butt and they will immediately begin licking it. Then the area gets licked too much and scabs, then defecation touches it and it becomes infected. Then we have internal infections on top of everything else that need to be treated with heavy antibiotics. 

Wish there was a simple test and/or answer to all of this. Someone please help.


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## Unosmom

> One thing I wanted to add is the story my pet food store (Pets Plus) clerk told me, which added some light to the subject however did not fix it. She claims that small dogs do not have the same digestive system as large breed dogs do, making them different than large dogs who are closer to their original ancestors DNA. She says that feeding raw meat to small breed dogs sometimes causes Pancreatis by giving their system too much high protein. When this is done, the protein exits the anus still smelling like protein, because all of it does not get digested. So basically it's like smearing some raw dog food on their butt and they will immediately begin licking it. Then the area gets licked too much and scabs, then defecation touches it and it becomes infected. Then we have internal infections on top of everything else that need to be treated with heavy antibiotics.


I'm sorry, but thats the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Pancreatitis is caused by excess fat, not protein. When dogs lick their butts, its usually an indication of filled up anal glands that need to be expressed or are already impacted (they have a distinct fishy/metallic smell). Dogs digestive system is identical regarless of the breed, I think the reason small dogs are prone to pancreatitis is because pet owners tend to spoil them with people food and due to their size, it only takes a small amount to set off an acute attack.


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## Sapphire-Light

Unosmom said:


> I'm sorry, but thats the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Pancreatitis is caused by excess fat, not protein. When dogs lick their butts, its usually an indication of filled up anal glands that need to be expressed or are already impacted (they have a distinct fishy/metallic smell). Dogs digestive system is identical regarless of the breed, I think the reason small dogs are prone to pancreatitis is because pet owners tend to spoil them with people food and due to their size, it only takes a small amount to set off an acute attack.


Agree wit your opinion.

I have to add that I own a three year old toy poodle and he gets meals of raw and some meals kibble mixed wit cooked meat and vegetables

I never had an issue wit digestive problems or pancreatitis the vet were I go supports natural food for dogs mostly fresh meat, she has also has a degree of exotic animals and treats some animals in a zoo here in my city, she says dogs of any size NEED fresh meat and small dogs need a diet like their wolf ancestors and poor vegetable based diets cause several problems in all dogs of any size mostly kibbles filled wit grains she despite them

She is impressed wit my Pompadour and says he is healthy and well cared, more healthy than many dogs she has seen


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## SuperPug

I've heard starchy foods can aggravate allergies. If so, I would highly recommend a completely meat diet with no grain, veggies or fruits.
Atleast 90% of dogs these days have allergies and the ingredients in complex diets/kibbles don't help the allergies. at. all. I spent thousands of dollars switching being ALL brands of kibbles on my pug. The best results so far is Emma being on a prey model raw diet. And she hasn't even been on this diet for 2 months!

I am seeing the same results in myself. Stop eating processed foods and you'll see a whole new you. My hair/skin is less greasy. I have reduced facial acne. Even my environmental allergies are less severe this year. Cleaner teeth, fresher breath.


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## FBarnes

When anal glands are full, a dog will normally rub its butt along the floor. I've never seen a dog licking due to full anal glands.

And that things about the digestive tract being different is about the stupidest thing I've ever heard. It's smaller, like the dog. It's not different.


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## FBarnes

And I agree about the food. I am afraid to eat anything. Sometimes I wish I didn't read so much about it. I wish I could just live on air. Can't drink the water, either.


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## SoyMilk

FBarnes said:


> And I agree about the food. I am afraid to eat anything. Sometimes I wish I didn't read so much about it. I wish I could just live on air. Can't drink the water, either.


Remember, only certain types of air...because of that pollution.


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## Celt

420 said:


> One thing I wanted to add is the story my pet food store (Pets Plus) clerk told me, which added some light to the subject however did not fix it. She claims that small dogs do not have the same digestive system as large breed dogs do, making them different than large dogs who are closer to their original ancestors DNA. She says that feeding raw meat to small breed dogs sometimes causes Pancreatis by giving their system too much high protein. When this is done, the protein exits the anus still smelling like protein, because all of it does not get digested. So basically it's like smearing some raw dog food on their butt and they will immediately begin licking it. Then the area gets licked too much and scabs, then defecation touches it and it becomes infected. Then we have internal infections on top of everything else that need to be treated with heavy antibiotics.


ROFL, oh, my, that's....that's just so wrong. A dog's DNA doesn't change with size. Imo, small dogs seem to get more pancreatitis because of being fed too many fatty, rich extras that they aren't accustom to or just way too much (reason why so many develop it during the holidays). If a dog has smelly discharge "from" the anus, I wouldn't look at the food til after the pup's been to a vet. Most dog owners have "come in contact with" the anal glands which is much more likely to leak (and near the anus to boot) and has a rather nasty odor. There's so much misinformation that its just wow. Sorry, getting off the soap box now.


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## Sheltielover25

FBarnes said:


> And I agree about the food. I am afraid to eat anything. Sometimes I wish I didn't read so much about it. I wish I could just live on air. Can't drink the water, either.


I know how you feel. We live in an incredibly toxic world. We absorb more toxins in a day than previous generations did their during their entire lifetime. The keyboard you're typing on is sending radiation through your fingers, and the computer is sending out EMFs that are disrupting every cell in the body. The microwave, the wifi router, the cell phones, the cordless phones, the vacuums, the hairdryers and everything else electrical is changing our DNA slowly. Why do you think when you go out on a boat you feel so much calmer? Then you have all the toxins in the form of plastics/Tupperware and we get toxins from our mattress and from so many things we can only control so much. 

My doctor says the best way to deal with this toxic world is to focus on things we can deal with like eat local/organic veggies/fruits and grass-fed/pasture raised meats to build a strong foundation. Do things daily to detox like Espsom salt baths, chorella/cilantro, lemon water, castor oil packs, dry brushing, kombucha. Keep the gut in the best shape with fermented foods. Don't keep your cell phone in your pocket or on your night stand at night. I'm starting to turn the circuits off all together in our house to get less EMF at night. At the least make sure your bed isn't near electrical outlets and unplug as much as you can at night -- esp your wifi routers and computers. And you can drink the water if you get a good filter It's pretty crazy out there and all this impacts our animals too so keeping their gut up and keeping them detoxed as much as possible is vital also. A big one that gets overlooked is the dangers of stress. Stress causes us not to detox and leads to all kinds of problems. She said 99% of her patients are adrenally fatigued! (I'm actually NOT surprisingly) but I've never been a big stressor. So don't stress about the things you can't control, live and do your best and just help the body handle the evergrowing toxic load it's encountering


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## xchairity_casex

> One thing I wanted to add is the story my pet food store (Pets Plus) clerk told me, which added some light to the subject however did not fix it. She claims that small dogs do not have the same digestive system as large breed dogs do, making them different than large dogs who are closer to their original ancestors DNA. She says that feeding raw meat to small breed dogs sometimes causes Pancreatis by giving their system too much high protein. When this is done, the protein exits the anus still smelling like protein, because all of it does not get digested. So basically it's like smearing some raw dog food on their butt and they will immediately begin licking it. Then the area gets licked too much and scabs, then defecation touches it and it becomes infected. Then we have internal infections on top of everything else that need to be treated with heavy antibiotics.
> 
> Wish there was a simple test and/or answer to all of this. Someone please help.



That quite litterly made me LOL, so hard it awoke my dogs!
Dont want to come off as rude-but never, ever take a clerk from a pet store seriously, whils a minimum wage jobe a small few may know a thing or two- the majority of them dont know crap.Its a minimum wage job-the person fills out an application, (can you lift heavy bags of food? yes, do you have good people skills? yes-your hired!) they get hried and are told "sell this food"
so they do-people come in asking questions and they get told whatever to buy the food and make a sale.

as far as "small dogs getting pancreatis due to raw meat" my sisters toy poodle was fed raw meat for a good long time while staying ehre with me without issues.
the problem is that what may seem like a small amount of fat to us-can be a HUGE amount to a small dogs body, so we may look at a half teaspoon of fat and think 'thats a tiny amount" but to a dog whos stomachi s no bigger then a tablespoon-thats alot!

and if the dog is licking its butt that much-there somthing wrong there, most likly some sort of an infection or irritation, or maybe the dog simply loves to eat its own feces straight from the sorce!
Either way-itll not be the raw meat that does it, i hear more often of kibble fed dogs consuming their own wastes due to the sugars-quite a few freinds of mine never had ppop eaters-till they switched back to kibble or gave a cheap-o dog buscuits over a period of time.

Anyways, due to there NOT being research done on raw/vegan dog diets-the thing you really need to do is begin researching the anatomy and eating habits of dogs yourself-the way i know many of us did before/after we started our own dogs on raw diets.

and if i were you-i would talk to more vegan feeders to find out the dogs diet-how many of them feed any vegan diet over the coarse of a few years that is 100% unprocessed? (whole fruits and veggies uncooked and without addatives)

take a few months of doing that, while at the same time count up how many raw feeders are feeding 100% unprocessed diets without addatives.

Nature is NEVER wrong-if nature were wrong, even once- we would not exist.


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## rogerharris

Tobi said:


> Well, science shows us that dogs and wolves are in the same family, they are both carnivores by classification. Dogs have vertically hinged jaw, which means it cannot move side to side as we and pigs, and other omnivores can, it moves straight up and down in a scissor motion, there is no scientific evidence showing that those teeth are supposed to be used in a plant cutting manner, which... They really can't, furthermore, canis lupus is the gray wolf, canis lupus familiaris, is the modern dog. They are classified under the same name because of their near identical DNA, if you look to nature and see what a wolf eats you will see what it's nearest relative will thrive on.
> 
> There have been as many studies on a vegan diet as there have been on a raw diet for dogs... None.You would be feeding your dog vegan by word of mouth and faith, but with less evidence of it being their true ancestral diet.


I really like the before and after Photos of your dogs and they seemed to be healthy enough with those foods. You seemed to be quiet caring for them as i could see a lot of dog food stuffs in your kitchen and you really have a passion to cook for them.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma

I can't help but notice that she says that she has only had dogs for a couple of months in the video. Someone who has only had dogs for a couple of months isn't someone I would be taking feeding advice from. This video also shows two dogs who have only been on a vegan diet for a couple of months. Because not enough time has gone by, we don't know how this diet will effect them in the long run. How will they look/feel three or four years down the road?

I have never seen anything about any of my dogs that makes me feel that they are designed to eat plants. They do not have hinged jaws so they cannot move their jaw from side to side to grind plant material. And, I don't know what kind of dogs vegan feeders have but the dogs I have had (Labrador Retriever, 2 Dobermans, Rottweiler, Dalmatian, Brittany, Smooth Collie, Bluetick Coonhound, Standard Xoloitzcuintli) do not have flat molars. When my dogs snack on the fresh, sweet, spring grass, it comes out completely undigested. When I give them a piece of carrot, there are orange carrot chunks in their poop. If it isn't meat, it comes out looking like it did going in. 

My Xolo is a great example of what nature intended for dogs. Xolos have been around for 3000+ years and, for a lot of that time, were feral dogs. There are still feral Xolos in the remote places of Mexico. Dogs, themselves, are not natural. Man made them but the Xolo is an example of dogs going back to nature. Over time, they have become a dog that (in the coated variety) looks like your typical mutt. They have almost shepherd like faces, compact, athletic bodies, etc. The hairless variety is the same minus the fur, obviously. They survived on their own for a long time. However, they still have the same teeth as a wolf and are excellent hunters. An acquaintance of mine has a Xolo who, during a show, launched itself into the air and caught a bird that flew too low. Xolos are known to excel at hunting small animals. If dogs were meant to be vegan, a dog who had very little contact simply wouldn't have those hunting skills or the teeth to bring down prey. It would be like expecting a sheep to stalk and kill a rabbit.


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## 420

After 2 years of back and forth to the vets with both dogs and thousands of dollars later, we finally solved the mystery.

They both have the same environmental allergies and by giving them each a half a Benedryl in their food, the problem is gone!


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## liquid

420 said:


> After 2 years of back and forth to the vets with both dogs and thousands of dollars later, we finally solved the mystery.
> 
> They both have the same environmental allergies and by giving them each a half a Benedryl in their food, the problem is gone!


How are you certain that it's environmental allergies and not a food allergy? Or perhaps even both?

I wouldn't want to dose my pets with benadryl everyday for the rest of their lives. I end up feeling like garbage even after taking one benadryl during high allergy season.. I cant imagine what it must be like to get dosed every day. I would say that the problem is not gone, it's simply being covered up rather than being fixed. I strongly urge you to take another look at what might be causing the allergies, and maybe look into more natural remedies for it.


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## 420

Being an anti pharma guy, I agree with you 420% and will get them both tested for allergies and report back here when done.

Thanks.


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## liquid

420 said:


> Being an anti pharma guy, I agree with you 420% and will get them both tested for allergies and report back here when done.
> 
> Thanks.


That's fantastic. I understand you've already gone through a lot of trouble trying to figure out the underlying cause of the itchiness, and I applaud you for putting the welfare of your dogs first.

Also, lol'd at 420%. :tongue:


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## 1605

liquid said:


> How are you certain that it's environmental allergies and not a food allergy? Or perhaps even both?
> 
> I wouldn't want to dose my pets with benadryl everyday for the rest of their lives. I end up feeling like garbage even after taking one benadryl during high allergy season.. I cant imagine what it must be like to get dosed every day. I would say that the problem is not gone, it's simply being covered up rather than being fixed. I strongly urge you to take another look at what might be causing the allergies, and maybe look into more natural remedies for it.


My older GSP has seasonal allergies. Originally we were giving him Benadryl, but have since moved to generic Allegra (fexofenadine) because it has proven to be more effective. His eyes get VERY red, and he makes the weirdest snorting noises: the vets call it "a reverse sneeze" -- in people it's basically a cough caused by post nasal drip. 

If I didn't give him something to alleviate the sypmtoms, he would be miserable. And it's not like I can keep him indoors for six months of the year....


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## liquid

SubMariner said:


> My older GSP has seasonal allergies. Originally we were giving him Benadryl, but have since moved to generic Allegra (fexofenadine) because it has proven to be more effective. His eyes get VERY red, and he makes the weirdest snorting noises: the vets call it "a reverse sneeze" -- in people it's basically a cough caused by post nasal drip.
> 
> If I didn't give him something to alleviate the sypmtoms, he would be miserable. And it's not like I can keep him indoors for six months of the year....


In the case of an environmental/seasonal allergy such as your dogs', giving medication to make daily life tolerable is of course the right thing to do.
I was concerned with the fact that the source of the allergies in 420's dogs was not yet found, and it sounded like benedryl was going to be given daily and used as a long-term solution. 

However, I've been proven wrong about that and 420 is going to continue to search for the source of his/her dog's itchiness. Which is awesome, and I hope all goes well.


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