If you happen to live by the vegan lifestyle and are a pet owner yourself, then chances are you’ve wondered about the possibility of giving your dog Tofu at least once before.
After all, this substance made from soya beans is a staple among vegetarians and even non-vegetarians, so there’s nothing wrong about questioning whether or not sharing some Tofu with Fido while at it is considered safe.
Can Dogs Have Tofu?
So, what’s the real deal here? Can dogs eat Tofu safely? Or is Tofu bad for dogs to eat?
The Scientific Answer About Dogs And Tofu
To be as scientific about this as possible, there is no sufficient research to this date that has been done on this subject to come up with a definitive answer to this question.
As we all know, there is no definitive answer up to this date about whether Tofu is good or bad for human beings, let alone dogs and other pets.
A huge amount of controversy exists surrounding this topic when it comes to us humans, so one could only imagine how that controversy is going to drag on as well when it comes to feeding Tofu to canines.
So, What’s Your Recommendation?
When in doubt about any food or ingredient out there that doesn’t have enough research backing it up as far as how safe it is to feed your dog, always refrain from giving them that specific food or ingredient, as the saying “better safe than sorry” always holds true in such cases.
So, the answer to this question is going to be a NO, you’re better off not feeding your dog any Tofu.
Think about it for a second here, is there any real reason for you to go to such lengths with your pet and feed them Tofu?
No, of course there isn’t, and such a substance isn’t something they’d exactly be eating if they were still roaming free in the wild either.
Now, there isn’t any evidence out there that Tofu is poisonous for canines, and there’s no scientific data that would have us believe that Tofu can threaten their life.
However, there are a few common “red flags” that suggest that Tofu could give the digestive system of dogs a hard time because of how unusual of a food it is for their bodies.
After all, if you were to have a look at any dog food nutritional label and were to see that significant amounts of soy are in the ingredients list, then you should know that soy-related ingredients are considered to be “cheap filler” that manufacturing companies use in order to decrease their production costs and increase their profits.
This, of course, all at the expense of you (the owner) and your pet’s nutritional benefits.
So, if soy-related ingredients in dog food are frowned upon that much, why should you go out of your way to give a substance like Tofu that’s entirely made from mashed soya beans?
Is A Small Amount Of Tofu Safe?
If you were to feed your canine only a tiny amount of Tofu, and without making a daily habit out of it, chances are that nothing wrong is going to happen to them (unless they’re allergic to Tofu, of course, in which case even the tiniest amount of this substance is going to cause big trouble).
Assuming they aren’t allergic to Tofu, and assuming that you abide by only feeding them a tiny amount of it just for the sake of sharing, chances are that the worst that could happen with your dog is a little bit of digestive trouble.
If they aren’t allergic to Tofu and you only feed them a tiny amount of it every now and then, there shouldn’t be any serious problems with them except for them passing a little bit of gas and/or showing symptoms of loose stool/mild diarrhea.
However, the problem is when pet owners decide to go overboard with the amounts of Tofu they give their canines to eat, even if the one being given this substance isn’t allergic to it.
Dogs that are given excessive amounts of Tofu to eat become at a very high risk of experiencing bloat, a condition that may only be uncomfortable for you and I to experience, but is actually very serious and life-threatening for them.
Watch this video to learn signs of bloating in your furry friend:
For this reason, and to remove even the slightest of risk that may affect your dog’s health and well being, you’re better off just forgetting about giving them Tofu altogether and focusing on giving them real dog food that they’re actually meant to be eating.
Different Types Of Protein
Besides the potential health risks associated with going overboard when feeding your canine Tofu, there’s also the fact that the types of protein found in Tofu is completely different than the types of protein they actually need in their diet.
High protein content is actually one of the prime reasons we keep on hearing time and time again from pet owners who insist on feeding their dogs Tofu, but what they fail to realize is that the type of proteins found in Tofu don’t benefit their pets nearly as much as the types of proteins found in real dog food that’s high in meat content.
Wow you really didn’t do your homework for this one did you. Dogs, like humans.. and cats require specific nutrients, not specific ingredients.. once they get in the right amount of essential amino acids, carbs, fats and micros it doesn’t usually matter whether they come from plant, bacterial or animal sources. Commercial pet food isn’t absolute dirt made from waste products of the human meat industry unfit for human consumption, it’s pretty much devoid of nutrients after the rendering process, they then add nutrients like amino acids and vitamins etc along with flavorings and dyes. Animals that drop dead in the meat and dairy Industry are made into dog food, horses, greyhounds and euthanized pets and strays are also put into dog food in many areas. Plant based pet food seems to be the only clean option aside from buying fresh meat for your dog, most people don’t want to spend money on their dogs food though and will opt for the cheapest of the cheap unfortunately.