I am also a second year veterinary student, and this deficiency in cats and dogs was highly emphasized in our classes. It was seen quite frequently in the 1980’s when some pet food companies stopped supplementing this in animal foods. When they found out that taurine deficiency was causing congestive heart failure in some animals they added it back to the diets and the heart problems weren’t seen nearly as much. I would be highly concerned that any sort of vegetarian diet for dogs and cats would not ever be able to provide the right nutrients for the animal. It’s fine if a person wants to be a vegetarian, but dogs and cats are carnivores, not omnivores like we are, and their bodies just aren’t designed to survive on vegetable products alone. People should not be fighting the natural physiology of the animal and risking their pet’s health.

Thank you for posting the response from “C”.  I agree that it would be nice to be able to have a laboratory test for the presence and levels of amino acids.

I swear some of these commercial dog food formulas look like something created by “mad” scientists.

Since the HSUS true agenda, well known to those who are actually breathing, is the annihilation of the pet population, then why not manufacture a poor quality food that will in many cases over time make the pet ill or worse due to its deficiencies and poor quality ingredients. The innocent/naive consumer purchasing this garbage is helping to fatten the HSUS coffers and helps the HSUS fulfill their agenda. No More PETS! Now isn’t that ingenious?

Dogs are omnivores not vegan, they need real meat in their diets and cats are true carnivores. The only vegetable matter that a dog consumes in the wild is from the stomach of its prey. In the wild you don’t see either of these species grazing on vegetables or building campfires.

NRC only recognizes taurine requirements for cats right now, but I’d say a requirement for dogs is in works.  I’m an undergrad animal science student currently learning this.

Here’s the cat NRC report: http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/cat_nutrition_final.pdf

Oh the things that make you wonder what the heck people are thinking?!?!?

What’s next—a vegan substitute for snakes? Oh yeah, they don’t want me to be able to have my pets, my bad.

Petco is selling this rediculous food knowing that it benefits HSUS.  Given I’m an Exotic Cat Breeder and a big target of HSUS and PETA, I went to the Petco web site where I used to spend a lot of money and let them know that so long as the carried this product, I would not shop there.

My closest Petco is over 100 miles away but what I did to make a strong statement at the retail level, was to fill a shopping cart full of products, top it off with a bag of the vegan cat food.  I went to the checkout stand, presented my Petco card and the bag of vegan food.  I told them I just saw this on their shelf and can’t believe they support such an anti-pet org.  I then exited the store, leaving them with the task of replacing all of the items to the shelf.

I wanted to make sure the manager and independent (maybe) francise owner noticed my protest.

I am sorry to state the obvious, but it is so:  dogs are carniverous animals. They are not meant to eat meatless diets. I don’t like it, but we live in a fallen world & it will be so until God reforms all creation.
Please note: Adam & Eve were apparently vegetarians prior to the choice of rebellion against God. After sin, they speak of eating animals & using their skin for clothing.
Thank God, it will not always be so!
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.”—Isaiah 11:6.
“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.”—Isaiah 65:25
In His restored Kingdom there will be no killing for food. Alas, until then, canines will eat meat.
Blessings~

When it comes to dog food - tails do get in a knot.
It seems whether it be the debate between kibble/ dry feeders vs the raws.

Everyone is usually quick to point out how the other group is wrong and will kill their dog - with substandard diets.

So to see this debate between Veg or Meat is not surprising considering even the meat feeders can’t usually arrive at an understanding.

Lets be honest. There are no independent studies of any manufacturers that arent skewed by the fact they all do their own studies to promote their own profits.

It really falls to the consumer to do their own information gathering. Regardless of what they are feeding. Face it- most don’t.
Most dog foods are not mainly meat based. Most sources of meat proteins are bumped up with Corn, soy , etc.With Vitamins added - because the initial ingredients are lacking.

Throw those vitamins - often synthetic in meat kibble or veg kibble. Perhaps they are more alike than one wants to admit?