I couldn't live with Auster if I had to substitute beans for her meat <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> .

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Well I have decided to start PETP 'People for Ethical Treatement of Plants'. We must save the hay from the evil cows. We must eat them!

Man, wizmz... you are TRIPPING!

But I had to laugh at that... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I agree with Chuck. Dogs won't live long on a vegetarian diet. There was a sad story of a dog's owner that kept their dog on a vegetarian diet because they didn't believe in eating meat themselves. This dog became extremely ill and was taken to the vet. The vet did blood work and told these people that the dogs was dying (very anemic) and needed some sort of meat. They refused and continued the veg. diet. Finally the dog was so lethargic it couldn't move. They finally bought it a can of dog food and it inhaled it but it was too late. The dog ended up dying because of human stupidity. People who feed a dog a vegetarian diet are just plain ignorant and shouldn't own an animal. Dogs and cats both need meat, their bodies were designed for it so we should screw with nature. Some people just need to be smacked.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

. . .with a pipe.

....and then smacked again

don't forget that PETA doesn't consider pit bulls animals either. because they were originally bred to fight, they are a human creation that is no longer worthy of living. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Quotes from letter by Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA:

"The pit bull's ancestor, the Staffordshire terrier, is a human concoction, bred in my native England, I'm ashamed to say, as a weapon."

"Those who argue against the euthanasia policy for pit bull dogs are naive."

"We can only stop killing pits if we stop creating new ones."

...and more, the letter is a bit long to post here.

Well, I certainly wasn't advocating a vegetarian diet for dogs, I was just saying that they aren't "True Carnivores". I think that if someone were to feed a vegetarian diet to their dog, they would have to be very careful to balance it so that all the nutritional needs are covered. It *is* possible. I think the people in the example were probably not formulating the diet properly. Another sad example is the "eating by blood type" diet. Has anyone ever heard of that? It's where you formulate your diet around your blood type, and only eat the foods that are supposedly good for that blood type. I heard of a dog that was being fed this way, who got very ill from a dietary deficiency.

In general, I do have strong feelings about treating animals humanely, even those whose existence is for the purpose of feeding people. I prefer to buy locally produced meat from small family owned businesses, due to my concerns over humane treatment and environmental impact. I was raised as a vegetarian, ate no meat from the time I was 3yo to 15yo. I do eat red meat occasionally now, but it is not a staple of my diet, and I am very healthy, thank you very much! I don't agree with the extremist views of PETA, however. There are very good reasons to consider reducing the amount of red meat that is consumed by the average American, from individual health, to the health of ecosystems. But, to say that animals should not be used for food, work, or companionship altogether, is not a stance that I would agree with, nor would I deprive my dogs of the food that is most optimal for their good health and well being. BUT I am sure that it is possible to feed vegetarian, if done very carefully and very thoughtfully.