It’s OK If Your Companion Animal Needs to Eat Meat
Taking my sick dog off of a vegan diet helped her — and helped me see that my responsibility was to her, not to my ego
“She’s a lemon.” That’s what my dog’s veterinarian would eventually conclude about her health. I adopted sweet, fluff-head Jovie when she was 2-years-old, at North Central Animal Shelter in East Los Angeles. When I first laid eyes on her, she was curled up in a skinny ball on a blanket behind shelter bars, turning her nose at the kibble the shelter worker offered. When a shelter worker led her outside the stressful environment for a more intimate meet and greet, she was like a frozen fuzzy robot. “I don’t think she likes me,” was the last thing I’d say when she took two fateful steps into my lap and bowed her head to meet mine. As our foreheads touched, I knew we would be together for life.
Jovie died four years later, despite all my best, heart-wrenching efforts. I turned my life upside down to financially support her bi-weekly veterinary bills, and even changed careers. It was all worth it. Today, I offer the most vulnerable, not-yet-healed chapter of my life to those of you in the moral grips of watching your companion animal struggle on a vegan diet. You’re not alone, and there is hope.
