Is it safe to feed cats and dogs a vegetarian diet?

Some pet owners want their pets to join them in a plant-only diet after quitting meat for ethical, health or environmental reasons. Is it safe to make our dogs and cats give up meat?

The answer is that it is a possibility for some pets, but not all of them. It is not recommended to switch your pet to a plant-based diet on your own. The science of plant-based diet is still evolving. To make sure your pet gets enough of the essential vitamins and minerals, you will likely need some help.

Many people who visit Dr. Lindsey Bullen, a North Carolina-based veterinary and board-certified animal nutrition specialist, make this mistake, even though they are often acting with the best intentions.

Dogs are smiling at us.

The health of an animal's diet is often affected by changing it. Animals have a lot of the same types of acids as plants, which makes it easy for your pet to use more of them. Pets that don't get enough nutrition can experience weight loss, muscle loss, weakness, poor digestion and even fluid build up in their chest or abdomen.

Cats need taurine, which is found in meat. If taurine is not supplemented properly in a plant-based diet, cats can experience poor neural function, reproductive problems and heart disease. The wrong mineral can be a problem in a plant-based diet. The wrong calcium-to-phosphorus ratio can increase the risk of broken bones in dogs and cats, as well as stunt puppy or kitten growth.

Bullen said that vegan diet can be done safely in both cats and dogs. The vegan diet needs a lot more enhancers to be complete and balanced.

For pets with skin or gastrointestinal food allergies to meat products, Bullen prescribes a plant-based diet. Her dog has both types of allergies and is on a soy-based diet.

Bullen encouraged consumers to buy from brands that have done digestibility studies, ingredient interaction studies, and feeding trials on their plant-based options if they are planning to switch to a plant-based wet or dry food for their pet. It is important to make sure a plant-based diet is a good fit for your animal. An expert, such as a vet or a nutritionist, will first consider the pet's overall well-being, including age, environment and other health issues. If the pet is otherwise healthy, a well-formulated plant-based diet is likely to work for them.

If a vegetarian or vegan diet is a safe option, the next step is for a vet or nutritionist to put together a specific plan. Bullen provides a complete list of ingredients, including proportions, explicit cooking guidelines, feeding instructions and monitoring guidelines, when she formulates a homemade vegetarian pet diet for a client. She knows the brand of tofu and the percentage of fat in the cottage cheese.

Bullen encourages owners to take an active role in their pets nutrition, but she also warns against giving human traits to animals.

It was originally published on Live Science.