PETA expert gives eleven tips for animal-friendly dog nutrition.
Study shows how meat -based pet food harms the environment.
Stuttgart. Optimal food for dogs: More and more people are using the advantages of a vegan diet and also want to do something good for your dog with animal and environmentally friendly food. Also with a view to the ecological balance, an important step, because according to a study by the Technical University of Berlin (1), a meat -based dog nutrition has a significant impact on the environment. A balanced vegetable menu includes everything the four -legged friends need for a long and healthy life, and can also taste delicious. Lisa Kainz, specialist for animals in the nutritional industry at PETA, has years of experience with vegan dog nutrition and gives people with dogs with eleven useful tips for changing.
“Dogs probably have the same ancestors as wolves, but according to the definition, they are among the alleys. That is why the four -legged friends can benefit from a plant -based diet, ”says Lisa Kainz. “If a few tips are taken into account, people and dogs are happy about the uncomplicated change in feed and the diverse possibilities.”
Eleven tips for easy change
on a balanced vegetable dog nutrition
- The changeover: Dogs should slowly be used to the new diet so that the intestine of the new food composition can also adapt. The vegetable proportion is best increased from day to day until the changeover is completed after about two weeks. Larger quantities are possible in the first few weeks, but not too bad.
- Tastes are different: As with humans, there are individuals among dogs who like to eat everything, and those who pick their favorite pieces. It is advisable to try out different variants and also to vary the consistency of the meal. Many dogs may rather puree their vegetable food, others prefer food with somewhat coarser pieces. The stand and the material of the bowl can also be decisive.
- Healthy protein from the plant: Dogs can easily absorb almost all nutrients from plants – including protein. Cooked lentils and peas or lupins have proven themselves. Whole grain pasta, potatoes and rice also taste the four -legged friends.
- Fruit and vegetables: In addition to the classics – apples and carrots – many dogs also like beetroot, spinach, pumpkin, bananas or berries.
- Power packages: Nuts, seeds and sprouts are full of energy – four -legged friends also benefit from this. People with dogs can pull sprouts such as Alfalfa, quinoa or radishes themselves and mix them under the meal. Many four -legged friends enjoy whole nuts as a snack for in between or like to nibble on a carrot. There are also valuable ingredients in hazelnut, walnut, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and flax seeds that enrich the animal menu. Almonds are advised against the hydrocyanic acid it contains. And be careful: Macadamia nuts are highly toxic for dogs.
- Delicacies from the garden: Herbal plants such as dandelion, nettle or parsley are not only good for the health of human accompaniment, but also puree the dog bowl greener. Please pay attention to the dosage here and if possible, let the dog choose which herbs it currently needs.
Delicious rewards: chewing bones from dead animals are from yesterday. Many dogs like to gnaw on raw sweet potatoes for a change, snack on a little smoked folter or deal with soft chewing roots. - Supplement: As with other self -prepared forms of nutrition, such as the so -called barking, the self -cooked meals must be calculated exactly and enriched with a supplement for vegan dog nutrition. Otherwise deficiency symptoms can arise. Supplements are available in online trading.
- Would you prefer ready -made food? In the meantime there is a wide range of purely vegetable sole food or treats in specialty shops or various online shops. So if you don't dare to prepare the meal for your four-legged friend yourself, you can use these animal and environmentally friendly alternatives.
- Always drink enough: Many dogs absorb too little liquid or prefer to drink from a dirty puddle than at home from the bowl. The boring water can be spiced up with a dash of oat or rice drink or with a little cooked vegetable broth. Some dogs prefer stale water, for others the liquid has to be changed several times a day. As with food, the location or the material of the bowl can influence drinking behavior.
- Shiny fur: A small amount of oil (depending on the weight of the dog) Mixed in the food, mostly improves the skin and fur of the four -legged friends. There is a pleasure to be used here for linen, hemp, thistle or black cumin oil.
If you are unsure whether your dog should not eat certain products from the above -mentioned foods due to previous illnesses, allergies or the like, please discuss this before a change of food with informed veterinary staff. The composition of the individual food components depends on the size, weight and other individual factors. In any case, it is advisable to find out sufficiently in the numerous specialist publications on vegan dog nutrition. Important: If something does not taste good for the dog, the animal should never be forced to eat or hunger.
The Technical University of Berlin has examined the environmental balance of some so -called pet species. Among other things, the ecological footprint of a 15 -kilogram “average dog” was determined in 13 years of life. The result: Diet dogs -based dogs are the animals with the second -worst ecological balance. In addition to food, the excretions of the dogs also have significant consequences for the environment (1).
Just like people, more and more dogs suffer from allergies that can be triggered by animal substances. Many experts advise raw meat feeding, the so -called bare, as diseases and parasites can be transmitted. Conventional dog food causes millions of animal suffering – and pet owners in particular should look outside the box or dog bowl and find out about the purely vegetable dog nutrition.
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(1) Technical University of Berlin (2020): A dog life and its CO2 footprint: https: // www .tu .ber lin/u e b e r-d i e-t u-b e r l i n/p r o f i l/p r e s s e M i t t e i l u n g e n/o e k o b i l a n z-e i n e s-h u n des (21.1.2025).