Is Vegan Dog food healthier? Yes, according to research published this week.

Veterinary Surgeons working at OMNI, who make high protein, complete vegan dog foods, welcome the...

Veterinary Surgeons working at OMNI, who make high protein, complete vegan dog foods, welcome the findings of a new scientific paper published yesterday by Plos One (Knight and others 2022). In the paper a survey was conducted of dog owners and 2,536 completed the questionnaire. The majority (54%) were feeding a conventional meat diet, 33% were feeding a raw meat diet and 13% a vegan diet.


The authors examined several indicators of ill health:

  1. Unusual numbers of veterinary visits
  2. Medication use
  3. Progression onto a therapeutic diet after initial maintenance on a vegan or meat-based diet
  4. Owner opinion and predicted veterinary opinion of health status
  5. Percentage of unwell dogs, and
  6. Number of health disorders per unwell dog


Dogs fed conventional diets came out worst, and dogs fed raw meat seemed to fare marginally better than those fed vegan diets. However, there were significant differences in average ages with the raw group being statistically younger which probably accounted for the difference.


The authors also considered the prevalence of 22 specific health disorders, based on predicted veterinary assessments. Percentages of dogs in each dietary group considered to have suffered from health disorders were 49% (conventional meat), 43% (raw meat) and 36% (vegan).


The authors concluded that the healthiest and least hazardous dietary choices for dogs, are nutritionally sound vegan diets.


Preliminary findings from our own survey of nearly 100 owners who switched to feeding OMNI in the last year have revealed similar findings:

  • 49 % reported that their dog had a shinier/glossier coat
  • 40% reported their dogs stools were firmer and easier to pick up
  • 23% reported reduced smell due to breaking wind
  • 30% reported that their dog had increased energy on walks
  • 17% reported that their dogs’ anxiety behaviour improved

One merit of survey based studies like this, rather than kennel or lab based ones, is that it gives us data on how dogs are in their natural home living environment. However, the findings of studies involving owner surveys always have to be viewed cautiously as they can be subject to some bias. OMNI are looking to support randomised, controlled clinical trials to further validate these observed health benefits.


Like the authors of the Plos One paper, Vets at OMNI do not believe feeding raw food is safe because of the risk of contamination with pathogens such as STEC E.coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and TB – all of which have been reported to cause serious disease (and even deaths) in humans as well as pets they are fed to. Raw meat diets, if not properly formulated may also lead to nutritional deficiencies which can take many years to manifest in clinical disease. For these reasons, OMNI is proud to be leading the exploration of plant based diets for dogs for a healthy sustainable future.


Reference
Knight A, Huang E, Rai N, Brown H (2022) Vegan versus meat-based dog food: Guardian-reported indicators of health. PLoS ONE 17(4): e0265662. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.026566

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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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