Plant-based Dog Food - The Basics

Plant-Based Dog food Plant-based food can be a great choice for your dog. Dogs are omnivores, and...

Plant-Based Dog food

Plant-based food can be a great choice for your dog. Dogs are omnivores, and so like humans, can thrive without the need for animal products.  
Dogs have lived closely with us for thousands of years, and while early dogs will have had a primarily meat based diet, as they shared our food over the years, they adapted to become omnivores and developed the ability to digest plants (1). Dogs have many hallmarks of an omnivore such as producing salivary amylase (2), possession of high levels of glucokinase (3), and having Type D taste buds (4). Importantly, dogs have shown an excellent ability to digest plant proteins (5-11).

Dogs do have specific dietary needs - protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins, and all of these can be provided with a carefully designed plant based food. 

- Protein - this is made up of small building blocks called amino acids, and are important in growth and development, repairing and replenishing cells and the immune system.  Appropriate plant-based protein sources are soy, yeast, peas, potato protein, microalgae, and lentils.
-Carbohydrates - this large group of nutrients include sugar, starch and fibre. These are used for energy, and are also helpful for digestion and forming healthy faeces. There are many suitable plant-based sources including oats, rice, carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins.
- Fats - these are a rich source of energy, some of which are absolutely vital (known as the essential fatty acids) to support brain development, healthy skin and coat condition, and the body’s response to inflammation. Examples of plant-based sources of these key nutrients are microalgae and brown rice.
- Minerals - this is a group of natural substances which dogs need for every bodily function, including healthy hearts, digestion and development. These are readily found in different amounts, in many different fruits and vegetables.
- Vitamins - these are organic compounds which are essential nutrients needed in small amounts for life.  Dogs are actually able to synthesise vitamins C and K themselves, however there are others that must be present in their diet - including A, B and D. Good plant sources of these include carrots, blueberries and sweet potatoes.

Are there potential benefits to plant-based food for dogs?

Firstly, the taste (palatability) appears to be good! It may come as a surprise, but dogs really do appear to enjoy the taste of plant based foods just as much as conventional meat based diets. In recent years there have been a few different studies to show that plant based dog foods may have some benefits over conventional meat based diets. These include studies where dog owners have reported data suggesting improvement in stool consistency, skin and hair coat condition, and reductions in anxiety and aggressive behaviour (12). Studies using owner reported data have also documented that plant-based diets may be ‘the healthiest and least hazardous’ for dogs (13) and that dogs may even live longer on a plant based diet (14).

Are there potential environmental benefits to plant-based food for dogs?

It’s no secret that our dogs also have an environmental footprint - the average sized dog is responsible for 770 kg CO2 a year (15). Pet food is estimated to be responsible for a quarter of the environmental impacts of meat production (15) and is thought to contribute 64 million tonnes of C02 emissions per year (the equivalent environmental impact of 13.6 million cars) (15,16). In recent years it has been widely reported that animal-derived ingredients have a much bigger environmental impact than plant-based ingredients (17). Additionally it has been estimated that if domestic pets went plant based, 1 billion animals could be saved from slaughter per year, and the additional resources used to create meat-based pet foods could be diverted to feed the entirety of the human populations of both New Zealand and Ireland (18). A recent study also found that dry, kibble based, pet food is up to 7 times less carbon emitting than wet or fresh home cooked diets and that animal based proteins, such as beef and chicken, were amongst the most carbon emitting ingredients (19).

Are we looking at dog food the wrong way?

Lots of effort goes into discussing very specific aspects of pet food but it’s vital to remember the importance of choosing a food that gets the basics right:
- The nutritional composition of dog food is important to ensure they are getting the appropriate balance of each of these vital components. There are governing bodies to ensure that dog foods conform to this - including FEDIAF and AAFCO - so check to ensure that the food you choose is not only formulated to this standard, but is being regularly analysed post production to ensure the final product is complete, as many UK foods don’t comply (20).
- Check your food is safe - that is free from any unsafe pathogens that could cause illness in your dog.
- Check that the ingredients being used in the food are proven to be digestible for dogs.

 

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- 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


6- 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


7- 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


8- 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


9- 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


10- 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


11- 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.


12- Mike Davies. Reported Health Benefits of a Vegan Dog Food – a Likert Scale-type Survey of 100 Guardians. Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research 6 (2022): 889-905.


13- Dodd, S., et al.Owner perception of health of North American dogs fed meat- or plant-based diets. Research in Veterinary Science, Volume 149 ,2022, Pages 36-46, ISSN 0034-5288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2022.06.002.


14- 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.0265662


15- Okin GS (2017) Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats. PLoS ONE 12(8): e0181301. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181301


16- Pedrinelli V, Teixeira FA, Queiroz MR, Brunetto MA. Environmental impact of diets for dogs and cats. Scientific Reports. 2022;12(1):18510.


17- Poore J, Nemecek T. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science. 2018;360(6392):987-92.


18- https://www.andrewknight.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Lawton-New-Sci-2022-09-24.pdf


19- Pedrinelli V, Teixeira FA, Queiroz MR, Brunetto MA. Environmental impact of diets for dogs and cats. Scientific Reports. 2022;12(1):18510.


20- Davies, M., Alborough, R., Jones, L. et al. Mineral analysis of complete dog and cat foods in the UK and compliance with European guidelines. Sci Rep 7, 17107 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17159-7

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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

1. Buff P.R., Carter R.A., Bauer J.E., Kersey J.N. (2014) Natural pet food: A review of natural diets and their impact on canine and feline physiology. J. Anim. Sci.;92:3781–3791. doi: 10.2527/jas.2014-7789


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


6. Semp P.-G. (2014) Master’s Thesis. Veterinary University of Vienna; Vienna, Austria: Vegan Nutrition of Dogs and Cats


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]


9. Marks S.L., Rankin S.C., Byrne B.A., Weese J.S. (2011) Enteropathogenic bacteria in dogs and cats: Diagnosis, epidemology, treatment, and control. J. Vet. Intern. Med.;25:1195–1208. doi:


10. Carrión P.A., Thompson L.J., Motarjemi Y., Lelieveld H., (2014) Food Safety Management: A Practical Guide for the Food Industry. Academic Press; London, UK:. pp. 379–395


11. Knight, A. and Leitsberger, M. (2016) Vegetarian versus meat-based diets for companion animals. Animals 6, 57.


12. Boyer C.I., Jr., Andrews E.J., deLahunta A., Bache C.A., Gutenman W.H., Lisk D.J. (1978) Accumulation of mercury and selenium in tissues of kittens fed commercial cat food. Cornell Vet.;68:365–374.


13. Anonymous. Your Pet’s Dog Food Could Be Dangerous. [Accessed on 8 December 2014] Available online: http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=1018127&nav=23iiCT4S.


14. Porecca K. (1995) Personal letter to James Peden re: Interview of University of California (Davis), North Carolina State University, and University of Guelph Researchers investigating the connection between dilated cardiomyopathy and diet


15. Perry T. What’s Really for Dinner? [Accessed on 7 July 2016] Available online: http://www.webcitation.org/6ipEL5YVR.


16. https://www.bordercolliefanclub.com/bramble-the-vegan-dog-lives-to-189-years/


17. https://aminoapps.com/c/vegan/page/blog/vegan-dog-lives-to-27-years-of-age/N4ai_MuaRE5qNoYVN1DN85ap0GVjz3j


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.

25. Yamka R, Kitts S, Harmon D. (2005) Evaluation of low-oligosaccharide and low-oligosaccharide low-phytate whole soya beans in canine foods. Anim Feed Sci Technol;120:79–91.

26. Hill D. (2004) Alternative proteins in companion animal nutrition, in Proceedings. Pet Food Assoc Canada Fall Conf;1–12

28. Hazewinkel HA, Tryfonidou MA. (2002) Vitamin D3 metabolism in dogs. Mol Cell Endocrinol;197:23–33.
Boland R, Skliar M, Curino A, et al. (2003) Vitamin D compounds in plants. Plant Sci;164:357–369.

29. Jäpelt RB, Jakobsen J. (2013) Vitamin D in plants: a review of occurrence, analysis, and biosynthesis. Front Plant Sci;4:136

30. Knight, A. and Leitsberger, M. (2016). Vegetarian versus meat-based diets for companion animals. Animals 6, 57.

31. Dodd SAS, Adolphe JL, Verbrugghe A. (2018) Plant-based diets for dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. Dec 1;253(11):1425-1432. doi: 10.2460/javma.253.11.1425. PMID: 30451617.

32. https://www.petmd.com/dog/wellness/evr_dg_how_long_do_dogs_live [Accessed 2 June 2021]

33. https://www.utep.edu/leb/pleistnm/stuff/stuff2.htm [Accessed 2 June 2021]

34. M S Martins, N K Sakomura, D F Souza, F O R Filho, M O S Gomes, R S Vasconcellos, A C Carciofi (2014) Brewer’s yeast and sugarcane yeast as protein sources for dogs, J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 2014 Oct;98(5):948-57. doi: 10.1111/jpn.12145.

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.

36. Henkel J. (2000) Soy. Health claims for soy protein, questions about other components. FDA Consum ;34(3):13–15,18–20.

37. Yalçin, Sakine & Erol, H & Özsoy, Bülent & Onbaşılar, I. (2008) Effects of the usage of dried brewing yeast in the diets on the performance, egg traits and blood parameters in quails. Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience. 2. 1780-5. 10.1017/S1751731108003170.

38. Rosser EJ (1993) Diagnosis of food allergy in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association; 203(2):259-262.

39. Mueller RS, Olivry T, Prélaud P. (2016) Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals: common food allergen sources in dogs and cats. BMC Vet Res.12:9. Published 2016 Jan 12. doi:10.1186/s12917-016-0633-8

40. https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/shopping/salmonella-fears-spark-urgent-recall-4328262

41. https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-31-2020

42. L. Martinez-Anton, M. Marenda, S.M. Firestone, R.N. Bushell, G. Child, A.I. Hamilton, S.N. Long, M.A.R. Le Chevoir (2018) Investigation of the Role of Campylobacter Infection in Suspected Acute Polyradiculoneuritis in Dog


43. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/10/four-stec-infections-one-person-dead-after-exposure-to-raw-pet-food/

44. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jan/12/scientists-criticise-trend-for-raw-meat-pet-food-after-analysis-finds-pathogens

45. https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2015/10/26/processed-meat-and-cancer-what-you-need-to-know/

46. D.F. Merlo, L. Rossi, C. Pellegrino, M. Ceppi, U. Cardellino, C. Capurro, A. Ratto, P.L. Sambucco, V. Sestito, G. Tanara, V. Bocchini (2008) Cancer Incidence in Pet Dogs: Findings of the Animal Tumor Registry of Genoa, Italy
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2008.0133.x , journal of veterinary internal medicine

47. https://www.pfma.org.uk/_assets/docs/White%20Papers/PFMA-Obesity-Report-2019.pdf

48. https://www.pfma.org.uk/grain-free-factsheet

49. https://fediaf.org/images/FEDIAF_Nutritional_Guidelines_2020_20200917.pdf

50. https://www.ksvdl.org/resources/documents/dcm-forum/Confidential-Abstract-for-release-October-14-2020-Final.pdf

51. https://www.ksvdl.org/resources/documents/dcm-forum/DCM-Forum-SolomonOpening-Remarks.pdf

52. https://stpetersbark.com/finally-theres-no-evidence-linking-grain-free-diets-and-non-hereditary-heart-conditions-in-dogs/

53. Okin GS (2017) Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats. PLoS ONE 12(8): e0181301. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181301

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