Can Dogs and Cats Be Vegan?
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Physicians Committee
4.9 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 22 May 2019
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Can a dog or a cat be vegan? That's what we explore on this episode of The Exam Room™!
Veterinarian Dr. Armaiti May has been studying plant-based diets and animals for years and joins "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll to discuss her findings.
According to Dr. May, dogs and cats have only "nutrient requirements" and not specific "ingredient requirements." So, is it possible to satisfy those nutrient requirements with a plant-based diet?
Dr. May and Chuck will also explore how a vegan diet can impact animals who are prone to certain conditions such as heart disease. Research has shown that a plant-based diet can improve cardiovascular health in humans, but does the same hold true for animals?
And what fruits and vegetables are toxic to dogs and cats? You'll learn that as Dr. Mark Liberto joins the show.
Then Chuck puts his colleagues and his wife, Julie, in the hot seat to quiz them on which foods are safe to feed their furry friends! Careful, there are some tricky ones on the list!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Well, hello there! |
| 0:08.8 | And welcome to the Exam Room Podcast brought to you by the Physicians Committee High. |
| 0:12.4 | I am the Weight Loss Champion, Chuck Carroll. |
| 0:14.2 | Thanks for giving the show a listen this week. |
| 0:16.0 | Could download a view, maybe you're on YouTube, wherever it is that you are, we appreciate |
| 0:21.2 | that you are here. |
| 0:24.3 | So here's the question for the show this week. |
| 0:27.2 | When your furry friend, be vegan. |
| 0:30.6 | Can that puppy plant-based? |
| 0:31.9 | What about the cat? |
| 0:32.9 | There is a lot of debate about this. |
| 0:35.8 | Some say yes, absolutely dogs and cats can be vegans because just like humans, they |
| 0:40.9 | can get adequate nutrition without ever eating meat or dairy. |
| 0:45.0 | But then others say absolutely not and it's as simple as this. |
| 0:49.9 | A dog is derived from a wolf and a wolf eats meat. |
| 0:53.3 | Therefore a dog cannot possibly live exclusively on plants. |
| 0:58.7 | So what's the truth? |
| 1:00.7 | Today we're going to be diving into that and seeing if we can get a firm answer as we |
| 1:04.8 | welcome Dr. Armitee May to the Exam Room. |
| 1:07.9 | She's a veterinarian based in Los Angeles who has been studying this extensively for years |
| 1:13.6 | now. |
| 1:14.6 | She's going to be giving us the ins and outs of animal nutrition and one of the first things |
... |
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