Pet veganism is on the rise! Pet parents are increasingly deterred by meat-based pet food since they contain many of the same hormones, pesticides and antibiotics found in commercial meat products for humans, and animal parts deemed unfit for human consumption. Eww.
According to research^ by Andrew Knight, a veterinary professor at the University of Winchester, England, dogs have as good, or better, health outcomes on plant-based diets as they do when fed meat pet foods.
The findings of Knight’s research form part of a larger study that found that plant-based pet food was both nutritionally equivalent to products containing meat, as well as enjoyable for pets to eat.
“Dogs have requirements for nutrients, they don’t need meat or any other particular ingredient. They need the set of nutrients, and provided those are supplied to them in a diet that’s sufficiently tasty that they’re motivated to eat it, and digestible, we’d expect to see them thrive. And that’s what the evidence seems to indicate,” Knight said. “The claim is animals on vegan diets will necessarily become ill and it’s somehow cruel to maintain them, is contrary to the scientific evidence in this field and is ignorant.”
He added that it was easier to convert dogs to plant-based diets since they are omnivores - something that evolved from eating scraps from their human’s meals during prehistoric times. Makes sense!
Popular vegan pet food typically includes natural ingredients like sweet potato, brown rice and pumpkin, which contain 30% more protein than most meat-based diets and given healthy proteins are the building blocks of your pups whole system, they’re important for your dog’s wellbeing.
Keen to introduce more vegan products into your dog’s diet? Start with these nutritious, delicious, meat-free snacks:
Note: Any changes to your doggo’s diet should be undertaken under advice from a vet with in-depth nutritional knowledge.
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