American Bully XL Ban

News was released on 15th September that the government intends to ‘ban American XL bullies’ under the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA). This is in response to some terrible and horrific dog attacks which have resulted in serious injury and fatalities. This is an effort to control the population of one specific breed of dogs, but the DDA has often been met with criticism as it may not address the root cause of the issue.

The DDA was implemented in 1991 in the UK, which prohibited and restricted specific types of dogs, and also making it a criminal offence to allow any dog to be dangerously out of control. The breeds affected are: Pitbull Terriers, Japanese Tosa’s, Dogo Argentino’s and Fila Brasileiro’s, and any cross-breeds. These dogs are required by law to be neutered, microchipped, and on a lead and muzzled at all times in public. Breeding them is an offence. Dogs that match the physical appearance of the banned breeds that don’t meet the regulations are at risk of being seized and euthanised.

The DDA has been in place for over thirty years, and during that time, dog attacks have increased. A group of charities - including Battersea, Blue Cross, The Dogs Trust, Scottish SPCA and Hope Rescue - called ‘The Dog Control Coalition’ have repeatedly applied pressure on the government to change the legislation to focus on ‘deed not breed’, and review the approach to promoting training and responsible dog ownership.

Dog attacks can be harrowing, damaging, and life threatening, however there is no scientific proof that all dogs of one specific breed are dangerous. Any dog regardless of breed has a potential to cause injury, and breed specific legislation focuses on particular breeds of dogs, which can also inflate their perception as status dogs.

Adding American XL Bullies to the DDA may not have the desired impact of reducing dog attacks, there are a variety of more ethical early interventions and improved enforcement practices that could have a more desired outcome for all.

Precise details of the new ban are yet to be released, and we will provide a further update when it becomes available.

References:

Statutory Instrument 1991 No. 1742

https://www.rspca.org.uk/webContent/staticImages/Downloads/BSL_Report.pdf

https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/120220/pdf/

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FAQs

But aren’t dog’s carnivores?

Dogs are in fact nutritional omnivores as demonstrated by a robust scientific study published in the reputable journal Nature (1,2) in which it was shown that they have 30 copies of the AMY2B gene responsible for digesting plant-based foods.

They have also evolved relatively long intestines (21) (almost as long as humans) and relatively flat surfaces on their molars (31, 22) which they use for digesting and chewing a whole range of foods.

The common misconception that dogs are carnivores probably arises from the fact that they are classified in the order Carnivora but so are plenty of other species like bears, skunks, racoons who are omnivores and even the giant panda who thrives on a plant-based diet (20).

Is plant protein digestible to dogs?

Absolutely yes, studies which have looked at how much protein dogs can absorb from plant-based and fungi-based foods like soya and yeast demonstrated over 75% digestibility which is on par with meat-based foods (23, 24, 34, 35 & 25).

Both these protein sources also contain all 10 essential amino acids (36, 37) that dogs need to thrive.

Isn't there too much fibre in plant-based food?

The average amount of fibre in a commercial dog food diet is between 2-4%. omni’s plant-powered recipe has a fibre content of 3% which is on par with meat- based diets.

In our survey with over 200 dog owners, 100% reported that their dog’s stool consistency was either ‘normal’ or ‘perfect’ and there were no reports of any digestive upsets (data on file).

Can I mix omni with other meat-based diets?

We are proud that our recipes are nutritionally complete and so include everything your dog needs to thrive. This means omni can be fed as a sole ration. We also fully support a 'flexitarian approach' like meat free lunches or using omni as a mixer.

Every little helps to bring some of the health and environmental benefits of plant-power to meal times. Mixing omni with meat/fish will help to add variety into your dog’s diet whilst adding in healthy ingredients with a relatively low carbon footprint.

Can plant-based food provide the essential fatty acids dogs need?

All the essential fats and oils that dogs need, including omegas 3 and 6 are found in a variety of both meat and plant-based foods (31, 28).

omni’s recipe is rich in plant-based sources of these nutrients so your dog will get all the essentials they need.

I hear a lot about feeding raw meat, isn’t that better?

Feeding raw meat to dogs has become a very popular trend in recent years, but most vets will warn against this practise. This is because the cooking process is vital to help kill off dangerous bacteria like E coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter (9) that have necessitated several food recalls from the market and caused serious illness and even death in both dogs and their owners (40, 41, & 42).

There are also several worms and parasites that are only killed off when raw meat is cooked. Dogs are dogs, not wolves and thanks to their domestication over thousands of years, thankfully don’t need to hunt to get their grub nor do they need to eat raw meat, it's just not worth the risk.

References

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2. Axelsson E., Ratnakumar A., Arendt M.L., Maqbool K., Webster M.T., Perloski M., Liberg O., Arnemo J.M., Hedhammar A., Lindblad-Toh K. (2013) The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet. Nature; 495:360–364. doi: 10.1038/nature11837

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