Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Coco, the dog my family and I share our life with, is curled up underneath our computer desk. it is pouring outside and windy big time.
she has the right to be scared of thunder. its so cute. I keep petting her and telling her its okay

AAAAAWWWWWWWWWW....hero, just in case i havent mentioned this lately, there is nothing sexier than a strong, muscular, cut guy like you who is so sensitive and nurturing when it comes to animals.

Give Coco a big hug and kiss from me and hang out with her until the thunder is gone if you can. Many animals are terrified of thunder. I feel so sorry for dogs chained up in the backyard when thunderstorms hit especially -they have nobody to comfort them when they are terrified - what a horribly lonely, sad and terrifying existence.

Does Coco sleep by your feet at night?

nat

she stared at me and wagged her tail when i hugged and kissed her for ya. then went right back to sleeping.

CoCo sleeps by me when I am on the computer (downstairs computer room) and we also play tug-o-war with her toys.
when I go to sleep, she sleeps downstairs in her bed or the couch, and I upstairs in my room. except for when it thunders. then she runs up to my room and sleeps at the foot of my bed. other than that she isnt too keen on sleeping on my bed. i guess cause its kinda high up and she is a tiny dog.

Rascal, our cat, on the other hand sleeps on my lap every night. he comes in our second story window (my bedroom window...i took the screen out since he used to meow outside of it and scratch on it). he uses my window like a door. I wake up and take care of him whenever he comes in and out. as you can tell Rascal gets a lot of attention. hehe.

Hey, my dog's name is Rascal! Rock on.

I was wondering, do you feed your dog vegan dog food of regular dog food?

Heh, funny you just asked that - I've been thinking about that a lot lately cause I love dogs and hope to have some of my own when I'm older. Right now, my parents buy my dog's food, and he happens to be on a special diet for the stones (ha). I know there are vegan dog foods available, though, so I would definitely pursue that option if I were buying dog food for a dog of my own.

my mom feeds the dog regular dog food (dry) and my cat regular cat food (dry). and my dad feeds his cat regular cat food (wet and dry). yet both Rascal and Coco love my food. haha. i wish i could find vegan dog/cat food around here so they stop eating my food! lol.

I worked at an animal hospital and im still clueless.....but.....
arent dogs and cats carniverous and therefore meant to eat flesh? but since they are domesticated, they cant hunt for themselves. even though my cat does hunt often, they both rely on my mom for food. so how does one feed an animal the diet they are supposed to have without the cruelty of processed animal food?

Yeah, that's why I've been thinking about it - since dogs and cats are naturally carnivorous. I've heard dogs can eat vegetarian (man, that sounds silly), but that cats require a certain nutrient that cannot be synthesized. Here's what PETA says - and it seems pretty reasonable (even suggesting going back to the meat-based diet if the vegetarian one does not work):

"It’s likely that your cat or dog will thrive on a vegetarian diet. Studies have shown that ailments associated with meat consumption in humans, such as allergies, cancer, and arthritis, also affect our companion animals. In addition to pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, commercial pet foods can be composed of parts of animals deemed unfit for human consumption, such as ground-up feathers and diseased flesh.

Do be especially cautious when making the transition to a vegetarian diet for your cat as cats have very specific nutritional requirements. Vitamin A, taurine, and arachidonic acid are essential and can be provided with supplements such as VegeCat by Harbingers of a New Age. For optimal health, many people also choose to supplement their cats’ diets with fresh, wholesome grains, proteins, vegetables, and essential fatty acids such as those found in flaxseed oil.

Unless they eat raw meat, some dogs require supplemental taurine and L-carnitine (available in health food stores). These amino acids can prevent dilated cardiomyopathy in breeds that are prone to the disease, such as Doberman pinschers, boxers, cocker spaniels, Dalmatians, and many large breeds.

For a smooth transition, start by mixing vegetarian food (several quality brands are available, or follow recipes found in Vegetarian Dogs by Verona re-Bow or Vegetarian Cats and Dogs by James Peden) with the meat-based food. Gradually increase the vegetarian portion and decrease the meat-based diet over one to two weeks. Most dogs’ and cats’ health improves on a vegetarian diet, but be sure to monitor your animal closely to be absolutely sure that the new diet is agreeable. If not, you may need to switch to a different brand, try supplementing commercial food with fresh whole or raw foods, or go back to the meat-based food."
http://www.askcarla.com/answers.asp?Que ... swerID=234

Here's a site that sells vegan pet food:
http://www.veganpet.com.au/

... All right, we need to end this thread now before the 'PetaSucks' boys get wind of it and roast on their site. Hehe.