Submitted by Stacy Porter (not verified) on Sun, 2006-03-26 17:43.
(Animal Voices received this letter before the Vegan Pet Food show. We didn't get a chance to read it on the air, so here it is now, posted with permission. - Lauren)
Dear Lauren,
Here is my experience for you to draw from on your radio show if you need it.
Noodle, a 4 lb Chihuahua came to me in 2002 from a breeder who was retiring her. She was six years old and had been on a lamb and rice diet her whole life.
I knew that Chihuahuas had certain dietary needs due to their small size (hypoglycemia, etc) so the thought of converting my dog to a vegan/vegetarian diet was not a choice I made lightly.
I went through the normal process of phasing out her normal meat by-product food with three different brands of vegetarian foods. Since her age was a factor and previous owners had not given her much dental care, I ended up working with a soft canned dog food called Vegetarian Feast even though it is completely vegan. Normally I wouldn't recommend this food for people with large dogs, because it isn't cheap. It's 1.89 a can USD but a 4 lb dog makes one can last 4 meals. She has been vegan for over two years now with no negative changes in her health. She is full of energy for a 9 year old dog, and doesn't snub her nose at her food one bit (unless I'm eating something tastier in front of her :) ) She is crazy about carrots, popcorn, and of course vegan dog cookies. And the house is peaceful for both of us. My conscious is free and she is sated and healthy.
I don't know if you knew this but the record holding oldest dog in the world is vegan. Here is a link to her information. Well, unfortunately the dog died of an un-vegan related incident in 2000 but lived to be 27?!??!
(Animal Voices received this letter before the Vegan Pet Food show. We didn't get a chance to read it on the air, so here it is now, posted with permission. - Lauren)
Dear Lauren,
Here is my experience for you to draw from on your radio show if you need it.
Noodle, a 4 lb Chihuahua came to me in 2002 from a breeder who was retiring her. She was six years old and had been on a lamb and rice diet her whole life.
I knew that Chihuahuas had certain dietary needs due to their small size (hypoglycemia, etc) so the thought of converting my dog to a vegan/vegetarian diet was not a choice I made lightly.
I went through the normal process of phasing out her normal meat by-product food with three different brands of vegetarian foods. Since her age was a factor and previous owners had not given her much dental care, I ended up working with a soft canned dog food called Vegetarian Feast even though it is completely vegan. Normally I wouldn't recommend this food for people with large dogs, because it isn't cheap. It's 1.89 a can USD but a 4 lb dog makes one can last 4 meals. She has been vegan for over two years now with no negative changes in her health. She is full of energy for a 9 year old dog, and doesn't snub her nose at her food one bit (unless I'm eating something tastier in front of her :) ) She is crazy about carrots, popcorn, and of course vegan dog cookies. And the house is peaceful for both of us. My conscious is free and she is sated and healthy.
I don't know if you knew this but the record holding oldest dog in the world is vegan. Here is a link to her information. Well, unfortunately the dog died of an un-vegan related incident in 2000 but lived to be 27?!??!
http://www.gnn.tv/threads/1954/World_s_oldest_Dog_is_a_Vegan
Stacy Porter