Penn and Teller did a bit on PETA that you may find interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9ijLulwUTY

peta also tells you that vegetarian and vegan living for dogs and cats is healthy. i sell dog food. i disagree.

what do you expect peta to say in 30 seconds. it seems like what they said caused you to post it and people to discuss it. that was likely the goal.

miguelaron - please provide references. my dog is a vegetarian and i have discussed this with her veterinarian and was told there was no issue. many companies produce vegetarian dog foods. here is a partial list:
http://www.k9care.com/Tip-Vegetarian%20Dogs.htm

cats not so much - which is why some vegans i know won't have cats.

Frankly, I can't remember what they said. All I remember is nude Alicia Silverstone. Which brings me back to my original point which is that PETA seemingly cares more about branding their name than spreading the good word.

The PETA name doesn't even appear in this spot--just GoVeg.com, one of its bazillion websites. Regardless, PETA's specialty is shock and awe, not detailed and rational arguments for vegetarianism. They're betting that letting a sexy naked Alicia Silverstone extol the benefits of a vegetarian diet will earn more converts than a bulleted list of health and ethical considerations. Are they wrong? I think PETA earns a lot of the ridicule it gets for some of its over-the-top stunts, but it also deserves credit for relentlessly forcing vegetarianism into mainstream public discourse.

BTW, I've got a thread about PETA's "Milk Gone Wild" video here.

In attempting to "protect" the lives and well being of animals, PETA repeatedly exploits women as sexual objects. What does being naked have to do with being a vegetarian or an animal rights activist? I don't know about anyone else, but I have never seen a naked male celebrity in one of their advertisements.

you people seriously put your pets on a vegan/veggie diet?!! they are ANIMALS. in the real world, if they were on their own they would be hunting other ANIMALS to eat... its what they are designed to do. thats what makes the ecosystem go round and the food chain and... seriosuly folks. get a fucking grip on a tiny slice of reality please. (i am a cat owner, not sure about dogs..)

and sorry for bitching, i'm grumpy at work so :P

in the real world, if they were on their own they would be hunting other ANIMALS to eat... its what they are designed to do.

I haven't really studied up this whole vegetarian cats n' dogs issue. But the design/nature argument--i.e., a species that evolved to eat meat should, therefore, eat meat--is the same one often used by humans to defend their own meat-eating. It's a weak argument. We're pretty screwed as a species if we use "survival of the fittest" logic rather than an ethical compass to guide our decisions. So I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with putting a pet on a vegetarian diet, provided that the animal can thrive on it and isn't miserable.

PETA is trying to convey that although being vegetarian promotes a healthier lifestyle, it severely limits your animal-friendly clothing options. No leather (cows), wool (sheep), fur(chichilla),rayon(robots),etc.

you people seriously put your pets on a vegan/veggie diet?!! they are ANIMALS.
>>>we're all animals, sorry to break that too you.

in the real world, if they were on their own they would be hunting other ANIMALS to eat... its what they are designed to do.
>>>domesticated pets don't exist in the "real world" (sic). trust me, my pug was not "designed" to hunt other animals.

thats what makes the ecosystem go round and the food chain and... seriosuly folks. get a fucking grip on a tiny slice of reality please.
>>>same to you genius.

you can make cows survive by feeding them other cows. you can make dogs survive by feeding them grain. i don't believe that either of those circumstances can be great for the animal. I'm no vet here, but it just kind of goes against common sense doesn't it? My dogs chase vermin because it is in their nature to want to salk, kill, and eat the critters. same reason that they will find anything dead at the park and immediately EAT it. They don't seem to want to seek out grass to eat it unless they are sick.

(I'm not talking about humans. no problems with vegies her. i'm talking about DOGS and if you don't think there is a difference well, you are retarded.)

(i know i spell bad and type fast so stick your (sic)s up yer azz.

W™SH:

Frankly, I can't remember what they said. All I remember is nude Alicia Silverstone. Which brings me back to my original point which is that PETA seemingly cares more about branding their name than spreading the good word

Well, yea, but PETA (or whoever actually made that spot) understand intimately (if you'll excuse that) sex sells, baby.

Unfortunately for them, they don't seem to understand that they've done it enough for by now that it's become a bit tired; parodying the above spot would be redundant. And unless you're moved to go vegetarian already, all you'll remember is nekkid hot actress!!!.

And they're trying to compel you to become vegetarian by appealing to your carnal desires! I tell you, this thing just is dripping with the irony!

miguelaron:

peta also tells you that vegetarian and vegan living for dogs and cats is healthy. i sell dog food. i disagree

In fact, the dietary needs of animals such as dogs and cats absolutely demand the presence of certain nutritional elements such as taurine–which is an animal protein. It's found only in meat.

As it happens, if you aren't feeding your dogs and kitties meat in some form or another, you're seriously malnourishing them, perhaps even shortening their lives. You certainly are decreasing their quality of life.

Samuel John Klein, can you provide a reference please? I agree that cats require meat but do not believe that this is the case for dogs. PetSmart sells multiple brands of vegetarian dog food off the shelf. AvoDerm is one that my dog is quite fond of.

"This allergen free non-meat diet is for dogs that are sensitive to meat proteins. AvoDerm Natural is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages."
http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_products/avodermdog_veg.htm

Yes, I know that is just sales talk and I have also discussed this with multiple veterinarians and they have all said that there is nothing to be concerned about. Coincidentally enough, my dog had a check up just this afternoon and I was told that she was in excellent health. She is 5 and has been eating a vegetarian diet for 2.5 years.

But I have an open mind about this. Give me some proof that I am malnourishing and shortening the life of my dog and I will give it full consideration.

The pages here:

http://b-naturals.com/Aug2003.php (for dogs)
and http://www.vegsoc.org/info/catfood.html (for cats) contain information that suggest to me that a vegetarian or vegan diet should be undertaken with great care, if it's done so at all.

This was not meant as a personal slur against you, nor am I an apologist for anyone. Please make a note of that.

where was this ad when I was 15 and actually cared about seeing Alicia Silverstone naked?