Animal-Free Pet Food Recommendations

[Willow Sylph]

I have read that the crude protein in pet food is other dead cats and dogs which are often cats and dogs that came from the pound and other non no-kill animal shelters. Just where they came from aside, that is totally disgusting and can't be healthy for cats and dogs.

I have found a pet food product or two that is vegetarian, but VERY expensive. Has anyone else ran into this problem?

Do any of you have a particular brand that your fur-kid likes and that is somewhat reasonably priced?

(Also, can any of you refute or confirm what I wrote in my first paragraph?)

[ynaffit]

(Also, can any of you refute or confirm what I wrote in my first paragraph?)
i found this: http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSWeirdNews0106/07_dogfood-sun.html
and there are various dog food articles that might have things here: http://www.pcoc.net/dog-food.htm

[Willow Sylph]

Thanks for the article links, Ynaffit. Very bothersome...

[rabid_child]

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/DFreport.htm

That is the article from the FDA saying there are NOT dead dogs and cats in pet food.

[Mycoolcats]

ive gotten the authority brand from Petsmart mostly, it still has real chicken or fish in it... i have never found in a large bag at a pet store non meat food, if i find it id gladly change, most online places say you have to basically "prepare" your own pet food with their mix for non meat ideas :(

[Lelena]

I use Natural Life Vegetarian Dog Food from Laberderm (sp?). At first my vet was against my dog going vegetarian, but after almost 9 years now she sees how healthy he is and is all for it. It costs $22 for 20 lbs which lasts 6-7 weeks for my dog. When he ate meat he would go through 20 lbs in a month.

[Divine]

That is the article from the FDA saying there are NOT dead dogs and cats in pet food.

You really believe anything the FDA says? :stinkeye: This is the same organization that approved aspartame for human consumption and says that all beef is safe. They're populated by people that used to work for the beef, dairy, egg & poultry industries.

[DMZdogs]

Natural Balance's Vegetarian formula is actually also vegan. It IS rather pricey...25,000 won for one little bag. But, while I'm feeding two dogs, both are little and both eat a LOT of other stuff as well, so it lasts a long time. Plus, I've always looked at the expense of dog food this way: how much does it cost to feed them per month and how much do I spend on my own food? That always really put it in perspective (and tended to make me go buy them presents). Kibble is insanely cheap when viewed that way. On the other hand, I did notice my weekly expense for food went up when they started eating a lot of whole food along with me. Not a lot...just some.

[Divine]

I've heard a lot of good reviews on Natural Balance, and I agree with you about the cost. It's definitely worth it.

[DeflatorMouse]

You could also try making your own pet food (that's what I do). Basically, look at the ingredients of the store-bought stuff, omit the stuff you don't want, and voila.

Most of the time you'll see the ingredients are just rice, corn, wheat, oil & maybe some veggies. All of this stuff you can reproduce in your own kitchen easily. Crush up some vitamin suppliments if you're worried about that.

In my research, I've found commercial pet food to be too questionable to trust. The latest aflatoxin catastrophe last month (several hundred dog deaths reported in the USA & UK alone) is a sad example of how poorly regulated the pet food industry is. :(

[Tova]

I don't know about Natural life. It has a lot of corn in it. I fed my dog that when he was younger. He got so malnourished (I think because he stopped eating cause he hated it) he started eating cat poop from the litter box. I switched to a meat food and he stopped right away and is now a lot healthier.
He's ultra picky anyway. Some dogs will eat anything but he only wants fresh foods especially meat. He hates kibble. I have started him on Raw Instinct by Nature's Variety (it is grain free) and he seems happy enough.

ETA: You'd think in the Veg Natural Life that they would put a lot of vegetables for health since there isn't any meat, but all it is is just a bag of cheap grains. The more I look at the ingredients the more I just don't see how it would be that healthy.

http://www.nlpp.com/products.html?topic=vegetarian

[punkmommy]

I fed my dogs Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin Formula. It's vegetarian and they sell it at Petsmart. It's about $20 for a 22 lb bag.

[ikisstrees]

Here's a product I found called Vegedog that is a powder-type supplement in which you add your own ingredients. It's not too expensive either!
http://www.veganstore.com/index-store.html?deptid=17074&parentid=13&stocknumber=262-D&page=1&itemsperpage=12

They also carry Vegan cat food, but it's like over $40 for a 10 pound bag which is, in my opinion, a little too much! (But they also have vegecat)

[inkwenkwezi]

We also use Natural Balance. I would recommend it highly. It is vegan, and wheat, corn & soy free - which is great for us because we give our girls tofu too, so we don't want to overdo it on soy.

[Eva-bo-beva]

Wow, I think it's pretty mean to inflict your morals on your pet that depends on you, especially if we're talking about a cat. If you don't want a shady brand full of all kinds of stuff that you dont want ...whether that be other dead dogs and cats or not, there are plenty of natural brands available. They cost a little more, but its worth your peace of mind and your pets happiness.

[kpickell]

Wow, I think it's pretty mean to inflict your morals on your pet that depends on you, especially if we're talking about a cat. If you don't want a shady brand full of all kinds of stuff that you dont want ...whether that be other dead dogs and cats or not, there are plenty of natural brands available. They cost a little more, but its worth your peace of mind and your pets happiness.
Is it still pretty mean if the dog or cat's health is your first priority?

You don't have to sacrifice your pets health to feed them vegetarian food, just make sure it is not only formulated to meet their needs but also includes taurine (for dogs and cats) and l-cartinine (for dogs) and doesn't include any of the main trouble ingredients (corn, soy, wheat).

Just because Old Roy contains meat by products doesn't mean it's at all healthy for a dog or cat. Whether you're feeding vegetarian kibble or non-vegetarian kibble, the same health concerns need to be considered.

PS: I believe the opening remark about cat and dog remains being used in pet food is an urban legend.

[VeggieMath]

Can you feed a cat vegetarian food? My cat wants meat. I have found foods that have much vegetables, but nothing vegetarian or vegan. I have found vegan dog food, but cat food no. Does it exist?

[Divine]

You could also try making your own pet food (that's what I do). Basically, look at the ingredients of the store-bought stuff, omit the stuff you don't want, and voila.

Most of the time you'll see the ingredients are just rice, corn, wheat, oil & maybe some veggies. All of this stuff you can reproduce in your own kitchen easily. Crush up some vitamin suppliments if you're worried about that.

In my research, I've found commercial pet food to be too questionable to trust. The latest aflatoxin catastrophe last month (several hundred dog deaths reported in the USA & UK alone) is a sad example of how poorly regulated the pet food industry is. :(

I've been looking into this. I just purchased the cookbook from yummyfordogs.org . All but a few of the recipes are vegan, and the few that aren't contain honey (which can be replaced with molasses). There's almost 100 recipes in them, including meals & treats. It looks really good, so I'm excited to start trying some of the recipes.

[Ayrlin]

Several cats have come into our shelter blind or nearly blind because thier owners attempted to feed them a veg*n diet.

While I am not against the practice you need to be well informed and balance the animals meals very carefuly.
Remeber this is not an animal that evolved to be an omni or a veg*n they evolved to hunt, kill and eat thier prey they do not make choices like a human , we can choose to be omni or veg*n they can not and given free reign they will go for meat.

Even a meat based diet people need to be careful, dogs and cats should not be given corn and if you read lables on bags of dog or cat food often times corn is the first thing you see.
It is crazy!

Either way choose I beg of you choose what is best for your pet not just what you want.

BTW the story about dogs and cats being in petfood is a myth.

[kpickell]

Seriously, Ayrlin? It seems odd to me that a vegan would care for a cat, feed it a vegan diet, have it for many years, and then drop it off at a shelter when it's that old. We've never run into a case like that at our shelter, thank god.

[Ayrlin]

Seriously, Ayrlin? It seems odd to me that a vegan would care for a cat, feed it a vegan diet, have it for many years, and then drop it off at a shelter when it's that old. We've never run into a case like that at our shelter, thank god.
Droped off? No that has never happened.
Ours were ones that were taken away from the owner by other organizations and we recieve from them.
If you do not feed an animal properly and that neglect happens to harm the animals health it is considered animal abuse.

We do not take in peoples pets unless we adopted them out in the first place we rescue animals, horder homes, abuse cases, feral cat sociaty and local vet offices.

[kpickell]

Oh I see.

Were they hoarders, or actual vegans who felt it wrong to feed a cat meat? I've heard of hoarders who can no longer afford to buy enough cat food for all their pets and start giving things like rice... :-/

[Ayrlin]

What type of shelter do you work with?
Ours is a cat only, and yay it is kitten season:wall: we already have babies found in dumpsters on mama cats droped off at a vet and them askign the vet to put her down 3 weeks before she is due to deliver :wall: vet called us thankfully. I think our bottlebaby foster mom is up to 20 bottle fed kittens, all found trashed cept a littler of 5 which magicly appered on the doorstep aprox 3 days old.

To answer your question they were vegans who thought it wrong that thier cats should eat meat.

I thankfully have only had to deal with one case of hording and it was awful, I hope I never ever have to see it again.
The filth and disease is more than I can describe really

[Ayrlin]

I do want to point out that I do not think it is exacly wrong to feed a cat or dog a vegan diet but it has to be done with care and insight into thier special needs.
Mostly though I figure nature made them this way for a reason and I respect that.
I should add that although I personaly have not run into it I have heard of cases were owners fed thier cats nothing but tuna and those cats also lacked the proper nutriants. SO vegan or meat based can be done wrong.

[VeggieSince88]

I've been using Nature's Recipe Vegetarian Healthy Skin Formula (it was called Vegetarian Allergy Formula when I started buying it about 4 years ago), but I didn't start out intending for my dogs to be vegetarian. They had skin allergies and for the first year I was feeding them prescription food from the vet that consisted solely of fish and potatoes. However...it was REALLY expensive, especially considering that I was feeding two Great Danes! After a year--and with my vet's blessing--I tried Nature's Recipe's veggie food and they were fine with it. I highly recommend it.