Have you heard about the vegetarian dog who lived to the ripe age of 27? That’s 189 in dog years!
“Bramble”, a blue merle collie, lived in the UK and held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living dog at the time.
What’s most amazing about this story is that Bramble lived on an exclusively vegetarian diet of rice, lentils and organic vegetables.
She ate once a day and exercised a lot.
The owner of the dog, Anne Heritage, was a vegan herself, and she simply fed Bramble a big bowl of vegan fare every evening. She explains that Bramble “is an inspiration and just goes to show that if you eat the right things and keep on exercising you can extend your life”.
Converting Human Years To Dog Years
Bramble is considered to be 189 years old because of the common usage of counting 7 dog years for every human. This number is controversial because it is inaccurate. Different dog breeds have different lifespans, and dogs, like humans, age more rapidly at different stages of their lives. Any way you count it though, Bramble lived a long life.
Read the book all about his story: Bramble; The dog who wanted to live forever.
There have been long living non-vegetarian dogs also. Dogs like Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog who lived to be 29 years and 5 months. We also don’t know what Bramble ate at the beginning of its life since she was a rescue dog.
You might be wondering… aren’t dogs carnivores?
Some experts say that dogs are scavenging carnivores which means that they are naturally meat-eaters but can sustain themselves on other protein sources.
Other experts say that dogs are omnivores, which means that they can live on a diet composed of meat, fruits and vegetables. They are capable of digesting and combining various forms of proteins in just the same way a human’s system can. Everyone agrees that cats are different. Cats really are completely carnivorous.
Experts say if you are thinking of switching your dog’s diet to be vegetarian, it is easier if you start young so they don’t have a difficult adjustment period. They should also be in good health. The people who do this are usually vegetarians or vegans themselves. You might be a vegetarian for health reasons, for humane reasons, or for environmental reasons. A medium-sized meat-eating dog, for example, has more of an environmental impact than a gas guzzling SUV due to the amount of energy, land and water that meat production requires.
I’m not an expert on dogs but I do know we have tested a small sampling of them with our Vital Health Testing. This testing, which normally tests humans, has been used by concerned pet owners as well. The dogs that were vegetarian did NOT test as needing more protein any more than the meat-eating dogs. Perhaps they were just well fed?
This story or information does not prove your dog SHOULD be vegetarian. It does show that dogs CAN survive on such a diet.
Can Humans Survive AND Thrive On a Vegetarian Diet?
A major portion of the world population lives quite nicely on a doggie diet much like Bramble, especially when you consider she ate a lot of rice, beans and vegetables. That’s exactly what has sustained most Asian cultures for centuries.
At Real Food For Life, we don’t suggest that everyone has to be vegetarian or vegan, but we do believe that many people would be healthier eating less meat.
We TEACH people how to plan and prepare a meal such as Bramble’s in our online 2-5-30 Healthy Diet Courses. Sometimes the focus is on alkaline balance, sometimes weight loss, and sometimes gluten-free cooking.
Carnivores traditionally are the shortest-lived animals in nature. Vegetarians like whales, tortoises, and clams are typically the longest-lived. If you look at the teeth structure, jaw structure and digestion system of a dog, it is pretty clear that dogs are better physically adapted to eating meat than man.
“I personally chose to go vegan because I educated myself on factory farming and cruelty to animals, and I suddenly realized that what was on my plate were living things, with feelings. And I just couldn’t disconnect myself from it any longer.” ~ Ellen DeGeneres
Therefore, if a man is more suited to a vegetarian diet, there is a very good possibility a man can live a long and healthy life eating LOTS of vegetables and fruits. We encourage you to do so!
If a dog can live for 189 years, maybe you can too?
Are YOU a vegetarian. Is your dog?
Find out What Happens When a Rancher’s Wife Turns Vegan? – This story about a rancher’s wife going vegan is very sweet and true. Tommy Sonnen told his wife Renee not to name the cows but she did and that was the beginning of a new life for both of them. Watch the video for the story.
Read Mesa Man of 110, Credits 5 Foods for His Long Life
All the recipes here on Real Food for Life are vegan. Check them out here: Vegan Recipes.
Here is one of my favourite recipes recreated vegan: Vegan Chilli Recipe That is So Yummy
“Our farm babies are the original salt of the earth! They make our life so much better than it ever was before.” ~ Renee King-Sonnen, Rancher’s Wife who went vegan.
43 Meatless Monday Recipes That Are Vegan And Delicious– This is a great page full of tasty Meatless Monday recipes. This is very helpful for those who have decided to do Meatless Monday for at least one month. Also, all the recipes are healthy, gluten-free vegan recipes for you to enjoy. Research has shown that eating less meat is better for good health.
To learn more or if you are not sure, read this: Is the Meatless Monday Movement For You?
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I am also a vegetarian and my body has never been in a very good shape. Being a vegan can really make you much heathier.~”.
Hi Ruby
Let’s hope we all can now live to 189 in a happy, energetic, pain free body.
I read through your article and don’t understand why you call it “vegetarian Dog Lives to 189 Years”, when the diet is purely Vegan (no animal products)?!
Hi Mariam,
You are correct. I used the term vegetarian because it is better well known and accepted. One of the purposes of the article was to inspire non-vegetarians and non-vegans to give this a try. Most people will start with being vegetarian.
Hi Randy,
I can’t say I’m surprised by what you’ve said, there are so many Vegan companies calling themselves “vegetarian”, it’s hardly surprising that omnivores will be confused by Veganism because they virtually never hear about it! Every vegan company I’ve contacted to complain about their use of terms like veggie, veg, veg*n, vegetarian (anything but Vegan!), say the same as you, that people won’t be accepting of the term Vegan. People won’t embrace Veganism until the term goes mainstream, then people will start asking questions (the beginning of change), positive change won’t happen while Vegans run scared of telling the truth!
Can I just add; I was vegetarian for a few years, not because I didn’t want to be Vegan, but because I was lied to by companies & by organisations pretending to care about animals. I became vegetarian because I didn’t want to be responsible for ANY animal’s death, nobody told me the truth!! I won’t lie to anyone, let them decide if they still want animals to die for them (vegetarian).
Bramble was a border collie mix if you read the book – not a chocolate lab. A lot of sources have chocolate lab and I’m not sure where that rumor started. I think it is a different chocolate lab named “brambles” with an “s” that lived long as well but not Anne Heritage’s dog.
Wow I’m happy to be hearing from an expert on the subject. Thank you very much for your help.
Bramble was the dog in my care. She was the worlds oldest bitch at the time of her death, and was a blue merle collie bitch not a male lab, labs live shorter lives..my book Bramble; The dog who wanted to live forever. The Somerset notes..is out now on Kindle and create space and shares the secrets of managing dogs for longevity. I hope you like it. press release; Now you can read about the diet and care regime of the dog who at the time of her death was the worlds oldest bitch. Its also rescue collie Brambles life story and suggests new ways of relating to the Animals in our care. Read about promoting longevity in your dog and Brambles adventures with her friends in Somerset.
https://amzn.to/2FZOjGf
Good for you Anne!
Anne, It is so good to hear that you knew Bramble and wrote a book about this wonderful dog. I have put a photo of Bramble and a link to the book on Amazon within the article. What would be wonderful is to have a better photo.
They don’t have to say vegan when referring to vegan, as vegan is a subcategory of vegetarianism.
PETA has invent this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Miriam
Lots of animals die in the vegan food production cycle . Pretending you’re not responsible for animal deaths because of a vegan diet is delusional
Peter, they do yes.
Does that make veganism delusional? No. Does that make Miriams comment delusional? No, it doesn’t. Simply because she has claimed she doesn’t want to be responsible for deaths. If the demand for meat is not there – less animals are slaughtered. It’s basic supply and demand of economy.
You’re right to say that an animal life that is lost through growing crop and crop farming methods, it is essentially an unfortunate incident, a part of sustainable life and something that steps can be and are taken to minimise this outcome. The key point about veganism, animal life lost from crop growth and Miriams comment is that, IT IS NOT intentional killing, unlike the actual animal slaughtering business consuming an average 50 – 70 billion animal lives globally every 365 days – INTENTIONALLY…. See the difference?
The true definition of veganism is the following ;
“A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”
I hope you can comprehend now that veganism is a logical and passionate way of life that does it’s best to minimise unnecessary, intentional death, exploitation and suffering of innocent animals.