This link (http://www.livejournal.com/community/veganpets/35567.html) features first a copied article and then some comments pro and con.
The article is a nutritional study of "Vegecat KibbleMix" and "Evolution diet vegan gourmet vegetable stew" that was published in a veterinary journal.

Apparently there haven't been a lot of studies like this. The conclusion of the study was:

The 2 vegan diets analyzed and described here did not meet the minimum nutrient amounts cited in the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles and thus cannot be recommended as a sole source of nutrition for cats. The premise of the food manufacturers that their vegan diets can meet 100% of a cat’s nutritional needs was not supported by an independent dietary analysis.

The vegan cat food advocate (in the reply) blames it on a manufacturing error.

I would be interested in knowing when this study was conducted. The sources are very old. I thought I remember reading that Vegedog used to be a dangerous food to feed due to the lack of taurine and l-carnitine in their dog food a long time ago but they since changed their formula to meet AAFCO guidelines because consumers were complaining.

I'm not going to switch my pets to vegan food, but I'd need to know more about the study before saying those foods aren't adequate.

I would be interested in knowing when this study was conducted. The sources are very old. I thought I remember reading that Vegedog used to be a dangerous food to feed due to the lack of taurine and l-carnitine in their dog food a long time ago but they since changed their formula to meet AAFCO guidelines because consumers were complaining.

I'm not going to switch my pets to vegan food, but I'd need to know more about the study before saying those foods aren't adequate.Well, the article is from 2004 and the AAFCO guidelines that the foods were judged by in the study were from 2004. If you're asking for more specific than that, then I don't know.

And yes, this might not (hopefully) apply anymore.

That's interesting then.

Thanks for posting this. I bought a 40 lb. bag of Evolution last week and started mixing it in with my cats' Pet Promise food, but I'm still being very cautious, so I want to read everything I can.

I have nothing really useful to add except that the gentleman who developed Evolution diet is a very good acquaintence of mine. After speaking with him and working with him on my local EarthSave chapter's issues, I have come to the conclusion that he is incredibly dedicated to health and veganism. I really admire him. :up:

Even if I make my dogs veg*n again, I won't trust the fine folks who make Vegedog and Vegecat. They knew 10+ years ago that some dogs might have a problem due to lack of l-carnitine and taurine, yet they marketed their product as being the "only supplement you would need." My friend had 4 dogs diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy after a few months to years, depending on the dog, on that crap. Even when I looked at their ingredients recently, they still didn't include l-carnitine but do add taurine now.

If they couldn't get the dog formula right, I certainly wouldn't trust their cat formula, as it's a lot harder to make a cat veg*n than it is a dog. Actually, years ago I did try Vegecat, but my cat would have no part of it. Which is probably the reason I still have him today, more than 10 years later.

I haven't researched Evolution much but if I remember correctly, they are the only veg*n dog food that adds both taurine and l-carnitine. Of course, it also costs way more than the premium dog food I already can't really afford but buy for my dogs, plus I'd have to pay for shipping as no one here sells it, so I can't afford it.

I'd say that even if there are a couple problems, it's still a lot better than giving your cat or dog iams or another mainstream brand. Iams has so much crap in it that I wouldn't be worried about the "cons" of vegan food.