Vegan diets are healthier and safer for dogs than conventional meat-based diets, according to the largest study to date, as long as they are complete.
The diet and health of more than 2,500 dogs have been monitored for a year through studies completed by their owners. They evaluate seven common health indicators, such as multiple visits to veterinarians and 22 common diseases.
Researchers found that for example, almost half of dogs fed conventional meat-based diets required non-routine medications, but only a third of dogs fed vegan diets did so. A separate study from 2021 found that dogs find vegan diets as tasty as regular dog food.
Some of the dogs in the study were fed raw meat and they were slightly healthier than vegan dogs in general. However, this may be due to the fact that they were on average one year younger.
The detrimental effects of excessive meat consumption by Western societies on the environment and human health have become clear in recent years, as has growing concerns about how farm animals are treated.
There are about 470 million domestic dogs in the world, and a growing number of pet owners are now considering changing their animals’ diets. About $ 9 billion (£ 6.9 billion) of vegan pet food was sold worldwide in 2020, and the sector is growing rapidly.
“Our study is the largest study published so far,” said Professor Andrew Knight of the University of Winchester, UK, who is leading the study. “This revealed that the healthiest and least dangerous dietary choices for dogs are healthy vegan diets.
“The raw meat diet seems to have slightly better health results,” he said. “But these dogs were significantly younger, which gives them a health advantage. Much of previous research has also shown that raw meat diets are much more contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and parasites.
The study, published in the journal Plos One, analyzed studies completed by 2,536 dog owners for one animal. Slightly more than half ate conventional meat-based diets, a third ate raw meat, and 13% had vegan diets.
Among the findings were that 17% of dogs on conventional diets had four or more visits to a veterinarian in one year, compared to 9% for those on vegan diets and 8% for those on raw meat diets. The percentage of dogs reported to have suffered from health disorders was 49% for the conventional diet, 43% for the raw meat diet and 36% for the vegan diet.
Studies based on studies may not reveal the reasons for their results, but Knight suggests that weight problems may be an important factor: “One of the most common health problems in dogs is overweight or obesity and is unfortunately common. phenomenon when we do tests on advertising. Meat-based diets have more calories. “
“We also know the health hazards associated with excessive consumption of meat and dairy products for humans, and these are often the same ingredients,” he said, although in some countries pet food may contain meat that is considered unsuitable for human consumption.
Further research is needed to confirm the findings. “The main limitation of our study is that we did not have a population of animals confined to a research base and fed a specific diet without any changes,” Knight said. “We studied what real dogs eat in normal homes and the results of their health. This gives us a good indication of what the results are for dogs in the real world. “
Justin Shotton, president of the British Veterinary Association, said: “There is a lot of ongoing research in the field of vegan dog diets and this document adds to the body of evidence supporting its benefits. However, there is currently no reliable data mapping the health effects of eating a vegan diet on a large number of dogs for many years, so we look forward to seeing further research on whether this can meet the dog’s nutritional requirements in the long run. ”
“Although we would not recommend it, it is theoretically possible for a dog to eat a vegetarian diet, but owners will need to adopt expert veterinary advice to avoid nutritional deficiencies and related diseases,” she said.
Most of the respondents in the survey were in the United Kingdom and other European countries, and more than 90% were women, but Knight said it was unlikely to have caused systemic bias. Knight, who follows a vegan diet but does not have a dog, developed and led the peer-reviewed study, which was funded by the charity ProVeg.
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