barefoot vegan sept_oct issue.pdf
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Many animal guardians wish to cook at<br />
home for their companions. For dogs, it is<br />
possible to make a homemade plant-based<br />
diet with appropriate <strong>vegan</strong> supplements.<br />
The most reliable products currently on the<br />
market are the BalanceIt supplements,<br />
which are designed by board-certified<br />
veterinary nutritionists. Customized<br />
balanced <strong>vegan</strong> recipes for healthy adult<br />
dogs can easily be obtained for free from<br />
their website, www.balanceit.com. BalanceIt recommends<br />
regular testing of blood taurine levels for vegetarian dogs.<br />
Although dogs do not require dietary taurine, they require<br />
adequate dietary methionine to produce sufficient amounts of<br />
taurine and carnitine. Thus, their recipes often include<br />
methionine supplementation because <strong>vegan</strong> diets can be low<br />
in methionine, which interestingly in humans, rats and mice is<br />
associated with longer lifespans (13). For healthy adult cats,<br />
balanced homemade diets that include animal products are<br />
also available from BalanceIt. Animals with medical problems<br />
or special needs should receive a consult from a knowledgeable<br />
veterinarian or credentialed specialist. If your general<br />
veterinarian is unable to assist you, a good rule-of-thumb is to<br />
obtain a referral to a veterinarian board certified by the<br />
American College of Veterinary Nutrition or European College<br />
of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition. These veterinarians<br />
received years of additional training in the field of clinical<br />
nutrition after earning their veterinary degrees. A list of them<br />
can be found on the BalanceIt website, and several offer<br />
consultations online. BV<br />
Akshay Verma is a D<strong>oct</strong>or of Veterinary Medicine student at Michigan<br />
State University. He entered veterinary school conscious of the need for<br />
veterinarians to advocate for progressive animal welfare policies. As such,<br />
he is President and Co-Founder of the school’s chapter of the Humane<br />
Society Veterinary Medical Association, which among other activities has<br />
worked to get veterinary students involved in the legislative process. He<br />
serves as a Development Committee Member for Michigan Friends of<br />
Companion Animals and as a consultant to Indogo Canine Nutrition Company. He<br />
previously earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he was<br />
awarded highest honors for his thesis on the welfare, scientific, and social concerns associated with<br />
appearance-based dog breeding. At U of M, he served as Director of the Michigan Animal Respect<br />
Society (currently Michigan Animal Rights Society). His personal website is www.thedoghugger.com,and<br />
his email address is progressivedvm@gmail.com.<br />
70 | BarefootVegan
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