Happy Birthday Lily!!

The bestest, cutest, sweetest, mushiest dog in the world, Lily.

In honor of my little girl's birthday today, I thought it would be the perfect time to address why she is also a vegan! The funny thing is she was actually a vegan before me.   =p


I was at a time in my life when I had begun reading and watching everything I could get my hands on in regards to our food system. It was only natural that the questions I had eventually turned to the pet food industry as well. After reading and seeing all that goes in to a food system meant for humans, I couldn't even imagine what they made pet food out of.


Imagine my shock and disgust when I found out that pet food is made from 4D meat! 4D is a term used to classify meat that is either Dead, Disabled, Diseased or Dying; basically it is meat unfit for human consumption (according to the USDA). Their food also includes heads, hooves, organs, blood, feet, bones, tumors, fetuses, tails - the list goes on and on. Then, if it's dry food, it's sprayed with used restaurant grease to make it more palatable to the animals. THEN it's sprayed with preservatives like ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT (BHT is the same stuff that's in jet fuel and embalming fluid) which are known carcinogens! Pretty scary stuff...


Have we already forgotten about what happened in 2007? When over 5300 pet food products (most of them manufactured by Menu Foods) had to be recalled? It was later discovered that the recall was due to the contamination of aminopterin (used in rat poison), cyanuric acid (used to stabilize chlorine in swimming pools) and melamine (a nitrogen-rich chemical usually used in plastics and laminates). The combination of these chemicals makes for a lethal cocktail, usually resulting in kidney failure. It killed thousands of pets and sickened even more. Unfortunately, these recalls happen very often. Perhaps not on such a large scale as the one in 2007, but they are common nonetheless.



I had been feeding Lily with Newman's Own Organics but after discovering what pet food was really made from I started looking around on the internet for something more plant-based. One day I was in the pet food store and walking down the aisle toward the Newman's food when out of the corner of my eye I saw a bag labeled, "Vegetarian Formula". I stopped in my tracks to check it out and was overjoyed when I saw how much better it would be for Lily. After all my searching on the internet here, right in front of me was Lily's new food! That day I went home from the store with Natural Balance dog food instead and have been ever since.


So how does Lily like her new vegan food? To put it simply - she LOVES it. I've never seen her get so excited for her food before. Now she drools uncontrollably at feeding time. One day I made the mistake of leaving an open bag out while I showered. When I came out, it had been knocked over and eaten out of. Mind you, she has never, ever done anything like this with any other food. Another time I left an unopened bag thinking it would be fine since it's sealed. Silly me!

The aftermath.

When I took Lily for her first checkup as a vegan even the vet noticed how great she looked. He said her coat looked shiny and wonderful and that she was finally at the perfect, healthy weight. He asked if I did anything so I told him - she went vegan!


I know this is somewhat of a long post but the crazy thing is I've only scratched the surface! Plenty of people still think that dogs are carnivores and must eat meat. It's simply not true. I feel that everyone has the right to feed their pet whatever they choose. That being said, I strongly encourage everyone to look into what exactly they're giving them. There are virtually no regulations regarding what goes into pet food OR how they label it. Hence, 11 significant recalls in 12 years. Here's a wonderful resource for everything you need to know about pet food!




Author's note: While this post is based on information about the pet food industry as a whole, veterinarians do not recommend feeding cats a vegan diet. Dogs, like humans, are able to acquire all their nutritional requirements from a plant-based diet. Cats, on the other hand, are obligate carnivores with completely different digestive systems and needs. Please always consult with your vet if you have any questions regarding your pet's diet!