#1
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Are dogs carnivores or omnivores?
I thought dogs were carnivores however I keep seeing conflicting information. I'm just curious if anyone has any thoughts about this?
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I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. ~Voltaire |
#2
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From what I know, they're carnivores, but not obligate carnivores. They can eat other stuff, but they aren't built to digest it as well as they do meat. Cats are obligate carnivores. They absolutely need meat.
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#3
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That's the way I understand it as well.
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#4
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Thanks. Seems a bit confusing but I guess it makes sense.
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I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. ~Voltaire |
#5
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Prin is right. Certain breeds (like dalmations) don't all do well on meat at all, and often require a vegetarian diet. Depending on where you read, there is a lot of conflicting information as to what they are (carnivore vs omnivore), but cats (of course) are true carnivores. We have a couple dogs at my work (two, if memory serves me right) who have tested positive for allergies to all animal proteins... strange as that sounds...
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#6
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Ooo very interesting! I was curious too because I've seen people on the fourm get a lot of flack for trying vegetarian diets with thier dogs.
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I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. ~Voltaire |
#7
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Suppose there are many different opinions on this. Our vet, who is a holistic vet and also teaches at Guelph, claims dogs are no longer carnivores whereas cats are true carnivores.
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#8
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Like Prin stated, Cats are obligate Carnivores. unlike dogs cats cannot produce Taurine. So they MUST eat meat. Dogs however, do not have this requirement, however they are Carnivores. But yeah, there is a lot of conflicting information on this topic.
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth! Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense. -J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938 |
#9
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dogs are deemed to be "adapted omnivores", ie carnivores that can and do survive on diets that include other things than meat. that doesn't mean that the non-meat things are good for them, though. it just won't kill them.
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#10
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Just like to add that dogs could go without eating if they had to. But cats can't ,if they stop eating it's very important to get them to a vet. because there liver turns fatty and they can die.
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#11
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A diet to high in protien is not good for a dog .They are omnivores by nature ,in the wild they would eat all of the animal thus getting grain,veg. etc. and not just meat.To much meat or I should say and all meat diet is not good for the Kidneys, they have to work to hard.All dogs are individuals and you must keep that in mind, a couch potato is going to thrive on a much different diet then a very active dog.That being said ,be careful out there, a vet wen't on line answering questions about the recall and said and I quote"I wouldn't feed my dog Purina even if doesn't get recalled,it's a bag of corn"
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#12
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actually in the wild, unless wild canines ingest a very small and whole prey (ie mouse, rat, etc), it will shake out the stomach contents. see http://rawfed.com/myths/stomachcontents.html for reference. and although canines will ingest grasses and berries at random, they are excreted or vomited mostly intact, ie not digested.
a raw diet is not high in protein. a cooked grainless kibble is dehydrated and thus artificially high in protein. in a natural state, no animal would eat a dehydrated diet. meats are ingested with the water content, thus diluting the overall protein. i do wonder what the long-term effects of such a high-protein diet is. it will be interesting to see what "science" comes up with
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#13
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Agreed!
Quote:
__________________
Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth! Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense. -J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938 |
#14
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I agree with Spirit- some breeds and some individual dogs have a higher requirement for veggies than others. Boo, for example, needs way more veg than Jemma. Jemma can do without veg completely.
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#15
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I just studied this as part of my canine nutrition program.
My medical book states that cats are strictly CARNIVORES & dogs have evolved into OMNIVORES. Their reasoning has to do with the presence of extra molars & premolars within dogs' mouths, which suggests that they are meant to chew & crush plant-based foods as well as meat & bone. But, that's just what my medical book says-I'm sure there's information that states otherwise. Last edited by Goldens4Ever; May 14th, 2007 at 05:35 PM. |
#16
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yeah... better information like this
http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html also http://www.geocities.com/havens_home/feedraw.htm - scroll down a bit and see the photos. dogs may be "adapted omnivores" but they are certainly still carnivores, first and above anything else.
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: Last edited by technodoll; May 14th, 2007 at 05:43 PM. |
#17
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I thought the front teeth were for plants.
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#18
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Quote:
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#19
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Do you have any references about what percentage of protein a dog or cat's diet should ideally contain?
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#20
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Quote:
hmmm for cats i'd have to look... you want skull photos, or more readings, or?...
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#21
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Quote:
however this doesn't apply to kibble, which gets much of its protein from grains, hence the standard need for "about 24 to 26% protein" - some are less, some are more, but you see the trend. hard to compare apples to oranges, really. the two diets are just too different
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"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. :love: ~Akitas Are Love~ :love: |
#22
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Well, yeah, that's what I meant. The square dull ones are for veg, while the pointy small ones (like dogs have) are for shredding meat... Dogs teeth are way closer to cats' than ours anyway.
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#23
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Yes, yes, and... yes? I find biology and anatomy very interesting. It's not something I know much about, but I'm all about learning whatever I can.
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#24
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Yes this is really interesting and I don't know enough about diet. I tend to agree with whatever was most natural in the wild is probably best, assuming artifical selection hasn't "tampered" to much with the wolf tummy.:P
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I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. ~Voltaire |
#25
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Dogs are Omnivores the same as people and bears.
omnivore = noun 1. a person who eats all kinds of foods 2. an animal that feeds on both animal and vegetable substances (Cats are carnivores) You will find many who will say dogs are one or the other, I guess they have their reasons, I sure don't know what they are or why they think as they do. My dog loves apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, peanut butter almost as much as meat, if not equally as much (not my cat). I have to keep my dog out of the garden, or she will eat the watermelons, knowing that's a no no. She has to wait for them to ripen like the rest of us....lol Last edited by KitsapLady; June 5th, 2007 at 06:47 PM. |
#26
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Quote:
And here's a very technical PDF written by veterinarian Dr. Zoran: THE CARNIVORE CONNECTION TO NUTRITION IN CATS For something a little more readable, try this one, also by a vet: FEEDING YOUR CAT: KNOW THE BASICS OF FELINE NUTRITION |
#27
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Quote:
Coyotes will raid gardens in the summer and eat melons especially. They seem to love fruit. Even though dogs are classed in the order Carnivora, they are omnivorous, because they are able to utilize and obtain energy from both plant-based foods and animal based foods, and most will willingly eat at least some plant-based foods. (Panda bears are also classed Carnivora and they are basically strict herbivores!) Sable is a testament to dogs being omnivorous, as she has survived (and thrived) on a strict vegetarian diet for 4 years. |
#28
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WRONG. they're not. First off, just becaue your dog eats a veggie or fruit doesnt make them a Omnivor.
Quote:
READ THIS http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html Quote:
__________________
Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth! Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense. -J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938 |
#29
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That's right... even though cats are carnivores, mine still eat some kinds of fruits and veggies (any type of melon they LOVE, plus, button mushrooms and all types of winter squash, for example). They also love yogurt. One of them also really likes corn chips (this is an occasional treat, normally only the baked ones are given). The other one loves carrots but her teeth can't do much with them so all she can do is sniff it, she just goes nuts over them and will fetch carrot slices. They used to get avocado now and then until I read they are toxic to animals like dogs and cats...
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#30
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Simply put, if dogs did not have omnivorous tendencies (which I define as the capability and willingness to utilize plant based foods as energy and nutrient sources) then my dog would be dead.
The problem is the definitions are so vague. If you saw a panda, and didn't know anything about them, you would probably think they are meat eaters. But they eat bamboo. Quote:
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