There are lots of innovations and debates going on in the dog food industry because of concern for animal welfare, environment and health.
Just like any other changes, the innovation is beginning to fuel debates, disrupt markets, change the relative importance of resources, alter the basis of competition, and challenge organisational learning capabilities.
Before it's too late, it's important for you to know what matters most for your dogs so that they don't suffer in the midst of these debates and innovations since vegan dog food and meat-based or biologically appropriate dog food is finally a reality before us.
But before we continue, let us first find out what fuels the demand for vegan dog food.
Why Do People Prefer Vegan Dog Food?
Many people are now preferring vegan dog food because they're becoming more aware of the effects of climate change and environmental degradation caused by the food eaten by dogs and cats. They now want diets that contain little or no animal products for their dogs.
Aside from environmental concerns, many people are now turning to vegan diets because studies have shown that many Western diets that are low in fibre but high in sugar, saturated fats, and salt can lead to degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cancer, obesity and cardiovascular diseases in humans. As they switch to vegan diets, they also change the diets of their dogs to vegan dog food.
Many dog parents also prefer vegan dog food because some dog food manufacturers are now using alternative source of protein such as vegetables and insects in making dog food.
But before you join these people in giving vegan dog food to your furry friend, find out whether it is balanced, complete and adequate for your dog. This takes us to the next section.
Is Vegan Dog Food Balanced, Complete, or Adequate for Dogs?
The reality of vegan dog food is right before us. But some experts are arguing that dogs can only do well in a diet that contains meat, fish and other animal products.
But are they right?
There are also supporters and promoters of vegan dog food such as Lewis Hamilton who was criticized by some experts for promoting vegan dog food, and organisation like PETA that has been very vocal in telling people that dogs can thrive in vegan diets.
Are they also right?
Well, this section will explain more about vegan dog food so that you can be able to know whether it's balanced, complete, or nutritionally adequate for your dog.
But before then, what is vegan dog food?
Vegan dog food is a plant-based food that excludes all animal products. It can also be defined as a type of dog food processed and produced without using any or all animal by-products. Vegan dog food can contain cereals, fruits, legumes, nuts, soya, vegetable oil, or any other plant-based recipe.
As a dog parent, you should be interested in giving the best food to your dog because it contributes to his health and well-being. If you give your dog a food that contains all the ingredients we just mentioned, then your dog may end up being full.
Yes, we all want our dogs to be satisfied. But, is vegan dog food balanced, complete, or nutritionally adequate?
Vegan dog food that comprises of plants, minerals, and synthetic-based ingredients can be eaten, digested, absorbed and utilised by dogs thus, meeting the nutritional requirements of a balanced, complete, and adequate dog food. Many of the vegan dog foods are nutritionally balanced and dogs that were fed on them for a long time are thriving and showing many benefits.
While the experts are arguing, we'll answer the following questions, and then come up with our final verdict on vegan dog food.
What is Biologically Appropriate Diets for Dogs?
Before we can answer this question correctly, we will first of all look at the definition of a domestic dog.
The domestic dog is a carnivorous mammal with a snout, good sense of smell, non-retractable claws, and a howling, whining or barking voice.
Carnivorous mammals typically live on diets that are made up of animal tissues. Because of this, their digestive systems are able to break down and take in the nutrients from these animal tissues.
But since the domestic dogs have been tamed by humans for thousands of years, their digestive system have adjusted to the type of food eaten by humans - including plant-based food.
Even though they belong to order carnivora, the digestive system of domestic dogs can absorb carbohydrates and diets that are low in protein.
What gives them this superior ability over their counterparts in the wild is the biochemical adaptation such as ability to convert maltose to glucose, and increased intestinal glucose uptake. Therefore, the domestic dog is omnivorous biologically and any food that is formulated to match eating habits of dogs who evolved from carnivores in the wild is regarded as biologically appropriate dog food.
Biologically appropriate dog food is different from vegan dog food. While the former relies on high-protein, meat-based diets, the latter is entirely low-protein and plant-based diets.
Interestingly, domestic dogs do not need to be fed diets that are very high in calories because they're now living with humans who can easily give commercial dog food that are available in packets and cans to them at regular intervals of the day. This isn't the case with other wild carnivores. Other wild canines need diets that are high in calories because they hunt by themselves in the wild and as such need diets that can sustain them in case they're unable to capture new prey for a long time.
If you feed your dog the type of food that is eaten by his wild relatives at regular intervals, there's a very high tendency that your dog can be obesed, develop undesirable behaviours and subsequently have a shorter lifespan. This isn't humane.
You should endeavour to give your dog a diet that is reasonably balanced, sufficiently palatable, nutritionally complete, and easily absorbed and utilised by his system.
Yes, whether the food you're giving to your dog is biologically appropriate dog food (high protein and meat based diet), or vegan (low protein and plant based diet), the food should be of high quality, balance, complete and adequate for your dog. But what defines a high quality dog food? You will find the answer to this in the next section.
High Quality Dog Food
Dogs require certain nutrients in their diets to thrive. These nutrients include: proteins, amino acids (e.g ., Methionine, Taurine, Tryptophan, Carnitine, and Lysine), vitamins (e.g., vitamins A, B12, B9, and B3), minerals (e.g., Calcium, Copper, Zinc, and Iron), and certain fats.
In order for a dog food to be of high quality, the nutrients in it should be derived from unrefined, minimally processed sources like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and proteins. This implies that a high quality dog food does not contain fillers, by-products, artificial flavours, colours and preservatives.
So, if you want to know the quality of a dog food, check the label. Then you'll have an idea about the quality of the ingredients in the food. Pay attention to the first five ingredients because they constitute the bulk of the dog food you're about to purchase for your dog. Generally, a dog food that has the name of a specific ingredients listed on the label is easier to understand than the one with ambiguous names.
Why High Quality Dog Food Is Good
Giving your dog a high quality dog food is not an option but a must, if you want your dog to thrive, be in good health, and be satisfied. This is because high quality dog foods are beneficial to your dog.
Since dogs can't complain and do not have options like their human friends, they tend to suffer in silence while eating low quality food that contains additives, fillers, artificial flavours and preservatives.
So, high quality dog foods are good because of many reasons:
- They are easy to digest, absorb, convert into energy and useful nutrients needed for good health. Low quality dog foods are not easily digestible and as such end up as stools without giving many nutritional benefits to your dog.
- They do not have negative effects or threaten the health and well-being of your dog.
Why Vegan Dog Foods Are Good
Dogs maintained on high quality vegan dog food can thrive and have the following:
- Improved coat conditions
- Reduced allergy
- Weight control
- Increased overall health and vitality
- Reduced arthritis
- Decreased incidence of cancer, and hypothyroidism
- Cataract resolution
- Decreased incidence of external parasite infestation such as mites, lice, fleas and ticks.
Why Vegan Dog Foods Are Bad
While high quality vegan dog food are more beneficial to your dog, the downside of it can equally be harmful.
Unless the vegan dog food you've chosen is well-formulated to meet all the nutritional needs of your dog and strict quality control is observed during production, it can have the following downside:
- Animal-derived nutrients
- Defficiency in energy, protein, potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, amino acids and some vitamins.
- Less beneficial ingredients needed by active dogs since most vegan dog food are formulated to meet nutritional levels established for adult maintenance by regulatory bodies such as AAFCO.
How To Derive Benefits From Vegan Dog Food
There are ways in which your dog can benefit from vegan dog food. In order to derive these benefits, do the following:
- Add vegan dog food to home-made diets
- Give only well-formulated vegan dog food to your dog
- Feed your dog intermittently with vegan dog food
- Rotate, vary, and enhance the vegan dog food with meat-based diets.
The Vegan Vs. Meat-based Dog Food Verdict
We are not here to upset you, but the reality is that both vegan dog food and meat-based dog food have their place in the life of your dog.
For some dogs with obesity and other degenerative diseases, vegan dog food will be more beneficial while, dogs that carry out more tedious and energy consuming task will benefit from meat-based dog food.
While it may be tempting to give only vegan or meat-based food to your dog, it will be safe to vary, rotate, and enhance the food of your dog with either vegan or meat-based diets.
In fact, Nicole Paley of the Pet Food Manufacturers's Association advised that vegan diets - with no animal products - should be carefully checked by a vet or animal nutritionist. This is to ensure that the food is nutritionally adequate for your dog because studies have shown that most vegan dog foods do not contain all the necessary nutrients needed for optimal performance, growth, health and well-being of dogs.
In his response to a message from British Veterinary Association (BVA), he also said: “Risks to children, the elderly, pregnant women and the immunosuppressed should be carefully evaluated and all possible precautions taken to minimise any potential risk. This should be considered for anyone when handling pets of any species and their food.”
Conclusion
A growing body of evidence appears to indicate that dogs and cats can survive and thrive on nutritionally sound vegetarian and vegan diets while other studies support meat-based or biologically appropriate dog food.
The debate is an ongoing one and will not end anytime soon. Some experts will always support vegan dog food while, others will continue to promote meat-based dog food.
As a responsible dog parent that wants the best for your dog, it will be better to be in the middle because the safety of your dog should be given priority.
So, now that you know more about vegan dog food and meat-based or biologically appropriate dog food, and why you should ensure that your dog eats what is beneficial to him, you're finally ready to start giving a balanced, complete and nutritionally adequate food to your dog.
Why not check this high quality vegan dog food and high quality meat-based or biologically appropriate dog food on Chewy?
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