Karma Webb - Vegan Diet in Growing Dog?

I am about to become the owner of a very beautiful 8 week old Tibetan Mastiff puppy and I am finding conflicting evidence on the best diet for her.
I am a vegan and would love to feed her a vegan diet if it was considered appropriate and healthy?
If vegan is not a good choice then what sort of meat consumption should i be looking at? The breeder has been feeding her alot of meat in my opinion as in Tibet the dogs would of lived mostly on barley based products with scraps of meat thrown in at times. As the breed has only been westernised for last 50 years or so surely i should be looking at a low meat consumption?

Thank you



Answer

Hi Karma

You are going to have lot of fun!

Having a puppy is great experience.

I have been thinking a lot about how to answer you.

Why? Because my answer is based more on my belief and my feelings. Not so much on scientific background.

So, you have to read my answer in this context as there is no scientific proof to refer to.

First - being vegan. I can not recommend puppy's being vegans. They are growing and my "feeling" tells me you should give dog food of good quality based on your feeling what would be best.

This can be high protein with lot of meat, no grain or low grain type - as long it is good quality dog food.

Normal dog food often have lot of grain and therefore OK for you to use.

Perhaps you can choose food having fish instead of animal meat.

Would that be OK for you?

Feeding this puppy diet so the growth is as normal as it can be.

This is very very important in big and fast growing dogs like this breed.

Adult dogs is perhaps better in accepting a vegan diet.

Still - i would be very careful to recommend this type of diet at all.

Then - i am not a vegan my self and this "colours" my thinking. But i think that humans are better to accept this diet than dogs.

So - i recommend dog food of good quality at least while he is growing and it should be based on his seize!!

When grown up you are more free to choose. But, still use a diet you can feel good about and not totally vegan is my recommendation.

Remember that some dog diets used in allergy is based on soy and they are nutritional balanced so grown up dogs can be feed this knowing they get "it all".

Its possible to use one of them even if he is non allergic.

All the best

DVM Per Schonbeck