Dogs are colourblind… right?

People often think that dogs can’t see colour, or they can only see in greys, however the truth is we don’t give our canine companions the credit they deserve when it comes to eyesight. We’re here to straighten out the truth. While we have trichromatic colour vision, meaning we can see variances of three main colours, dogs have dichromatic vision, meaning they can only see variances of blue and yellow. Interestingly, dogs also struggle to see objects in the far distance.

So, what do some of the main colours look like to our doggos? Blue- Blue! Dogs can perceive the colour blue quite well, but variances of blues look quite similar to them, including purples. Red- Looks grey/black/dark brown. Yellow/green/orange- All look yellow!

There are a few different problems that can go wrong with a dog’s eyes just like us. Problems can range from mild inflammation to severe internal changes of the eye itself. Some of the signs to look out for in your doggy’s eyes that show they may need to see the vet include redness, discharge, the eyelids being less open than usual, swelling, colour changes and any obvious changes to their vision such as being less confident walking around at night.

So, dogs got the bad end of the deal, right? Well, not exactly. While dogs perceive less colours than us, they have better vision in lower levels of light and can spot moving objects extremely well. They also can see a much wider field of view than us. Perhaps most importantly, who could forget that dogs have an incredible sense of smell, so although they may not be able to find a yellow ball in green grass by sight, they can certainly smell it! So don’t discount your furry friends’ vision too quickly because it may turn out that sometimes they can see better than you!

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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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