Purebred, pure vegetarian

Pushy, the two-year-old Labrador at Viren Kalyanji Gada’s Vile Parle home, loves the bowl of milk and biscuit crumbs served during snack time and woofs at the sight of his daily meal, comprising a platter-full of mixed vegetables and rice, which comes neatly packed and home-delivered in a box. After all, Pushy is a strict vegetarian.

“He enjoys vegetarian food and has never shown any signs of dislike,” says Pushy’s master Gada, 28. The Gadas are Jain, and hence meat, eggs and fish are a strict no-no in their household. The rule is the same for Pushy too.

“Just like humans adjust to their surroundings, it’s the same with Pushy. He is well-fed and never craves for non-vegetarian food,” says Gada. A visit to the doctor is always met with compliments that the dog is healthy and not lacking in nutrients.

It’s rice, vegetables, lots of tofu, paneer, and a fair indulgence of peanut butter and honey cookies or cakes for Cadbury, an 18-month-old Cocker Spaniel, and Yogi, a Golden Retriever, also 18-month-old, at the Colaba home of Aanchal Malhi, 24. Malhi is non-vegetarian, but has chalked out a vegetarian regimen for her dogs.

“I always feed them vegetarian food as it is a healthier option. I’ve read several books on pet care and feel serving meat will make my dogs aggressive,” says Malhi, who runs the pet grooming parlour It’s A Dogs Life in Colaba.

“At least 3% of our nearly 600 clients insist on vegetarian or Jain food for their dogs,” says Wasiff Khan, who runs a home delivery service for pet dogs, Homecare Dog Food Pvt Ltd, in Bandra. “Even most non-vegetarians don’t serve meat to their dogs during Navratri.” At Rs50-Rs120 a meal, neither the masters nor their dogs are complaining. To cater to this niche group of people, pet food brand Pedigree has started an all-vegetarian pack for adult dogs.    

“We get a lot of Gujarati buyers, especially from south Mumbai, for the vegetarian pack,” says Sobia Merchant, store in-charge, Ebrahim & Sons, Kemps Corner.

“Dogs are canines, so are attracted to non-vegetarian food by instinct. But if they are reared on a vegetarian diet, it makes no difference to their health,” says Lt Colonel (Dr) JC Khanna, secretary, The Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA).

He says his late parents’ pet Pomeranian Sheroo lived till 16 on a diet of rice, curry, vegetables and chickpeas.

“Meat is rich in protein. So if a dog is given vegetarian food rich in protein, such as cheese, milk, curd, ice-cream or soya, it will remain healthy,” Khanna says.

“Even for meat-eating dogs, non-vegetarian meals are curtailed during summer as these can cause diarrhoea and stomach ailments.