Pulling this quote from the "updates on health" thread, so as to divert a potential threadjack! Figured this interesting topic deserved its own thread.

Interesting that you should mention eggs. There are some chi owners who feel that eggs (and occasional chicken) are the best food for their dogs. These dogs tend to be hyper and so hypoglycemia is not unknown. Some claim that feeding them eggs (complete protein, easily digested) calms them a bit.

LuLu eats a little (she's very little, after all) of the fruit, vegs, and any meat/eggs I eat. One of her favorite foods (nonmeat, that is) is raw carrots. She'd eat a whole bag of mini carrots if I cut them up for her. Tangerines are another favorite.

Eliminating meat from a cat's diet is a recipe for disaster. Some of these vegans are fanatics.

Dogs are omnivores so can eat a large variety of foods. I think you should feed your dog some organic, ground raw beef several times a week, in addition to a premium dog food, so she can get amino acids and other nutrients destroyed by cooking.

You have to wonder why there is a cancer epidemic in our pets.

I really believe that feeding animals kibble, exclusively, is not good.

Dogs are omnivores. There are some dog experts who go so far as to say that each breed should be fed exclusively foods that their breed ancestors would have eaten. For Chis, this would be rodents, tropical fruits, small birds, greens! But certainly not cows... unless it would be the occasional ripened carcass, and then it would be just the leavings... So LuLu gets my rib bones. After her 2 tablespoons of kibble, her carrots, and her tangerines. (tonight she dined on collard greens as her dessert)

She hates fish. Won't touch it. But my parents' huskies adored fish.

Humans forget, too, that in the wild, only a low percentage of hunting expeditions are successful among dogs. So they do end up eating whatever, and may not get meat every single day.

When our old dog (now dead) developed chronic ear infections, the vet prescribed a homemade diet for her. It was a mixture of barley, brown rice, beets, beet tops, carrots, and -- for protein -- chicken livers. All boiled in a big pot in the kitchen, and it smelled like hell, but she loved it, ate it without fail, never gained weight, smelled nice, and lived to be about 15.

I think I may still have the recipe around, if you want me to look for it.

And the other posters are right -- cats need meat, period, from what I've heard. Dogs are omnivorous and so there's more leeway in what you feed them.

You can see my poor kitty story in the "health update" thread.

I think that there are probably several people on board here who would like to see your "recipe"!

As soon as I get home, which won't be till the end of the week, I will try to find it & post it here. It involved making a big vat of it, though, so for a small dog it would probably rot before they could eat it all. Then again, they're dogs, so they like rotten food!

I think I still have it around, though that particular dog is long dead. It was great food, though -- cured her of everything that was wrong with her.

thank you, that would be very interesting to see.

Probably would cut the recipe in half, then freeze some of it... in ice cube trays!

Cats must eat meat. They are pure carivores always have been.

My Toy Poodle eats a vegan kibble by Evolution Diet. It is high in protein and consists of Soy and grains.

I believe that the reason so many pets gets cancer these days is b/c they eat commercial dog food that is made from rotten, contaminated, animal by-products, not suitable for human consumption (contaminated meat, animal heads and feet, etc). Why do you think the bags of kibble stink so much when you take a good whiff? Ever notice? It's rotten stuff in there. They also use old grease - such as the stuff that McDonald's no longer wants..........that's what goes into your pet food.

When you buy Evolution, it smells like regular food, it smells fresh.

I also give him whole wheat organic pasta shells, organic chicken breast, egg whites, fruits, brocolli, sweet potato, plain organic baby yogurt, soy milk, olive oil with his food/kibble/ and ocassionally I give him a multi-vitamin SuperFood Green, 1/4 tablet. These are things he eats regularly, which I mix with his kibble. He's 6lbs and has never been overweight.

I think that the best thing to feed your dog, is the best food you can possibly afford for YOURSELF. If YOU wouldn't put it in your mouth - then don't give it to your dog. that's my take on it.

You don't have to go VEGAN or even VEGETARIAN, but you can choose to feed your dog natural, wholesome, and if you can afford it, organic meats.

LuLu eats a little (she's very little, after all) of the fruit, vegs, and any meat/eggs I eat. One of her favorite foods (nonmeat, that is) is raw carrots. She'd eat a whole bag of mini carrots if I cut them up for her. Tangerines are another favorite.
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Oh Maria I would love to meet LuLu- I admit to a fondness for little dogs. Our Gidget, a Pug and maybe Boston mix( a very knowlegeable pug breeder poo poo-ed this and said she is just a very badly bred full pug!), is what is known as "food indiscriminate" meaning she will try to eat anything that can't run away from her. Tales of not one but two brillo pads eaten. As a rescue , she came to us eating Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato kibble, which she does very well on. Her snacks are a slice of raw apple, carrot or green pepper. She lives for cheese and this is the nail clipping bribe. There are a zillion chat boards about what to feed one's pet- raw this -boiled that- zen vegan virgin hand massaged free range- I got very confused. So I feed her what I always have knowing full well she would prefer the neihgbor's cat's poop and a nice Lego chaser.

Hmmm... have not tried the brillo pads yet!

Do you think that Barney's and such would allow a little Chi in their enclaves?

This is true. A vegetarian diet will make a cat suffer hideously, lose its eyesight and eventually die. Do your research and talk to your vet before changing your pet's diet!!

I personally wouldn't bother and wouldn't prevent an animal of eating something I enjoy, but my curiousity (don't kill the cat!) research indicates that the risk is to the bladder/urinary tract because plant proteins are more alkaline, and many female cats tolerate vegan diets quite well. The eyesight issue is caused by taurine deficiency. Taurine supplementation is something most moderately educated cat owners are aware may be necessary even if the cat eats meat.