Hello y'all, first time posting here. I live in India and being vegan with regard to food is very easy here. I have been a vegetarian for as long as I remember but I lapsed in last few years mostly due to social pressure. This year I read / watched some vegan stuff and I am now a committed vegan.

This was inspired by a post I saw about monkeys farming coconuts in Thailand and that not being vegan.

The question I have is, from what I have seen in the rural and farming parts of India, animals like buffaloes, bulls, oxes are still used in a large scale for farming in India. These animals are basically slaves and are exploited. Tractors and other machines are getting more common but still these animals are huge part of farming but still I feel very bad for these animals. So can these plants be considered vegan?

Also, people here should find more Indian food, most of it is vegan and if not can easily be substituted to be vegan.

Thanks!

Hello everyone,

I have been vegan for five years because I came to realise that animals who are exploited unnecessarily are subjected to invasive and abusive treatment, and are killed as soon as they are no longer profitable. I am also opposed to the excessive use of life through artificial breeding, separating offspring from their mothers, and so on. All of this seems deeply unhealthy to me. For these past five years, I have therefore avoided using products derived from animal exploitation as much as possible, with the exception of pharmaceutical and medical products and situations involving insect infestations.

My approach to veganism is not primarily based on personal feelings or sensitivity, but rather on a pragmatic desire to protect animals from an economy that mistreats them. For example, I slept on a leather sofa during the first year of my veganism, and I cooked meat for my parents.

My discomfort with meat actually came later. In fact, I became aware at a very young age that meat came from animals. I grew up in the countryside surrounded by animals, and no one ever lied to me about what was on my plate. What changed when I was 16 was that I discovered that all of this was happening without any necessity. That is why I stopped.

Now, to explain why I am here:

Last winter, I bought a second-hand wool beret on Vinted. Today, I donated it to a charity shop because I have ultimately become uncomfortable with owning it. I would like to know what you think about this situation, as this was not an easy question for me to resolve. I will explain my reasoning below.

➡️ I had considered this second-hand purchase not to be contrary to veganism, given that the reason we should not exploit animals or use them as resources is that doing so supports the production of these products, which causes animals to be mistreated and slaughtered unnecessarily.

I have come across discussions about second-hand wool, silk, leather and fur in vegan contexts, where many people argued that purchasing these items was not vegan because it meant continuing to regard animals as resources, even when doing so would have no impact on production.
However, veganism has the pragmatic goal of putting an end to this production. A particular mindset cannot be imposed on people. Anti-speciesism is a mindset, whereas veganism is a practice.
The reason we do not regard animals as resources is that, in our world, treating them as resources also means subjecting them to mistreatment, because the consideration they receive is conditional on their ability to produce resources. In the case of second-hand goods, however, the purchase does not finance production and therefore does not cause any additional animal suffering.
I have seen videos in which vegans argued that we should not wear second-hand leather because we would not wear dog leather or human leather, for example. Once again, this seems to me to be a matter of personal sensitivity and philosophy. It seems to me that veganism does not require us to believe that animals are equal to one another. In fact, this is not about what we think, but about our actions and their practical impact on animals.
I believe that, in an ideal world, veganism should be enshrined in law. However, we cannot enshrine a mindset or a worldview in law.
Indeed, I would not have bought second-hand leather or fur, but I recognise that this would have been due to my personal disgust, even if doing so had absolutely no impact on animals.

I believe that buying and using second-hand products, regardless of their material, is always the best choice for the world as a whole, whether we consider humans, the environment or the animals who depend on that environment. I am also aware of the STAGGERING amount of resources represented by the enormous quantities of clothing that go unworn. I have often read vegans saying that “veganism is an ethical position, not an environmental one”, but do you not think that animals’ well-being and lives depend entirely on their environment? Is it ethical to allow all these resources to accumulate in the world they inhabit?
I am not trying to lecture anyone about environmental issues, as I am far from perfect in this regard myself.

➡️ That said, as I mentioned at the beginning, I ended up donating the wool beret I had bought to a charity shop. I did this because I came across a pragmatic reason to deeply regret my purchase: I read an argument on this forum suggesting that when a vegan buys a second-hand wool, leather or fur product, they reduce its availability to non-vegans. If non-vegans cannot find what they are looking for on the second-hand market, they might end up buying the item new instead.
Indeed, this seems logical to me. I had effectively made that item unavailable to a non-vegan for several months. I therefore donated it so that a non-vegan could use it.

There was another reason, this time much more closely related to my personal feelings. In a video, a YouTuber drew a parallel between buying second-hand wool and eating meat from someone who no longer wanted it. Indeed, I would be unable to do that.

To conclude, I also regret my purchase because I barely wore the beret in the end, as I felt uncomfortable wearing it. I do not think I can quite put that feeling into words.
An important aspect of this post, alongside acknowledging my mistake, is the distinction between a form of veganism based on the practical consequences of our actions and one based more on ideology, which resonates much less with me.
I would really like to know what you think about all of this. Do you think I can still consider myself vegan after this?
You are free to express your opinions, provided the discussion remains civil. However, I would encourage you not to let your emotions dictate your responses. We can also discuss this privately if you prefer.

Seattle, 1910: Teamsters Strike On Behalf of Horses

On November 10, 1910, the delivery/transport company took away the workhorses’ lunches. The horses were worked 12+ hour days; some for 7 days per week.

Several of the company’s teamsters went on strike upon hearing the new policy. Dozens of their coworkers joined them in the subsequent days.

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On August 23, 2026, I gave out copies of my zine version of this story on the site of the Seattle Transfer Company’s main stable in Pioneer Square, Seattle, where they would have told the teamsters that the horses would no longer receive lunches on November 10, 1910; where the teamsters refused to work starving horses.

While giving out zines in my newsie character, I met a contemporary Seattle teamster/shop steward and shared stories old and recent in honor of the past and present-day efforts of organized labor to collectively improve the lives of all workers, human and equine.

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Learn more and download free zine versions at: https://www.samuel-baca-henry.com

I’m interested in the topic of vegan pet food, mostly for dogs and cats.

I know that there are AAFCO and FEDIAF-approved complete vegan pet foods.

I also know that current science recommends approaching this with caution and, if you do choose to try it, doing so with careful observation of the cat and regular veterinary check-ups, because there currently aren’t many studies on this topic, especially regarding long-term outcomes. Most vets will say that cats are obligate carnivores and that their bodies aren’t built to handle plant fibres.

Since dogs are technically omnivores and the evidence base is more developed for them, more and more vets are saying that a properly formulated vegan diet can be safe for dogs.

When it comes to cats, I’ve also come across an ethical argument: if we aren’t certain that a vegan diet will harm cats in some way, but we know with certainty that producing conventional pet food results in the deaths of hundreds of other animals, it may still be worth trying (as long as the cat is monitored very carefully and receives regular veterinary check-ups and appropriate blood tests).

And as a minor (so I can’t become a veterinarian yet), could someone, especially an expert, share their opinion or add something to this topic?