Vegetarian Dogs

I used to date a guy that grew up in Hungary. He would always remark about how weird he thought "pet food" was since in Hungary they would feed the dogs the leftovers of the family meals. Granted, his family's meals were probably fresh and fairly simple.

American families eat as much processed foods as our dogs do. High salt, high fat, high-preservative foods do not make a good foundation for humans or canines as far as I know. However, it does bring us to today's topic - can dogs be vegetarian? My experience tells me that yes, many dogs can be vegetarians, unlike their feline friends. It is important to monitor the protein and fat intake of your pet and help make sure they are getting a good, balanced food supply.

If your family does eat meat, I recommend that your try to eat organic, fresh meats as much as possible, and its a good idea to hand some raw bones over to your dog now and then and let them chew, chew away. This will help scrape plaque from their teeth as well as get them the nuggets of hidden minerals and cartilage that can keep their joints and bones strong as they age.

Don't forget that fresh veggies and fruits contain antioxidants and vitamins that will benefit the health of your dog, so toss a few those in the old bowl as well. Steaming is the best way to make the veggies more palatable. Bon Appetit!