You and your dog can get paid £30,000 to go vegan!

Do you and your dog fancy earning some money and free food? Well, look no further as we may have a dream job for you.

2022 is here and with that comes a whole heap of New Year's resolutions many of us set for ourselves. The beginning of the year also brings our favourite month, Veganuary, so at OMNI we want to encourage others to start the year off on the right foot (paw), making positive changes for health and the environment.

As we hope to introduce plant-based food to more pups across the UK this year, we are looking to pay one lucky dog owner and their dog to become vegan for three months.

In a society with a lack of education around diets for dogs we understand there is a pre-existing and negative misconception about feeding your dog a plant-based diet. We hope that by hiring someone to change both their dog’s and their own diet, we can communicate the benefits it can have on both dogs and humans.

For the role to be successful we will ask the owner to record their experience of introducing a plant-based diet for them and their dog, monitoring their health, energy levels, behaviour, bowel movements, sleep pattern and physical attributes, such as weight, skin, and hair/fur condition.

In return for the diet change and their work, we will pay the successful candidate a pro rata salary of £30,000, for an initial three-month role (£2,500 per month) and will cover all food expenses for the person plus a supply of dog food to cover the job duration.

Diet changes are never easy so to help the successful candidate adjust to a plant-based diet we will provide them with a selection of recipes to ensure they have healthy, balanced and exciting meal options. As a thank you for their dog’s cooperation too and to support the fully plant-based lifestyle, we will also gift the successful candidate a supply of sustainable dog toys and vegan treats to keep their four-legged friend happy between meals.

Applicants must be from the UK and be over the age of 18. No qualifications or vegan experience is required for the job role, just a pre-existing non-vegan diet and a dog you are happy to experience the new diet with.

Due to the interest in the job role we have decided to extend the closing date to the 7th February to give everyone a chance to apply. So, if you and your dog fancy making some money whilst improving your health and carbon footprint/paw print at the same time, please apply here:

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Dr. Guy Sandelowsky, veterinarian and co-founder of OMNI, said,

“The vegan lifestyle doesn’t appeal to everyone but there are credible studies coming out that show excellent digestibility of plant-based foods, with many owners remarking how healthy and happy their dogs are once they make the switch. We believe that there is no better time than now to make the change to help you and your dog’s health, and reduce the strain on the planet.

“We came up with this idea for the job so dog owners can experience the positive benefits of switching to an all-plant diet at the same time as their pet. We think it’s a great opportunity to prove and really drive home the message that plant-based and vegan food can be beneficial to both humans and dogs. We are sure many will jump at the chance to get paid to do something they were considering already - and have their food expenses covered too!”

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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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