Pause for Thought:

• Every year many chickens, turkeys, rabbits, cattle, sheep and fish (mainly trout, salmon, tuna and plaice) are slaughtered in order to produce the tins of pet food which many of us, in the developed world, feed to our cats and dogs. Many of these animals have been fattened up, using valuable plant protein which could have been better used to feed the undernourished in the developing world.

• A lot of this 'convenience' pet food is packaged in non-biodegradable steel cans which are rarely, if ever, recycled and usually end up as extra waste in our landfill sites.

• If you have been for a walk recently, then you may also have noticed all the dog dirt on the canal paths, in the woods and fields and even lying on the pavement in many areas. Dog dirt which has been left lying around by careless dog owners, who either don't know that it is a health hazard or more probably, simply don't care. For dogs are often infected with the roundworm, Toxocara cani. This intestinal parasite produces many eggs which leave the dog's body in its faeces and if any of these eggs are then ingested by humans, they hatch out in the intestine and the larvae migrate through the body to the liver, lungs, eyes and brain. Toddlers and young children are most likely to become infected as they frequently play with, or come into contact with, the soil.

  Roundworm infections can cause severe illness in dogs and cats and symptoms can include vomiting, coughing, dull coat, diarrhoea and even bowel obstruction in more serious cases. In humans, toxocara larvae migrating to the eye can sometimes cause impaired vision or even blindness if the optic nerve is affected and it is also thought that infection with toxocara larvae can occasionally lead to epilepsy or seizures. It is not so well known that cat droppings also pose a similar health risk if they contain eggs of the roundworm Toxocara cati and that cats can carry salmonella infections, too. In fact, anyone who wants to garden by vegan-organic methods (especially if they live in a built up area) may find that their greatest difficulty in removing animal products from their garden is in trying to persuade their local moggies to go to the toilet elsewhere!

So What Can Be Done?

• First of all before you buy a pet, think carefully about if it is absolutely necessary to have one at all. It is possible to go for an enjoyable walk without a dog, you know! Nowadays, many households have two or even three cats/dogs and this amounts to quite a lot of food and mess over the animals' lifespan. So, try to keep damage to a minimum by limiting the number of pets you have. Instead of getting a pet of your own perhaps you could share a neighbour's dog and take it for a walk? Or alternatively, you could look after a cat for your neighbours while they are away on holiday. Also, it is unwise to get a cat if you want to attract birds into your garden to help control your insect pests. Cats are a great danger to birds in suburban gardens and many lives are lost in this way. Small animals such as baby squirrels, field mice and hedgehogs can also be attacked by cats, too.

• Always, always clear up your dog's mess. Don't leave it lying around for other people to step in. Every time you take your dog for a walk, be sure to take something with you to pick up the dog mess with and something to carry it in. Dispose of dog mess safely in a special doggy bin or in your dustbin when you return home. (You can purchase pooper scoopers in pet shops for about £2.30 and fifty dog mess bags cost about £1.30.) Cats should be trained to use a litter tray - preferably when they are still kittens. Wrap used litter tidily in old newspaper and dispose of it safely in your dustbin. Keep Britain Clean and Tidy!

• Worm cats and dogs regularly. Be aware that they can also get tapeworms and other parasites as well as roundworms.

• Provide a vegan diet for your animals. Cats and dogs don't need slaughterhouse products either! And, by making some of your own pet food, you'll not only save money but will also stop producing all those wasteful empty cans each week, too.

Vegan Food for Cats n' Dogs

However, at the moment, if you want to convert your cat/dog to a vegan diet then it is largely a matter of producing most of the food for your pet yourself. But dogs can thrive on a nutritionally sound vegan diet and you will find a good set of recipes in the Cookbook for People Who Love Animals, if you are short of ideas. Most of the recipes, in this book, are in fact based on green and yellow vegetables, mixed in with cereals and leftovers such as tofu, chunks of bread, sprouts, nutritional yeast, soaked seeds and nuts and avocados. The book recommends that home-made food should be mixed in with commercial dog food to start off with and that the amount of meat should be gradually reduced as the amount of vegetarian food is increased. Most of the ingredients, used in these recipes, will be found in any ordinary vegan kitchen, already. They include vegetables, rice, millet, oats, tofu and pulses and beans. And, it appears, that many dogs like peanut butter too!

Cats are slightly more difficult to feed as they require the amino acid taurine, vitamin A and a supply of arachidonic acid from their food. (A lack of taurine in a cat's diet can lead to blindness.) So, cat owners should investigate Vegecat which is a food supplement for cats which was developed in America by James and Lynne Peden of Harbingers of a New Age. In the UK, this product can be obtained from Vegan Society and comes with a selection of cat food recipes for you to make yourself. Each tub of Vegecat costs £9.95 (p&p inc) and will last one cat for six weeks. Vegekit is a similar food supplement for kittens up to twelve months and lactating queens and also costs £9.95. (See mail order section.) Vegecat can be used to supplement the pet recipes in the Cookbook for People Who Love Animals, too. It contains a non-animal form of taurine. Recipes for cats tend to be based on rice, tofu, nutritional yeast and TVP and many cats also like kelp and dulse to be added to their food as these sea vegetables give it a nice fishy taste.

People in the States can also obtain Vegedog by mail order. Vegedog is a supplement especially formulated for dogs which is used with supplied recipes to provide a complete vegan meal for dogs and puppies. (See mail order section.)

Further Reading