Why go vegan?

According to Albert Einstein,

"[N]othing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

The truth of this statement is echoed around the world today as people are becoming more aware of the health and lifestyle benefits of eating vegetarian food and purchasing vegetarian products.

This recent surge in popularity has increased pressure on manufacturers to develop vegan and vegetarian products. These foods have become increasingly available and restaurants serving for the vegan and vegetarian diets are steadily increasing.

Vegetarian derives from the Latin word vegetus meaning, 'whole, sound, fresh or lively'. The meaning of the word today implies a balanced, philosophical and moral sense of life, a lot more than just a diet of fruit and vegetables.

Vegan is the next logical step in vegetarianism which omits eggs and dairy from the diet. As people change their own personal eating and living habits, they also seek alternatives for their companion animals.

Previously, there was a mistaken belief that dogs and cats require meat in their diets. However, studies indicate that companion animals can live healthy and active lives on vegetarian or vegan food. With the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK in 2001, the occurrence of Mad Cow Disease and the current Bird Flu Epidemic, people are becoming more concerned about the dangers lurking in meats that they feed their cherished pets.

What's wrong with commercial pet food?

Have you ever wondered why pet food is kept separate from human food at points of purchase? Because it is not fit for human consumption! Why is this? The major source of animal protein for pet food is "the four D's"...Dead, Dying Diseased or Disabled animals.

So what exactly would an animal found dead, suffering or dying in a paddock have wrong with it? A disease, cancer, torn kidney, lung, blood or liver infection? Perhaps an overdose of pesticide? No one knows for certain but suck animals are put down and used for pet food. Also of concern is the possibility of verterinary drugs still present in the animal. These animals are then cut up and used as choice cuts of beef or lamb, or plump whole chicken, as the pet food labels claim. Being thrifty instututions slaughterhouses take all that is left over, including the head, legs, intestines, liver and lungs, (not to mention whatever it was the beast died of) and render it down in a big vat. The hair is skimmed from the top and whatever remains is dreid and powdered, leaving beef or chicken meal or meat and poultry by-products or digests.These productss are found in every dog and cat food available today. I think this is a questionable source of nourishment for our animals. On reading labels you will see feather meanl and blood meal. What is feather meal? It is ground up feathers very high in protein, but totally indigestible. The same goes for blood meal. For more information on this, please read "Food Pets Die For" by Ann Martin or "Polluted Pet Food" from Nexus Magazine.

Have you ever wondered why our pets become ill or allergic, develop chronic digestive problems or sometimes die very young? Could it be the food they are eating? Wioth the abouve in mind, are we being so cruel by feeding nutritionally balanced vegan food to our pets? I think not. We now have the possibility to make a more humane choice by not feeding our pets the products or other slaughtered animals

Can cats and dogs be vegan?

Although the dog and cat have about equal status as companion animals, they are two totally different species. Things you can feed to a dog can be poison to a cat (for example, aspirin). Aspirin reacts with dogs about the same as in humans, but is poisonous to cats. Dogs can live on commercial cat food but cats will die if fed only dog food.

There is a huge difference in dogs' and cats' physiological, behavioural and dietary habits. Dogs evolved from an omnivorous species, while cats evolved from a strictly carnivorous diet. Cats have a shorter gastrointestinal tract and therefore food passes through them more quickly than dogs, making it harder for cats to digest food. There are many special needs in a cat's diet. These differences are: a unique energy and glucose metabolism, higher protein requirements, the need for the amino acids arginine and taurine, the inability to convert beta-carotene to active vitamin A, tryptophan to niacin and linoleic acid into essential long-chain fatty acids. This is why many vets and nutritionists say cats cannot be vegan but dogs can. For two years my supplier worked on making a dry extruded dog and cat food using vegan alternatives supplying all cat and dog nutritional needs.

The body's basic building, energising and replacing materials can come from a meat or chicken source or a soybean, corn flaxseed or seaweed source. It doesn't matter. The basic cellular structure is the same from either source, and the availability of each nutrient is broken down into an acceptable microstructure for absorption in the gastro-intestinal tract. This has been achieved with the careful addition of natural enzymes (for example amylase), and other special enzymes to break down corn and soya into readily absorbable molecules. Also by taking great care in balancing the nutrients in a way the body accepts them readily, and, only when absolutely essential using synthetic replacements, for example Taurine and L Carnitine. The synthetic replacements are also checked that they are not engineered from an animal source.