Vet Times reports on Study Describing Massive Environmental and Animal Welfare Benefits of Vegan Pet Food

Vet Times reports on Study Describing Massive Environmental and Animal Welfare Benefits of Vegan ...

Vet Times reports on Study Describing Massive Environmental and Animal Welfare Benefits of Vegan Pet Food

A leading veterinary journal, The Vet Times, has reported on a study that outlines the considerable environmental and ethical benefits of plant-based diets for pets, including the numbers of animals who would no longer be facing slaughter and the negative impact of meat-based pet food on human food security. 

The paper estimated that almost 1 in 10 land animals killed for consumption were used for cat and dog food. Furthermore, if all pets on the planet were switched onto nutritious plant-based diets, around half a billion more humans could be fed, too. 

Researchers at Griffith University and the University of Winchester analysed multiple datasets, including the dietary energy requirements of pets within the US in 2020 and globally in 2018, US pet food ingredients, the average number of livestock required to supply pet and human diets, and various environmental sustainability indicators for plant- and animal-based foods.  

In some instances, the number of animals killed for meat-based pet foods was surprisingly high: dog food alone made up almost 18% of the consumption of livestock animals in the USA. 

The numbers of animals killed for consumption in 2018 were staggering:

  • 75 billion poultry animals, of which 6.6 billion were used in dog and cat food
  • 1.5 billion pigs, of which 132 million were used in dog and cat food
  • 1 billion sheep and goats, of which 93 million were used in dog and cat food
  • 354 million cows, of which 31 million were used in dog and cat food
  • 727 million other land mammals, of which 65 million were used in dog and cat food
  • It is also estimated that billions of aquatic animals are killed for dog and cat food in the US alone

The paper also details the potential relative environmental savings that could be made if humans, cats and dogs were switched to a plant-based diet.

Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) equivalent to land area/country if each group was switched to a plant-based diet:

  • Dogs = reduction in GHG equivalent to the entirety of the UK
  • Cats = reduction in GHG equivalent to New Zealand
  • Humans = reduction in GHG equivalent to the entirety of the EU

Relative land freed up equivalent to size of a country, if each group was switched to a plant-based diet:

  • Dogs = A land mass freed up larger than Mexico
  • Cats = A land mass freed up larger than Germany
  • Humans = A land mass freed up larger than both the entirety of India and Russia

Amount of freshwater saved equivalent to renewable freshwater per country, if each group was switched to a plant-based diet:

  • Dogs = Greater volume of freshwater saved than is present in Denmark
  • Cats = Greater volume of freshwater saved than is present in Jordan
  • Humans = Greater volume of freshwater saved than is present in Cuba

Additional people who could be fed using food energy savings equivalent to 2018 country populations, if each group was switched to a plant-based diet:

  • Dogs = Entire population of the EU
  • Cats = Entire population of the UK
  • Humans = Every nation or region on Earth

The researchers highlighted that “it is important that people feed only commercial diets labelled as nutritionally complete, produced by reputable companies with good standards.” That is why we at Omni use multiple veterinary nutritional experts and regular in-depth food analyses to ensure our food recipes are nutritionally complete and contain everything a dog needs to thrive - at no cost to other animals or our planet, either.


Read the article here!

Read the original paper here!

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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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