sheep, also dog food

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

I figure there's probably some amount of magic involved.

[Motion Paradox]

On the other hand the animals in Equestria might be slightly different from the ones here, let's not forget this is a world where Ponies have complex thoughts, speak, read and write, run businesses, come in a variety of attractive colours, have large eyes on the front of their faces can fly, use magic and....whatever it is Earth Ponies are supposed to do.... it wouldn't be that surprising if the other animals are a bit different too and could get protein from other sources (Perhaps those fish were fish-shaped Ferret treats) though obviously Owls do eat mice since it's been mentioned, cats....well they have catnip mice so perhaps Equestrian cats do eat Mice (though for multiple reasons I can't imagine Opalescence eating mice)

Sheep probably live on farms and in exchange give their wool (especially in the summer when it would probably be more comfortable for them to be clean shaven), the Cows & Pigs have already been explained

As for products that in our world have often been made from Horses, given that this is a world populated by Ponies these things were probably never made that way (can you imagine how morbid pre-school would be if they were?) there's vegitarian gelatin and non-horse glue, which is probably what has always been used

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Well, come to think of it, have we even ever seen glue used? Maybe it just doesn't exist.

[Motion Paradox]

Well on a few occasions you can see a bottle of glue, episode 14 is probably the best episode to look in since there are at least two appearences of them in that episode (look at the scene before the opening credits, it actually looks like PVA glue)

[Davroth]

There are other kinds of glue even the ancient greek knew about. I can believe that they make their glue without animal byproducts.

I think one thing we have to take into account here is that lots of the animals in the show are domesticated animal. What I mean by that is that they are a product of artifical breeding. Cows, AJ's dog, Rarities cat, chickens, and while we are at it, Ponies themself. At this point, the only real possibility how all of that can work together is if Equestria is the success of a large scale genetics experiment (Or was created by a god, exactly as it is right now). The shows writers clearly don't apply realword logic onto the world all the time, and we probably shouldn't either.

Tell you what, how about this, and I'm not being cynical here, there once was a Unicorn whos special power was to understand the "makeup" of stuff (basically could "see" the atoms they are made of), and then used his special talent create all that complicated food chemistry needed to make vegetarian food for carnivores and vegetarian gelatin and all that good stuff, and the recipes are now just handed down generation to generation, but noone really knows anymore why it works, since the society doesn't really swing into the direction of science (unless it's about researching magic appearently). It's like island tribes in the Caribbeans, that build perfect rafts(after modern standart) because that how they learnt it from their fathers.

Just throwing that out here.

[QuickLime]

Don't forget the fact that there are SNAKES there too..what do they eat? are Mice the bottom of the bottom?

[Ashwood]

Fishes are not mammals so... I guess carnivorous animals eat tons of fish in Equestria.

Also poultry.

[brianblackberry]

For sheep, it is mutual benefit. Ponies care for the sheep and all they ask is to shear off their wool coats once a year (probably in the beginning of summer, where the sheep be happy to be rid of them), in return the ponies provide the sheep with a safe pastoral home. There also, of course, cotton for fabric, and silk.

Carnivores probably exist like they do in our world, there is no reason why to think the cycle of life in the animal kingdom there isn't all that different than it is from here. It has been established there are wild places where nature just runs itself and no doubt carnivore activities happen there. The Hydra shows there are carnivore beasts who simply want to kill and eat any other animals who wander into their territory. Ponies themselves are herbivores, and are likely considerably squeamish about meat products (it could be for ponies, hunting outside of fishing for pets, is illegal). Other intelligent species (with the exception of Dragons and griffins) are similar to them (donkeys, zebra, cows) and are also herbivore, but all are aware that "lower order" carnivores exist and feed on other animals.

[Davroth]

I'll just say, as the one who posed the question, I operate under the assumption that ponies are able to make vegetarian pet food out of roots and mushrooms and such, which is reasonable enough, considering that in the real world for example, island tribes figured out how to build perfectly streamlined boats without any idea of the science behind it.

I can suspend my disbelief enough to see them figure that out by trail and error.

Don't forget the fact that there are SNAKES there too..what do they eat? are Mice the bottom of the bottom?

Snakes can live off of eggs. Lots of snakes do.

[Willow Whisper]

I kind of imagine that when it comes to the animal world, it works just the same as our world does. At least in Everfree. I imagine there is no vegetarian pet food out there for all the wild animals, and I'm not too bothered by the ponies pets eating meat. Every animal may have a personality but I don't personally see that as a reason why the circle of life has to stop.