Dry, wet, raw, vegan – whatever it is, food is a matter of choice. I have tried everything, I had kibble exactly for seven days after coming home. At that time, I was only three months old. Then my humans gave me something nicer, it’s called wet food. And I gladly said bye to dry food.
I had wet food for many years. When I got bored, I simply refused to have food and my humans changed the brand and flavour. Of course, that trick didn’t always work for long because I have a weak tummy and change of food causes bad things. Sometimes they gave me nice home-cooked turkey and veggie meals.
Two years ago, after I underwent a stomach surgery (more on that another time), my humans started giving me something even nicer. It’s called raw food, and that’s what I have now. But that’s not really the point. In today’s O’pawnion piece I want to delve on vegan food.
Reducing carbon pawprint
Recently I have been hearing a lot about vegan food. Some humans are apparently eating only vegan food due to health and climate concerns. That’s a choice they have made, which is great. Now the thing is some humans are choosing to give plant-based food to their dogs as well. Apparently, this will help in reducing carbon pawprint.
If the food is nutritionally balanced that’s fine too. I often hear my human say that earlier his family dogs were given milk and flatbread at night. They were quite healthy and as such, never complained about eating non-meat food. I haven’t tried vegan food yet, and as of now I’m fine with my raw food. That’s my choice.
What my pawls think
But being curious by nature, I asked a few of my pawls about their views on vegan food.
My friend Sai was quite straightforward, “Honestly, vegan food is not even an option for me. I find it unnatural to not have meat in every meal. It’s not about loving the taste but more about what I feel is healthy for me. That’s my choice.”
Point taken dude. Food is a matter of choice, after all.
My pawls Sundari and Toby echoed Sai. “We are not much for plant-based food as the only source of nutrition,” they declared. “Having said that, we don’t mind vegan treats (lol). And yes, we eat yoghurt for gut health.”
Our final word
I’ve to tell you about another friend Disco, who started out vegan but soon discovered her love for meat.
“As a puppy, I ate only vegetarian food. Even my kibble was vegetarian. But you know I’d crave for meat and refused to eat what was given to me. My human even got me gourmet food made by a chef who specialises in dog nutrition. I refused that too. Whenever I had the opportunity, I’d steal the neighbour cat’s food,” Disco said.
“Slowly my human realised that vegan won’t work for me. One day, she got fresh chicken, mixed it with rice and pressure cooked it. One whiff and I was like mission accomplished – now I will get meat. By the way, I’ve also learnt to polish off the chicken and leave the rice behind. Crafty, right?”
Well, what can I say Disco – sometimes I’m guilty too of polishing off the chicken heart toppings and leave the raw food behind!
But on a serious note, any food that’s nutritionally balanced and suits the welfare standards of your stomach is good, according to us. So, choose your food wisely. What suits me may not be good for you. And what is perfect for your stomach may not be agree with someone else.
