Vegan Talk Forums

Dame · Posted: Dec 5, 2006 11:51 pm Post subject: Vegan dog food recipe

I've looked into buying vegan dog food and can only find some overprocessed expensive stuff - there's got to be a better way.

Does anyone know of a recipe I can follow for making my own vegan dog food?

Dame xx

Sergio · Vegan Talk Veteran Joined: 24 May 2001 Posts: 224

Nutrients · Active Vegan Talker Joined: 15 Jan 2007 Posts: 26

Here are some guidelines for feeding vegetarian dogs.
source: http://www.vegetariandogs.com/
Vegetables
Vegetables are highly digestible by dogs after cooking. Baking is best for nutrient retention; but boiling is fine, if you also use the water in the food. Dogs love most cooked vegetables, but may prefer them cut into small pieces or pureed. Whole cooked potatoes make an excellent snack. Just fill a pan with potatoes and place in the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees. After cooling, store in the refrigerator and give as snacks. As much as 1/3 of the basic recipe can consist of "extra" vegetables without greatly altering the nutrient balance.

Millet, beans, lentils, and other grains/legumes.
Add up to one cooked cup per basic recipe. Beans, lentils and other legumes are especially high in minerals and protein. However, as mentioned earlier, you should check the dog(s) stool to see if they are digesting such foods. If you see whole beans, for example, cook them longer and/or put them in a blender.

Avocados
Add up to one avocado per basic recipe. This is an excellent source of essential fatty acids, among other important nutrients. The addition of one avocado will lower the protein requirement slightly to 15% (and increase the fat content). However, this amount is still greater than that suggested by one veterinarian.4

Pasta
Add up to 1 cup dry or cooked pasta to the food. Any size shape or variety will do-- it should be whole wheat or enriched, however.

Whole wheat bread
Dogs love bread. Fortunately, bread is a healthy snack. You can add it to the meal or use for treats.

Nutrients · Active Vegan Talker Joined: 15 Jan 2007 Posts: 26

The most important food in the dog's diet is wheat germ. Wheat germ is a "superfood": It provides an extremely large quantity of vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and a large portion of a dog's zinc requirement.