28 jan THE DOG: CARNIVORE, PLANT-BASED CARNIVORE OR OMNIVORE?
Humans like to divide animals into groups. We have different systems for this. In a complicated taxonomic format, biologists have ordered all organisms. For example, we have the class of mammals divided into several orders. One of these is the primates to which humans belong. We also know the order of the Carnivora. This includes canines, felines and bears. Another classification is based on the diet. Carnivores, omnivores and herbivores are classified therein.
The terms Carnivora and carnivores are very similar. In the taxonomic order Carnivora we see many carnivores, but there are also omnivores and herbivores. Most bears are omnivorous. In addition to animal material, they also eat a lot of plant material. The best known herbivore of the order Carnivora is the giant panda, which almost exclusively eats bamboo. Even though the giant panda’s canines and short intestine are very similar to those of other carnivores in the order Carnivora.
The animal kingdom does not adhere to the divisions that humans have made. The bottom line is that every animal has its own way of getting nutrients. One does this by eating plants, the other by eating animals and another eats both, like the dog. Every animal makes do with what is available and what the body can absorb and produce.
So the question of whether a dog is a carnivore or an omnivore is therefore not that interesting at all. It is just a classification devised by humans. It’s all about whether a dog is getting all the necessary nutrients. Whether the source is vegetable or animal does not matter for the health of the dog because he can digest both: the dog simply needs the right nutrients. Therefore, do not worry whether a dog is a carnivore or an omnivore. With the plant-based recipes in the book Dog.Eat.Plant. you can be sure that the dog is getting all the necessary nutrients.