Information Sheet

Dogs - A Vegetarian Diet? Part 2 - Sources of Nutrients Protein Best sources: Cheese, eggs, soya beans, soya flour, tofu, soya protein. Other useful sources: Pulses (lentils, beans, split peas), whole cereals and wheatgerm, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, nuts except chestnuts and coconuts. An assortment of protein sources provides a good balance of amino acids, eg by feeding pulses and cereals together at one meal. Fats and Oils Mainly saturated: butter, hard margarines, cheese, eggs, olives and olive oil. Intermediate: nuts, coconuts, wheat germ and their oils. Mainly unsaturated: sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, corn oil, linseed oil, soya oil, soft margarines which state high polyunsaturate content. Dogs utilise unsaturated oils well. Vitamin E helps in unsaturated oil metabolism. Unsaturated oils are oxidised, reducing their nutritional value, by exposure to light, heat and air. Carbohydrates Cereals and their products (flour, bread, cakes etc), bananas, chestnuts, cashews, pulses, pears, dried fruit (not raisins), potatoes, sugar etc. Carbohydrates are unlikely to be in short supply in the average varied diet. The starch in potatoes can cause diarrhoea in some dogs. Roughage (Crude Fibre) Vegetables, bran and whole cereals, pulses. Vitamins Vitamin A: as vitamin A - margarine, butter, milk, cheese, eggs. as the precursor carotene - carrots and green vegetables. In dogs, carotene has about half the nutritional value of actual vitamin A. Vitamin D: As vitamin D - Margarine, butter, eggs, milk. As its precursor, which is converted by sunlight on the animal's skin to vitamin D - green leafy vegetables, cereal germ, yeast. Vitamin E: Cereal germs (especially wheat germ oil), green leafy vegetables eg cabbage, spinach, curly kale, lettuce. Vitamin K: Green leafy vegetables. B-complex vitamins (except b12): Yeast, whole cereals, cereal germs, bran, eggs, various vegetables, nuts. Easily destroyed by cooking. Vitamin B12: Barmene, fortified soya milk, cheese, some TVPs (read the label!), milk. Vitamin C: Fresh sprouts, curly kale, blackcurrants, rose hip pulp and syrup, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, green peppers. Vitamin C is not normally essential for dogs as they synthesise their own. However, some researchers suggest that vitamin C synthesis in dogs may be inadequate on a low protein diet and a few individuals may not be able to synthesise the vitamin and so require it in the diet. Minerals Calcium: Good sources: cheese, yoghurt, sesame seeds. Fair: almonds, black radish, kolrabi leaves, dried figs, cucumbers, ripe beans, lemons, milk, tangerines, leeks, curly kale, lettuce, cauliflower, endive, celery, peanuts. Foods with a good calcium/phosphate balance: cheese, yoghurt, ripe beans, ripe peas, lentils, hens eggs, currants, curly kale, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, white cabbage, salsify, dried figs, milk, cauliflower, celeriac, lettuce, dates, bananas, oranges, peanuts, almonds, hazels. Low calcium relative to phosphorus: cereals and their products eg bread, flour. These foods need to be balanced with higher calcium foods to prevent calcium deficiencies. Phytic acid in cereals may also reduce calcium absorption. Soaking grains overnight is believed to activate enzymes which break down the phytic acid. Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption. Iron: Celeriac, cream cheese, tangerines, spinach, various fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole cereals. Iodine: Seaweed, eg kelp powder, eggs, whole grain rye and wheat, lettuce. Other minerals are generally well provided in a diet containing a variety of vegetables, fruit, nuts, milk, cheese, eggs. If your dog has been brought up on a meat diet, make the changeover to a vegetarian diet gradual. With active dogs there is a problem of bulk versus energy and readers are advised to consult their vet for guidance to ensure that sufficient energy can be obtained from the mass of food given. Milk alone is not an adequate source of calcium for puppies and a mineral supplement of calcium phosphate is recommended. Rapidly growing dogs of heavy breeds particularly need a high calcium intake. Foods to avoid Macademia nuts, raisins, chocolate and raw onions should be all be avoided as they are poisonous when ingested in large enough quantities. Based on a leaflet originally compiled for the Vegetarian Society by C.M.Morey Back to Part 1 of Dogs - a Vegetarian Diet? Further Information The Classified Advertising Directory - for all commercial products and services related to vegetarianism. Back to info index