Vegan Dry Dog Foods
Although I have degrees in nutrition, I am not a veterinarian and can barely spell the word. If you eat healthy, or as Michael Pollan says, “Eat food (meaning REAL food), not too much, mostly plants,” then just give your dog what you eat. Buy organic whenever possible. You will save money and can spend a little of the extra money on some bulk taurine, carnitine, vitamins D3 and B-12 and have a healthier dog. Like medical doctors, vets have little or no training in nutrition. Those expensive bags of food in their office are a profit center for them but little better for Fido. Always read the ingredient list on the bag and be sure to check the date of manufacture. Try to find a kibble source that has healthy ingredients and is fresh.
Learn to read labels. Below you see canola oil and flaxseed oil that sounds good, but..... year-old or even week old oil of any kind becomes toxic. Subject it to heat as in making kibble and you have big trouble in the future. When you see brewer's rice as the first ingredient know that is low-grade rice usually found in cheaper foods. Dogs don't eat rice in nature, and it is very starchy, so may only be healthy in limited quantities.
Be aware that corn and soy are not eaten by dogs in the wild, and unless organic, have been genetically modified. This is a new science, but experiments show many health problems in test animals. Unless you want your beloved Fluffy to be part of the experiment, pass on the soy and corn. Make sure the food you choose contains Taurine, essential for heart health - especially in retreivers.
Although you probably won't find a wolf tearing into a potato, like most vegetables, they seem to be fine for dogs, especially sweet potatoes. Of course, avoid things like onions, garlic, grapes, chocolate, nuts and other foods toxic for dogs. (See the video on vegetables on this site.)
Here are a few vegan & veggie brands of kibble
Halo Vegan Garden Medley Stew for Dogs 30 lbs (3/10 lb bags) $108 $3.60/lb
Ingredients Green Peas, Chickpeas, Pearled Barley, Oat Groats, Pea Protein, Whole Flaxseed, Sunflower Oil, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Potato, Sweet Potato, Alfalfa Meal, Carrot, Celery, Beet, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dried Kelp, Natural Vegetable Flavors, Flaxseed Oil, Carrots, Dried Apple, Dried Blueberry, Dried Cranberry, Chicory Root, Taurine, Rosemary Extract, L-Carnitine, Potassium Chloride, DL Methionine, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D-2 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite.
Some nice ingredients except for the oils. Flax oil has omega 3s but goes randid fast - especially with heat. Both are pretty far down the list of ingredients, so its not as bad. Most dog foods have that long list of chemicals at the bottom which are mostly vitamins.
Natural Balance Vegetarian Dry Dog Food 28 lbs $57.10 $2.03/lb
Ingredients: Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Barley, Peas, Potato Protein, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Potatoes, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Tomato Pomace, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Minerals (ZINC PROTEINATE, ZINC SULFATE, FERROUS SULFATE, IRON PROTEINATE, COPPER SULFATE, COPPER PROTEINATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, MANGANESE PROTEINATE, CALCIUM IODATE, SODIUM SELENITE), Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin A supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, Niacin, Riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D2 supplement, Vitamin B12 supplement, Thiamine mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin), Flaxseed, Dried Spinach, Parsley, Cranberries, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, L-Carnitine, Citric acid (used as a preservative), Mixed Tocopherols (used as a preservative), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Rosemary Extract.
A lot of rice, but pretty clean food at a low price. Always check dog food bags for the date manufactured. .
V-Dog Vegan Kibble Dry Dog Food 30 lbs $70.99 - $2.37/lb
Ingredients:
Dried Peas, Brown Rice, Pea Protein Concentrate, Oats, Sorghum, Lentils, Canola Oil, Peanuts, Sunflower Hearts, Potato Protein, Brewers Dried Yeast, Alfalfa Meal, Flaxseeds, Natural Vegetable Flavor, Quinoa, Millet, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Vegetable Pomace (Carrot, Celery, Beet, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress & Spinach), Taurine, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D2 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite & Calcium Iodate), DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, L-Carnitine, Parsley Flakes, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Dried Cranberries, Dried Blueberries, Preserved With Citric Acid and Mixed Tocopherols (Form of Vitamin E).
People love V-Dog, and it is free of corn and soy that are generally genetically modified.
Evolution Food for Dogs, 40 lbs $89 $2.23/lb
Ingredients:
NON-GMO Whole Oats, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil, Carrots, Dried Tomato Pomace, Dried Potato Product, Dried Molasses, Deflourinated Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Nutritional Yeast, Arginine, DL-Methionine, Kelp Meal, Taurine, Garlic, Enzyme Bromelain from Pineapple Stem and Fruit, Enzyme Papain from Papaya, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Bifidum fermentation product, Lysine, Choline Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D2 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamin Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite complex, Folic acid, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Inositol, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Zinc Methionine Complex, Copper Lysine Complex, Manganese, Methionine Complex, L-Carnitine, Arachidonic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Cobalt Glucoheptonate.
Why do they bother with the non-GMO oats, when the corn, soybeans and soybean oil are loaded with GMOs?
Wysong Vegan Feline/Canine Formula Dry Dog/Cat Food 30 lbs $78 $2.60/lb
Ingredients:
Brown rice, corn protein, extruded soybeans, potato protein, soybean oil, flaxseeds, molasses, peas, dicalcium phosphate, montmorillonite clay, sesame seeds, salt, coconut oil, taurine, lysine, L-tryptophan, choline chloride, L-carnitine, chia seeds, rice bran oil, calcium propionate, dried kelp, organic barley grass, blueberry, citric acid, apple pectic, yeast extract, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract, chicory root, hemicelluloses extract, yeast culture, carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress, spinach, minerals (potassium chloride, zinc proteinate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), calcium carbonate, vitamins (ascorbic acid – source of vitamin C – vitamin E supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, Vitamin D2, biotin, vitamin B12, folic acid), dried bacillus licheniformis fermentation product, dried aspergillus niger fermentation product, dired enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried lactobacillus lactis fermentation product, pepper.
3 major bad guys high on the list of ingredients. Expensive, too.
Nature's Recipe Vegetarian Dry Dog Food 30 lbs $37.99 $1.27/lb
Ingredients:
Brewer's Rice, Soybean Meal, Barley, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Flavor, Salt, Carrots, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of Vitamin C], Inositol, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, D-calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Beta-carotene, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Choline Chloride, Onion Extract, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid (used as a preservative), Rosemary Extract.
Lacks Taurine - essential for dog health. Brewers rice is a processed rice product made from the small milled fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels of rice and is missing many of the nutrients contained in whole ground white or brown rice. Brewers rice is one of the many byproducts created by rice milling and is sold exclusively for dairy feed and pet food.
Not a Canola fan, but it is better than most of the meat based foods and a very low price. Use only if you are on a budget.