Canine Endurance Athletes Blood Parameters & Performance Well Maintained On Plant-based Diet

A group of sled racing huskies fed either a plant or meat-based diet had no significant differenc...

A group of sled racing huskies fed either a plant or meat-based diet had no significant difference in their haematological parameters, clinical health assessments or performance characteristics. 

The study, which was run as a 16-week controlled experiment, found that a meat-free diet maintained haematological characteristics in sprint-racing Siberian huskies. Twelve sprint-racing Siberian huskies were fed either a commercial diet recommended for active dogs, or a meat-free diet formulated to the same nutrient specifications. The commercial diet contained 43% ingredients of poultry protein origin, whereas soybean protein made up 43% of the meat-free diet.

Dogs were fed these diets as their sole nutrient intake for 16 weeks, including 10 weeks of competitive racing. Blood samples were collected at weeks 0, 3, 8 and 16, and veterinary health checks were conducted at weeks 0, 8 and 16. Haematology results for all dogs, irrespective of diet, were within normal range throughout the study and the consulting veterinary surgeon assessed all dogs to be in excellent physical condition.

Pre-race training started with the onset of lower temperature weather in April, and involved dogs pulling heavily laden carts at low speeds. The final two weeks of this period of training were included in the experiment, during which the dogs endured seven training runs that were 6km long at an average speed of 12 km/h. The following ten weeks involved competitive racing in addition to the training runs which continued three-four times per/week. The heavily weighted carts were replaced with lighter-weight ones, and the training runs became more rapid (20 km/h) and of longer duration (6–10 km runs).

No dogs in the study developed anaemia. On the contrary, erythrocyte counts and Hb values increased significantly over time (P < 0.01) in both groups of dogs. As the meat-free diet had not been produced previously, an additional feeding trial was conducted to determine digestibility coefficients of the experimental plant-based diet. For this, eight dogs of mixed breeds were randomly selected and following an adaptation period, the plant-based diet was fed solely for 12 days and all faeces produced during the final 4 days were collected and analysed total-tract apparent digestibility.

Unlike obligate carnivores, dogs can synthesise nutrients such as taurine and Vitamin A and so the authors of the study hypothesised that dogs could thrive on a diet based solely on plant ingredients. Commercial dry foods typically contain a high proportion of plant-based ingredients so it was considered a small step to exclude the meat content all together and replace this with plant-proteins. Conceptually however it seems to be a big step in the mind of  dog owners, who often perceive that meat is a requirement in a healthy dog's diet. It is for this reason the authors chose to enrol sprint racing huskies who are under great physical strain, to challenge the notion that meat is an essential nutrient for dogs. 

The findings showing clinical and performance equivalence between the plant and meat-based fet dogs pave the way for commercial pet food manufacturers to produce nutritionally adequate vegan diets for dogs.

References 

Brown, W.Y., Vanselow, B.A., Redman, A.J. and Pluske, J.R., 2009. An experimental meat-free diet maintained haematological characteristics in sprint-racing sled dogs. British journal of nutrition, 102(9), pp.1318-1323. 

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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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