Dogs Fed Vegan Diets Had the Best Health Outcomes
Highlights of the Study
- Dogs fed vegan diets had the best health outcomes. This trend was clear and consistent.
- Health disorder rates: conventional meat – 49 %, raw meat – 43 %, vegan – 36 %.
- Illness indicators were 14.4 %–51.3 % less common among vegans vs. conventional meat.
- Six specific disorders had 50 %–61 % lower odds among vegans vs. conventional meat.
- Vegan dog food is consistently associated with lowered risks of certain health disorders.
Recent studies have highlighted the environmental and health benefits of vegan diets for dogs. With at least 9% of global livestock consumption being attributed to pet food, the impact is substantial, particularly in nations with high pet ownership like the US, where the percentage rises to 20%. The environmental advantages of plant-based dog food are considerable, but can dogs truly thrive without meat?
Dogs as Omnivores
Dogs are biologically classified as omnivores, meaning they can derive essential nutrients from both plant and animal sources. This has prompted many companies to create vegan dog food formulated with plant-based, mineral, and synthetic ingredients to meet all of a dog’s nutritional needs. By 2024, at least 10 scientific studies had confirmed good health outcomes in dogs fed vegan or vegetarian diets. Additionally, the British Veterinary Association endorsed vegan diets that meet nutritional requirements. However, until recently, no studies had quantified the specific health benefits for dogs on these diets while controlling for other factors such as age, sex, neutering status, breed size, and exercise.
Groundbreaking Study on Vegan Diets for Dogs
In 2024, veterinary Professor Andrew Knight and his colleagues published a landmark study that controlled for all of these variables. The study analysed health data from 2,536 dogs, including 336 dogs fed a vegan diet for at least one year. The findings revealed notable reductions in illness-related indicators among dogs on vegan diets. These dogs were less likely to require medication, specialised medical diets, or frequent veterinary visits. They also had lower rates of illness and fewer instances of health disorders. In fact, these dogs were more likely to be rated as healthy by both their owners and veterinarians.
The study found reductions ranging from 14% to 51% in the occurrence of common illnesses in dogs fed vegan diets compared to those on conventional meat-based diets. These results were statistically significant, indicating a strong likelihood that the differences were genuine rather than due to chance.
Key Health Benefits
One of the most striking findings was the reduction in the odds of suffering from six specific health disorders, which fell by 50% to 61% in vegan-fed dogs. These disorders included some of the most common health issues in dogs, such as weight problems, ear infections, and musculoskeletal or gastrointestinal issues. Conditions like lameness and diarrhoea were less frequent among dogs on vegan diets.
Among the 22 most common health disorders identified in a 2022 study of the same dogs, 49% of dogs fed conventional meat were found to be unwell, compared to 43% of dogs fed raw meat and only 36% of dogs fed vegan diets. This further underscores the potential health benefits of vegan diets for dogs.
Conclusion
Professor Knight concluded that dogs on nutritionally-sound vegan diets experienced the best health outcomes in this large-scale study, aligning with previous research in the field. The environmental benefits of vegan dog food are substantial, making it an attractive option for environmentally-conscious pet owners who also want to support their dog’s health. However, he emphasised the importance of ensuring these diets are nutritionally complete, advising dog owners to carefully check labels and purchase from reputable pet food manufacturers.
This study provides compelling evidence that vegan diets not only offer environmental advantages but can also significantly improve the health of dogs when properly formulated.
Andrew Knight, Alexander Bauer, Hazel J. Brown,
Vegan versus meat-based dog food: Guardian-reported health outcomes in 2,536 dogs, after controlling for canine demographic factors,
Heliyon,
Volume 10, Issue 17,
2024,
e35578,
ISSN 2405-8440,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35578.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402411609X)
