I'm afraid to tell my vet that my dog or cat is 100% plant-based.

First of all, we want to tell you that you are not alone, we have all gone through that moment when we have to tell our vet that our companion has a 100% vegetable diet.

Tips on how to tell our vet that our cat or dog is on a 100% vegetable diet.

Don't say it in fear. Don't be embarrassed. If they ask you it is because it is possibly relevant to the diagnosis, otherwise, in my experience, they pretend they haven't heard us. 

The answer is not always negative or reactive. Often they will ask if it is a quality or well formulated food, they may ask for the packaging or advise you to take advice on whether the food is complete and suitable. Increasingly, they may agree and may even be able to advise you. There is a growing number of people using this type of food and more and more vets are realising that it is a quality food with no diagnostic relevance, except in specific cases of allergies or intolerances.

What if my vet doesn't approve of me feeding my dog or cat 100% plant-based food?

If, after saying so, you are rebuked, insinuated or directly accused of mistreatment or of being an "extremist", do not hesitate. You do it out of ethics towards other animals or to help the health of your companion. So don't take a step back.

If it is relevant to the diagnosis, ask about their training in nutrition and if they are not a professional nutritionist, inform them that you will seek advice from a veterinary nutritionist who is knowledgeable in this type of feeding. You are the first person interested in the health of your dog/cat.

If you feel violated, or if he/she accuses you of having produced or of producing a health problem in your canine or feline companion, take a breath, and inform him/her that a diet outside of what he/she considers "normal" is not a diagnosis. We have a lot of experience with this, no one mistreats a family whose cat has developed kidney disease at an early age by feeding a low-end food, whereas in this case they are responsible for this problem for life. However, in this case it is a matter of advising and reporting what has happened after a diagnosis has been made, we must demand the same treatment, and never allow ourselves to be blamed, as the food we offer is healthy and complete. We know that it does not cause health problems and therefore we are not causing anything. We will be open to possible changes in diet if necessary, but without feeling coerced.

You should not allow them not to be tested, if after telling them that they are fed 100% vegetable food the treatment is automatically to change to another food. If a dog is admitted with a broken leg, an x-ray should be taken. If it comes in with diarrhoea, you have to do a stool test, x-rays or ultrasound, even an infectious disease test. We cannot assume that a symptom of something serious is going to be solved magically by switching from eating something healthy to something else that is also complete and well formulated.

The main thing is not to be afraid, you are doing it for a just reason with the other animals, the planet and responsible with the health of your companions.

We know that when we go to the vet we are in a vulnerable situation, the health of our companions is something that really affects us, and we are going to a person with authority on this subject, but we cannot allow certain lines to be crossed. Sometimes you will have to stress that you are the first ones interested in the health of your dog/cat and that when you made the decision to give them a 100% plant-based diet you did so after having done a lot of research and, if necessary, you will continue to do so.

It is curious how when many families mistreat their animals, either by leaving them outdoors, exposing them to dangers such as being run over, attacks, the cold, etc., or by feeding them with deficient or badly formulated products in order to save money. They keep them without deworming them, and an endless list of situations that frighten, normalise and educate them. But it is common that when a client comes to us whose dog/cat is receiving all the necessary care accompanied by a family concerned about their health and wellbeing, but is being fed with a 100% vegetable product, alarm bells go off. They automatically switch off the pedagogical mode and go into authority fallacy mode and start offering arguments based on tradition rather than science.

Some examples of the clichés we can be told when we feed our dog or cat 100% plant-based food.

If we are told that cats are carnivores: this indicates that they have specific nutritional requirements that must be provided in the food. These nutrients can be obtained from ingredients of animal or vegetable origin or synthesised in the laboratory, such as taurine, the same taurine that is synthesised for addition to meat and vegetable feeds.

If we are told that dogs need meat: dogs (and cats) do not need to eat dead animals, they need to be fed properly with nutrients appropriate to their needs.

If they tell us that this is not a decision we should make for them, or they taunt us by telling us to adopt rabbits or goats: we could get sarcastic, but it is simpler, the dog or cat you are currently living with has come to you because of a circumstance (whatever it is) and it is your responsibility and you are being responsible by feeding it a complete food, that dog or cat is alive because of you, and no one cares more about its life and health than you, so thank them for their concern and point out that they are not there to judge how you have set up your family but to help you with the health of that particular individual.

If he tries to convince you to eat another food simply based on his beliefs and not on the health of the dog or cat, inform him that you did not go there and that you are not paying him to give you a lecture that your brother-in-law can give you any day and that he is not going to convince you of anything, since you are speaking from different ethical positions.

Sometimes it is common that a paternalistic or reactive attitude to our answers appears, if you see that the conversation does not progress and that the health of the dog or cat is not the focus of the consultation but the 100% vegetable food, and you do not see the way to redirect the situation, sincerely, We can only advise you to look for a professional who does not have these prejudices, sometimes there are people who phone the clinics in your area and ask them directly if they have prejudices about this type of food, or if what your companion needs is a specialist (traumatologist, dermatologist, ophthalmologist, etc.), directly look for a hospital or clinic where they can find a specialist. ) directly look for a hospital or clinic where there is a professional in this area who can make the diagnosis and assess the steps to be taken.

Do you always have to say it or can you lie or avoid it?

A few years ago I used to tell you directly, shut up or make up the answer, I used to do it myself, to the question "what does Fulanito eat" my answer was "a high-end feed".

We often feel that we don't want to get involved in an uncomfortable conversation because of a simple vaccination or a "silly" question, it's normal and it's OK.

For me, for 18 years now, the answer to what your companion eats has been "a 100% vegetable diet" and it is true that as a vet I am not confronted in the same way, after all, they cannot treat me as if they know more than me on this subject, also because of my age, when I used to say that I was giving a high-end feed I was still studying and they could question me for my "inexperience" and "ignorance on this subject", but now it is clear that I am not new to this, and also, times have changed, this type of diet is becoming more and more common and many vets already know its quality and properties.

That is why, nowadays, my answer is that your trusted vet should know, it can be relevant, we are giving a food with certain characteristics, so it can be important when it comes to making decisions regarding treatments or guiding the diagnosis of certain diseases. 

At the end of the day, your companion's vet should be someone you trust, someone you can talk to about the overall health of your dog or cat, if you can't talk about this or you are uncomfortable with it, they may not be the best person to manage the health of your companion.

VeggieAnimals is an excellent alternative that is 100% plant-based, ethical and meets the nutritional needs of your life companions.