Are Dogs Carnivores? A Vet’s Perspective

Are Dogs Carnivores? A Vet’s Perspective Did you know that a paper published in the reputable jou...

Are Dogs Carnivores? A Vet’s Perspective

Did you know that a paper published in the reputable journal ‘Nature’ found that dogs adapted to omnivorous diets alongside humans? (1)

Dogs were domesticated by humans over 10,000 years ago and as such adapted to eat what humans were eating. The study identified 36 genes that changed during the domestication of dogs from wolves, 10 of which play key roles in starch digestion and fat metabolism. This allowed dogs to thrive on starch rich diets alongside humans, where wolves could not. The study, and ones like it, are a large part of why dogs are now classified as omnivores, meaning they can access all the nutrients they need from a variety of sources, including plants. 


Do dogs produce amylase?

-Do dogs produce salivary amylase?

A 2017 study showed that alpha-amylase can be reliably measured in the saliva of dogs (2).

- Do dogs produce pancreatic amylase?

Pancreatic amylase has indeed been shown to be part of nutrient digestion in the dog since the 1960s (12).


Do dogs have glucokinase?

The enzyme glucokinase is responsible for the first step of glycolysis (a way of getting energy from glucose). Dogs have high glucokinase activity, similar to omnivores rather than carnivores (3).


Do dogs have Type D taste buds?

Dogs do indeed have Type D taste buds, which are not found in cats and other carnivores, and these respond to ‘‘fruity-sweet’’ compounds (4).


Can dogs just be fed meat?

Meat alone is not nutritionally complete for a dog and diets rich in meat alone can be deficient in nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. Dogs fed on meat only diets can develop issues such as nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism which can cause severe bone and mobility problems (13).


Can dogs digest plant proteins?

Dogs have also shown an excellent ability to digest plant proteins across many different studies (5 – 11) and studies have shown no difference in protein absorption as meat proteins are replaced with plant proteins in the dog (5).


What are carnivores and facultative carnivores?

Carnivores are different to omnivores in that almost all of their diet consists of meat and they often require meat to get complete nutrition as they need certain ‘preformed’ nutrients from meat that they cannot create themselves (making them an obligate carnivore) – this is the case for the cat. The term facultative carnivore is not well defined and has different descriptions depending on the source you read. The term is most often used on pro-carnivore sites to suggest that while omnivorous animals can utilise plant-based nutrients they believe they would be better eating a carnivorous diet. 


Dog food

Contrary to what you may think, for a meat-based dog food product to be labelled as chicken or beef in the UK it only has to contain 4% meat. This means that lots of dog foods out there have been mostly vegetarian for decades. Instead of doing the same and bulking up the food with fillers like corn and white rice and various chemicals, at Omni we replaced processed meat and unwanted left overs with premium plant-powered ingredients that dogs love. 



References 


(1) 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


(2) Contreras-Aguilar MD, Tecles F, Martínez-Subiela S, Escribano D, Bernal LJ, Cerón JJ. Detection and measurement of alpha-amylase in canine saliva and changes after an experimentally induced sympathetic activation. BMC Vet Res. 2017 Aug 22;13(1):266. doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-1191-4. PMID: 28830550; PMCID: PMC5568211.


(3) Ballard FJ. Glucose utilization in mammalian liver. Comp Biochem Physiol. 1965 Mar;14:437-43. doi: 10.1016/0010-406x(65)90218-5. PMID: 14314983.


(4) Kanazawa H. Fine structure of the canine taste bud with special reference to gustatory cell functions. Arch Histol Cytol. 1993 Dec;56(5):533-48. doi: 10.1679/aohc.56.533. PMID: 8129987.


(5) Christina Golder, James L Weemhoff, Dennis E Jewell (2020) Cats Have Increased Protein Digestibility as Compared to Dogs and Improve Their Ability to Absorb Protein as Dietary Protein Intake Shifts from Animal to Plant Sources 24;10(3):541. doi: 10.3390/ani10030541.


(6) Ingenpaß L, Abd El-Wahab A, Ullrich C, Kölln M, Ahmed MFE, et al. (2021) Nitrogen output in the urban environment using a vegetarian canine diet. PLOS ONE 16(9): e0257364. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257364


(7) C. L. Cargo-Froom, A. K. Shoveller, M. Z. Fan, 227 Apparent and true digestibility of minerals in animal and vegetable ingredient based adult maintenance dog food, Journal of Animal Science, Volume 95, Issue suppl_4, August 2017, Page 112, https://doi.org/10.2527/asasann.2017.227


(8) Venturini, KS, Sarcinelli, MF, Baller, MA, Putarov, TC, Malheiros, EB, Carciofi, AC. Processing traits and digestibility of extruded dog foods with soy protein concentrate. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr. 2018; 102: 1077– 1087. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.12894


(9) 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


(10) Carciofi, A.C., Takakura, F.S., De-Oliveira, L.D., Teshima, E., Jeremias, J.T., Brunetto, M.A. and Prada, .F. (2008), Effects of six carbohydrate sources on dog diet digestibility and post-prandial glucose and insulin response. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 92: 326-336. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0396.2007.00794.x


(11) Julia Guazzelli Pezzali, Charles Gregory Aldrich, Effect of ancient grains and grain-free carbohydrate sources on extrusion parameters and nutrient utilization by dogs, Journal of Animal Science, Volume 97, Issue 9, September 2019, Pages 3758–3767, https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skz237


(12) Behrman HR, Kare MR. Adaptation of canine pancreatic enzymes to diet composition. J Physiol. 1969 Dec;205(3):667-76. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1969.sp008989. PMID: 5361294; PMCID: PMC1348575.


(13) Lennart Krook, Joseph P. Whalen, Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism in the animal kingdom: report of two cases, Clinical Imaging, Volume 34, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 458-461, ISSN 0899-7071, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinimag.2010.08.010.

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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


3. The European Pet Food Industry (FEDIAF) Nutrition [ Accessed on 3 June 2021] Available online: http://www.fediaf.org/self-regulation/nutrition/


4. Gentle World Good Nutrition for Healthy Vegan Dogs [Accessed on 3 June 2021] Available online: http://www.webcitation.org/6ineIZmNQ


5. Peden J. (1999) Vegetarian Cats & Dogs. 3rd ed. Harbingers of a New Age; Troy, MT, USA


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7. Brown W.Y., Vanselow B.A., Redman A.J., Pluske J.R. (2009) An experimental meat-free diet maintained haematological characteristics in sprint-racing sled dogs. Br. J. Nutr.;102:1318–1323. doi: 10.1017/S0007114509389254


8. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Dog Health Survey. [Accessed on 3 June 2021]


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18. https://v-dog.com/blogs/v-dog-blog/vegan-diets-for-dogs-what-about-longevity


19. https://www.fediaf.org/39-prepared-pet-foods/80-understanding-labels.html


20. https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/07/vegan-dogs-a-healthy-lifestyle-or-going-against-nature/

21. https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/7-interesting-facts-about-your-dogs-digestive-system

22. http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/pregastric/dogpage.html

23. Félix AP, Zanatta CP, Brito CB, et al. (2013) Digestibility and metabolizable energy of raw soybeans manufactured with different processing treatments and fed to adult dogs and puppies. J Anim Sci;91:2794–2801.


24. Carciofi A, de-Oliviera L, Valério A, et al. (2009) Comparison of micronized whole soybeans to common protein sources in dry dog and cat diets. Anim Feed Sci Technol;151:251–260.

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28. Hazewinkel HA, Tryfonidou MA. (2002) Vitamin D3 metabolism in dogs. Mol Cell Endocrinol;197:23–33.
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29. Jäpelt RB, Jakobsen J. (2013) Vitamin D in plants: a review of occurrence, analysis, and biosynthesis. Front Plant Sci;4:136

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35. Christina Golder, James L Weemhoff, Dennis E Jewell (2020) Cats Have Increased Protein Digestibility as Compared to Dogs and Improve Their Ability to Absorb Protein as Dietary Protein Intake Shifts from Animal to Plant Sources 24;10(3):541. doi: 10.3390/ani10030541.

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