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BVA To Review Stance on Vegan Diets

BVA To Review Stance on Vegan Diets

BVA Agree To Review Stance on Vegan Diets 

We’re delighted to see that after more evidence has come out from recent scientific studies on vegan diets for dogs, that the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has now formed a working group to review their stance on alternative protein diets, which some would say is a step that is well overdue. 

If you have been following Omni for a while, you will know that canine health and wellbeing is a cornerstone of our company values, and we use up to date research to inform our formulation decisions.  It has been a source of frustration that BVA president Justine Sutton has previously declined to support vegan diets for dogs, despite the growing body of evidence that demonstrates both the safety and benefits.  She released the following precautionary statement: 

While it is theoretically possible, the British Veterinary Association does not recommend giving a dog a vegetarian or a vegan diet as it is much easier to get the balance of essential nutrients wrong than to get it right.”

This stance has been under scrutiny due to the numerous scientific studies which have demonstrated not only safety of plant-based foods, but also health benefits.  We therefore welcome the BVA’s decision to review the information available, and will be watching with interest to see what steps they take next.

The most recent research into vegan diets for dogs was produced in January 2023 by the University of Illinois1.  They evaluated two human-grade plant-based diets for palatability, digestibility, bloodwork and faecal analysis in a group of 12 Beagles over several weeks.  The findings were positive, and the food was well digested and showed no negative impacts on the dogs.  Other studies have been similarly positive.  For example, Brown et al2 found that a group of working Huskies had no significant impact on their bloodwork when fed plant-based food over 4 months, while Hill et al3 demonstrated that soy digestibility was comparable with beef in dogs.  There are many more, some of which are discussed in our Blogs - https://omni.pet/blogs/news.

The BVA has assembled a team of veterinary nutrition experts, who will evaluate the animal welfare, sustainability and nutrition of these more modern diets.  The work is expected to take just under 12 months.   

Professor Andrew Knight, a renowned animal welfare advocate, welcomes this step forwards, stating 

“I hope they will finally move towards an evidence-based position on this issue, reflective of the wealth of recent published studies in this field. BVA positions should aim to advance environmental sustainability and animal welfare, rather than impede it, as has consistently occurred on this issue”. 

We therefore look forward, with interest, to hearing more from BVA on this subject. 

1. L.J. Roberts, P.M. Oba, K.S. Swanson. Apparent total tract macronutrient digestibility of mildly cooked human-grade vegan dog foods and their effects on the blood metabolites and fecal characteristics, microbiota, and metabolites of adult dogs. J Anim Sci. 2023 Jan 3;101:skad093. doi: 10.1093/jas/skad093. PMID: 36970938; PMCID: PMC10103066.

2. W. Brown, B. Vanselow, A. Redman, J. Pluske. An experimental meat-free diet maintained haematological characteristics in sprint-racing sled dogs. British Journal of Nutrition, 102(9), (2009) 1318-1323. doi:10.1017/S0007114509389254

3. R.C. Hill C.F. Burrows, G.W. Ellison, J.E. Bauer. The effect of texturized vegetable protein from soy on nutrient digestibility compared to beef in cannulated dogs, Journal of Animal Science, Volume 79, Issue 8, August 2001, Pages 2162–2171, https://doi.org/10.2527/2001.7982162x

Ravenous Food Worth Raving About

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