'Vegan diets are healthier and safer for dogs' says The Guardian about University of Winchester survey

[The39thStep]

LOL no I meant is there anything going on with the dog that might cause him to kill one of your chickens after however many years or relative harmony, not a query about who came off worse in the incident (which I know is likely to be the chicken)

They exchanged a few words a couple of months ago but I assumed it was water under the bridge.

No seriously she's been trained to hunt rabbits not by me but the neighbour I got her off.

 

[Epona]

They exchanged a few words a couple of months ago but I assumed it was water under the bridge.

No seriously she's been trained to hunt rabbits not by me but the neighbour I got her off.

Ah so it might have been a case of chicken moved a bit quick, dog trained to hunt - ok gotcha.

 

[The39thStep]

Looking a bit too pleased with himself, tbh.

Its a she and the photo must be about three years old. Sort of matriach.

 

[Epona]

Here's the culprit

View attachment 319040

She is gorgeous!

 

[two sheds]

King Queen of the roost

 

[The39thStep]

She is gorgeous!

Funnily enough, the dog she likes to hang around with is the most weird looking thing I've ever seen.

 

[Epona]

Funnily enough, the dog she likes to hang around with is the most weird looking thing I've ever seen.

Please try to take a photo then! It isn't right to tease us with this statement and just leave it hanging.

(all dogs are beautiful but I want to see this one).

 

[Funky_monks]

Here's the culprit

View attachment 319040

I've got one of those....

 

[The39thStep]

 

[Epona]

I lost track of where I was on the boards and I've just realised we're still on the vegan diets for dogs thread, not sure how well "my dog ate my chicken" is going to go down on this particular thread, and to be fair we have gone off at a bit of a tangent - the photos and some of this discussion might be better off in the dog thread in Suburban perhaps.

(You all have beautiful dogs though!)

 

[campanula]

Yep, me too, @39steps and Funky_monks - sheepdog thingy.
I should also mention that canine diets do change significantly during various life stages. While I would (reluctantly) consider a vegetarian diet for a healthy adult animal, it would be desperately wrong to expect a nursing bitch or growing pups to subsist on such a diet. Blackbirds, for example, live on a diet of fruit, seeds...but during nesting and breeding and raising young, will switch to an insect based diet.

 

[Funky_monks]

Yep, me too, @39steps and Funky_monks - sheepdog thingy.
I should also mention that canine diets do change significantly during various life stages. While I would (reluctantly) consider a vegetarian diet for a healthy adult animal, it would be desperately wrong to expect a nursing bitch or growing pups to subsist on such a diet. Blackbirds, for example, live on a diet of fruit, seeds...but during nesting and breeding and raising young, will switch to an insect based diet.

Collie thingy....

 

[Magnus McGinty]

One of my dogs killed one of my chickens this afternoon.

You should have tried to distract/dissuade it with some kale.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Coincidentally, In Our Time talks about meat eating and megafauna hunting in this week's episode. It's a good listen.

In Our Time - Homo erectus - BBC Sounds

 

[Spymaster]

Coincidentally, In Our Time talks about meat eating and megafauna hunting in this week's episode. It's a good listen.

In Our Time - Homo erectus - BBC Sounds

Anything in it about CATS?

 

[planetgeli]

My dog ate meat, obvs. But he ate what we ate (he wouldn't touch dog food). And there was nothing he liked more than salad with a bit of olive oil on it. And margerine (whole tubs on occasion, he'd steal them and take them out to the garden, eating the lot). And chocolate. And fox shit.

Lived until he was 18.

 

[friedaweed]

the sample is far too small, especially as the whole thing was based on self reporting from dog owners.

Yup and every dog owner thinks that their "little puppy is the the loveliest, happiest, cutest ickle puppy dog in the whole wide world"

20 pages though all the same.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Anything in it about CATS?

Myself and several urbanites did once see a cat tuck in to a vegetable curry once.

 

[editor]

You think non vegans would desire giving their pet dog a vegan diet?

Some people are (rightly) concerned about reducing their own household's meat consumption and if vegan dog food becomes more widely available and affordable, I imagine some will add some to their dog's diet.

And that's a great thing to do, no?

 

[editor]

Vegetarians are different but somewhat reasonable ... vegans - thats a mental illness right there

That's a warning for you, right there.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Looking it up, vegan dog food is very expensive. You're talking up to 10 quid a day for a big dog.

Clearly the price is a reflection of the niche nature of the market, but has a proper audit been done of the energy costs of making it? Producing all those nutrients separately like that is going to take energy.

 

[editor]

Looking it up, vegan dog food is very expensive. You're talking up to 10 quid a day for a big dog.

Clearly the price is a reflection of the niche nature of the market, but has a proper audit been done of the energy costs of making it? Producing all those nutrients separately like that is going to take energy.

So does creating meat.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Some people are (rightly) concerned about reducing their own household's meat consumption and if vegan dog food becomes more widely available and affordable, I imagine some will add some to their dog's diet.

And that's a great thing to do, no?

Great for the environment, yes. I guess the jury would need to return before we know if it’s great for dogs.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

So does creating meat.

It's not obvious that vegan is best. For instance, entoculture is a relatively efficient way of creating protein-filled food with lots of nutrients. How does that stack up against the process of creating vegan dog food? I don't know. But I don't think the answer is obvious.

In particular, I notice that vegan dog food manufacturers tend to sell their products with a 'good for the planet' line. I would say that the onus is on them to justify that claim. It's not self-evident.

eg:
TASTY MEALS

 

[editor]

It's not obvious that vegan is best.

There is overwhelming evidence that decreasing our meat consumption is a Very Good Thing.

 

[WouldBe]

There is overwhelming evidence that decreasing our meat consumption is a Very Good Thing.

Maybe for humans, not necessarily for dogs. There would need to be a lot more testing than just 32 dogs for 10 weeks before anyone could say that a vegetarian diet is healthy for dogs.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

There is overwhelming evidence that decreasing our meat consumption is a Very Good Thing.

Yes, but I think dog owners would need to see proper evidence that it's okay for dogs to have a vegan diet. So far, there isn't any.

 

[Spymaster]

Yes, but I think dog owners would need to see proper evidence that it's okay for dogs to have a vegan diet. So far, there isn't any.

Quite. The whole argument for this seems to be based on an extremely limited "study" by an interest group and a lot of whataboutery from a certain section whose main position seems to be "but but but ... meat ..."

You have to wonder what the motivation is for threads like this because they all, absolutely without exception, go the same way. We need some better vegans!

 

[tonysingh]

If feeding your pet a plant or fruit/nut based diet is important to you then there are plenty of alternative companions than dogs.

 

[editor]

Maybe for humans, not necessarily for dogs. There would need to be a lot more testing than just 32 dogs for 10 weeks before anyone could say that a vegetarian diet is healthy for dogs.

There hasn't been just one study and there's plenty of anecdotal evidence of veggie/vegan dogs living long and healthy lives.