While you may have been a vegetarian for most of your life, does that mean so does your dog? Is it safe to have your dog eat a vegetarian diet or just stick with traditional dog food?
Thousands of years ago, dogs would only eat meat and maybe some fruits and berries if they can get their paws on some of these. But mostly they would hunt and eat only meat. Just check out their teeth, including those from your own puppies. You can immediately see that those teeth are meant for tearing up meat and not for vegetables.
Therefore, you might conclude that your dog should be strictly on a meat diet and nothing else. But that is not the truth.
In reality, it is very safe to let your dog eat vegetables. There are certain advantages to this. One is that your dog will be getting more of the vitamins and minerals that are not present in meat. Second, it is generally cheaper to go for a vegan diet instead of a meat-based diet. And lastly, it can add variety to your dog’s meals, helping him avoid getting bored out of eating just one type of food.
The key here is to gradually introduce a vegetarian dog food and not make the transition instantly. You r dog will not like that and may get into a fit which can be dangerous. The best way to do this is to mix a small portion of the vegetables with your dog’s usual food. Then after a week, increase the portion of the vegetables until finally your dog can eat the whole vegetable meal.