How to Celebrate National Dog Day on the 26th of August

Put your paws in the air because National Dog Day is on the way! We’re very excited about this sp...

Put your paws in the air because National Dog Day is on the way! We’re very excited about this special day here at OMNI. You’ve probably already started planning your festivities for what is arguably the most important day of the year (you better have…or no cuddles for you 🐶). Here are some extra OMNI-approved ideas to get the party started…

Room for one more?

It wouldn’t be surprising if your heart was just bursting with love to give to a new dog around this time of year. If you’re looking to add another woof to your household, you might want to consider getting a rescue. You’d be giving them a second chance at a happy life, and gaining a new best friend in the process. Adopting also means you’re reducing the heavy burden that dog shelters are facing and bringing a new doggy into the family to keep you all company.

Give your time

Sadly, not every dog is lucky enough to have a loving family showering them with affection on National Dog Day. We’d adopt them all if we could, but in lieu of that, volunteering at a local shelter is a great way to support doggos in need. Aside from improving your own health and happiness, volunteering can make a huge difference in these dog’s lives. Even something as simple as taking them on weekly walks could help them avoid kennel stress. You’d get to be around loads of affectionate pups (which is already the dream), plus you’d be keeping them content until they find their forever home.    

Donate to an animal welfare organisation

When you can’t donate your time, parting with a little cash never hurts. Welfare organisations like the RSPCA and Dogs Trust use your funds to tackle animal cruelty up and down the country. It’s especially important to help out where you can in the summer when animal cruelty rates are at their highest. 

Throw a Puppy Pawty

Share the puppy love! Send out some invites to your doggo’s besties (we suppose their hoomans can come too…), and have a dog-centred get-together. You could set up some doggy games for them - no opposable thumbs might make pass the parcel tricky, but puzzle feeders or activity toys like KONGs make getting treats even more fun than usual. Finish it all off with delicious bowls of OMNI for all. What better way to celebrate your pups than by feeding them healthy dog food that tastes good? 

Over to you

However you decide to spend National Dog Day, incorporating a healthy food for your dog is the perfect way to show your best bud just how loved they are. OMNI is a nutritionally complete plant-based dog food that your furry friends will love. Packed with protein and expert vet-formulated, our food has everything they need to keep their tails wagging. 

Subscribing to OMNI means more than just great dog food delivered to you each month. You get a free, bespoke healthcare plan for your dog, and free video consultations with our expert vets too.   

Celebrate your favourite canine every single day with OMNI. Let’s raise the woof!

Try OMNI now

References

  1. https://www.ccspca.com/blog-spca/benefits-animal-shelter-volunteer/
  2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-62096688

 

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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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