Every man and his dog may want to follow the example of a champion man and his dog by going vegan — like Formula One star Lewis Hamilton and his bulldog Roscoe who are both on top form — now that a new study shows a nutritionally sound vegan diet is healthy for dogs.
The peer-reviewed study found that a vegan diet could be more healthy than conventional meat-based diets and possibly raw meat diets, after comparing how well 2,500 dogs performed on the three diets.
Cats are not as well adapted as dogs to plant-based foods.
The researchers from the University of Winchester, UK, analysed data from dog owners on the diets and health of their pets — including vet visits, the use of medications and specific dog health disorders.
Prof Andrew Knight and his co-authors said: “We believe our study of 2,536 dogs is by far the largest study published to date, exploring health outcomes of dogs fed vegan and meat-based diets.
“It revealed that the healthiest and least hazardous dietary choices for dogs are nutritionally sound vegan diets.”
Dogs do better than cats on vegan diets as they are better adapted to a plant-based diet than their feline counterparts, which cannot produce certain essential proteins. They both need supplements to be assured of a healthy diet when not eating meat.
The heathiest and least hazardous dietary choices for dogs are nutritionally sound vegan diets.
— Prof Andrew Knight, University of Winchester and study co-author
Dog guardians may be concerned about the environmental impact of dog food, the amount of food consumed, the treatment of the animals used as food and their pets’ health when opting for vegan diets, suggested the scientists.
But until this study, which is thought to be the first of its sort, the evidence on how well dogs fared was limited.
The team found that dogs on nutritionally-sound vegan diets seemed to be healthier than those on meat-based diets.
The dogs on raw meat diets were healthier but they were also younger and their owners were less likely to visit vets, prior research showed, so this is not conclusive.
The number of pets worldwide is increasing and so is the demand for pet food, the production of which is leaving a massive carbon footprint.
US dogs and cats ate the energy equivalent of 63-million Americans, according to a report published in 2017. They were estimated to rank fifth in the world in global meat consumption, according to one study.
But, as the popularity of veganism soars among humans, it is likely that dogs will follow in their owners’ footsteps, as loyal dogs do.
Give a dog a carrot could become the 21st-century version of give a dog a bone.
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