Vegan diet more digestible than premium meat-based alternative

The digestibility of Omni’s adult dog food was higher for protein, vitamins and minerals compared to various meat-based alternatives.

During a very recent study, Omni Adult food was fed to 10 dogs of mixed ages (2-15yo), breeds, and sexes over a period of ten days, as their full ration. Faeces of the dogs were collected for 5 days, in accordance with the FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation) protocol, and then analysed for a variety of digestibility parameters. The food itself was also analysed to assist with digestibility comparisons. The same cohort of dogs were previously fed three other foods and had the same parameters analysed. The three other foods included a standard meat-based diet, a premium standard meat-based diet, and a premium quality meat-based diet.

Dogs eat more Omni

Dogs chose to eat more Omni than the meat based diets showing a palatability preference for the vegan option.

Total food consumed per day per dog was assessed. The dogs consumed more Omni Adult food over the study period compared to the other study periods for the other 3 meat-based foods. In some cases the dogs ate almost 10% more of Omni than the meat-based diets. These findings are consistent with a previous published study that assessed observed palatability of Omni (1).

Omni digestibility outperforms premium meat based dog foods

Dogs eating Omni got more protein from their diet and less fat compared to the meat based alternatives. This could help to reduce obesity and related health problems whilst maintaining athletic body conditions in dogs.

Overall, when compared to the other diets, Omni Adult food contained the highest level of digestible protein and the least fat. Additionally, digestible protein was 8% higher in Omni Adult than the lowest performing meat-based diet. Similarly, when crude ash (a measure of mineral content) was analysed, Omni had the highest vitamin and mineral bioavailability compared to the premium quality animal-based diet.

Stool consistency was on par with dogs eating the meat based diet.

When stool score (a measure of stool quality) was measured, Omni performed in equivalence to both the standard and premium standard meat-based diets. These findings are also consistent with a previous published study that assessed observed stool quality of dogs fed on Omni (1).

Urine PH

Dogs eating Omni had a slight acidification of their urine - This is positive given the previous reports that vegan diets can predispose dogs to developing alkaline urine, a common precursor to urinary stones and infections.

Urine pH was measured in a smaller subset of the dogs and decreased on average by 0.5 which may be due to the purposeful inclusion of certain levels of the protein building block, methionine to ensure urine doesn’t become too alkaline.

Limitations

There was a gap in time between the study and analysis of the meat-based diets and the Omni Adult diet which could allow for some variability/changes in the dogs and analysis.

The urine PH of the dogs was initially on the high end prior to swapping to Omni which could explain some reduction, additionally only a selection of the cohort had their urine PH measured.

*Data for this study kept on file

(1) 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.

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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.

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