'Vegan diets are healthier and safer for dogs' says The Guardian about University of Winchester survey

[editor]

Well, who would have thought?

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 nutritionally complete.

The diet and health of more than 2,500 dogs were followed over a year using surveys completed by their owners. These assessed seven general indicators of health, such as multiple visits to the vets, and 22 common illnesses.

The researchers found that, for example, almost half the dogs fed conventional meat-based diets required non-routine medication but only a third of the dogs fed vegan diets did so. A separate study in 2021 found that dogs found vegan diets just as tasty as regular dog food.

The damaging impact of western societies’ overconsumption of meat on the environment and people’s health has become clear in recent years, as well as rising concerns over how farm animals are treated.

There are about 470m pet dogs in the world and an increasing number of pet owners are now considering changing their animal’s diets as well. About $9bn (£6.9bn) of vegan pet food was sold worldwide in 2020 and the sector is growing fast.

“Our study is by far the largest study published to date,” said Prof Andrew Knight, at the University of Winchester, UK, and who led the study. “It revealed that the healthiest and least hazardous dietary choices for dogs are nutritionally sound vegan diets.”

Like a dog with a bean ... vegan diets found to aid canine health

Peer-reviewed analysis of 2,500 pets finds vegan dogs visit the vet less often and require fewer medications

www.theguardian.com

 

[NoXion]

Less an endorsement of veganism for dogs (lol), and more an example of how one can eat anything as long as it's fortified with the right nutrients.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Less an endorsement of veganism for dogs (lol), and more an example of how one can eat anything as long as it's fortified with the right nutrients.

Quite. What do wild dogs eat? Celery?

 

[editor]

Less an endorsement of veganism for dogs (lol), and more an example of how one can eat anything as long as it's fortified with the right nutrients.

And just like that, a peer reviewed study is dismissed out of hand.

 

[platinumsage]

The research doesn't justify the headline and it isn't sufficiently rigorous to recommend that everyone should feed their dogs a vegan diet. It consisted only of asking the owners some questions ffs. If only all medical research was as simple as a quick questionnaire.

 

[platinumsage]

Less an endorsement of veganism for dogs (lol), and more an example of how one can eat anything as long as it's fortified with the right nutrients.

In other words, make your dog vegan so you'll have to buy this very expensive nutritionally optimized pet food.

 

[xenon]

Why have vegans got pet dogs anyway?

 

[WouldBe]

The article I saw the other day said that raw meat was also better for dogs.
Could it just be that processed crap is crap?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

It's an interesting result but I agree that it doesn't justify the headline. Given the raw meat result, a more justified headline might have been that dog food is full of awful crap that's bad for dogs.

 

[WouldBe]

It consisted only of asking the owners some questions ffs. If only all medical research was as simple as a quick questionnaire.

They would get mixed results if they asked me. My 12.5 yo dog has only been to the vet once (apart from jabs) whilst the 6 yo goes every 6 months and is on steroids daily. They both eat exactly the same food.

 

[Yossarian]

Sounds like a lot more research needs to be done, but with the amount of emissions etc. caused by meat production, it's definitely an area worth looking at. This recent study looking at the environmental impact of pet food consumption found that it's not so much the case at it used to be that dogs and cats are only getting parts of the animal humans don't want.

The number of dog- and cat-owning households is increasing in the US [8], and at the same time there is an increasing trend in the “humanization” of pets and pet products [22, 23]. As a possible consequence, there is a trend toward increasing meat quantity and quality in pet foods, which results in further increases in consumption of animal products by pets. There is evidence that this trend may continue as younger people are more likely to purchase premium pet food that includes more desirable cuts of meat.

Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats

In the US, there are more than 163 million dogs and cats that consume, as a significant portion of their diet, animal products and therefore potentially constitute a considerable dietary footprint. Here, the energy and animal-derived product consumption of these pets in the US is evaluated for...

journals.plos.org

 

[editor]

The research doesn't justify the headline and it isn't sufficiently rigorous to recommend that everyone should feed their dogs a vegan diet.

Exactly where has that been suggested?

It consisted only of asking the owners some questions ffs.

Actually:

The diet and health of more than 2,500 dogs were followed over a year using surveys completed by their owners. These assessed seven general indicators of health, such as multiple visits to the vets, and 22 common illnesses.

 

[editor]

Why have vegans got pet dogs anyway?

And so it starts. So fucking predicable.

 

[Duncan2]

I was going to timidly suggest on the dogs and cats thread a few weeks back that perhaps a vegetarian diet should be mandatory for dogs.People in the countryside seem more relaxed shall we say about cleaning behind their dogs and if the dogs were herbivores like the cows it wouldn't matter

 

[two sheds]

Would be interested in replacing some of Frankie's meat with veg, have continued this here to ask for advice on best approach (or would you prefer to continue it on this thread editor? I think mine is only interesting to dog owners).

 

[littlebabyjesus]

It doesn't surprise me that a dog can do well on a vegan diet with the appropriate supplements. And yeah, pet food's ecological footprint is a significant thing.

I'd want to see these results replicated, though, before jumping to too many conclusions. There are a few potential confounding factors. They didn't control for breed and the reasons they give for not doing so seem pretty flimsy to me. The sample size of vegan dogs - 300-odd - could very well contain a significantly different mix of breeds. Also, those who go out of their way to give their dogs an 'unconventional' diet may well also have different attitudes about when to go to the vet and when to put their dogs on medical treatments.

A lot of studies now have shown how processed meat is bad for humans. This study's main finding may well be that this is also true for dogs (and probably for the same reasons).

 

[A380]

Try that shit with cats and see how far you get…

 

[cupid_stunt]

The thread title 'Vegan diets are healthier and safer for dogs' is a statement of fact, but is in fact nonsense, it's just selected quoting of the Guardian's headline that continued '...study suggests',

Just look are the study size, 2,536 dog owners took part, only 13% of the dogs had vegan diets, that's just 330 dogs, the sample is far too small, especially as the whole thing was based on self reporting from dog owners.

Even the professor in charge of this non-scientific study offers caution on their conclusions.

Further research is needed to confirm the findings. “The key limitation of our study is that we didn’t have a population of animals locked up in a research facility and fed one specific diet without any alteration,” Knight said.

A very big imitation, as in it means fuck all, but here comes his justification for his fee.

“We studied what real dogs in normal homes ate and their health outcomes. It gives us a good indication as to what the outcomes are for dogs in the real world.”

Err, no, you didn't actually study any dogs yourselves, you just reviewed surveys completed by dog owners.

Knight, who follows a vegan diet himself but does not own a dog, devised and led the peer-reviewed study, which was funded by the charity ProVeg.

And, finally, some common bloody sense...

Justine Shotton, the president of the British Veterinary Association, said: “There is a lot of ongoing research in the field of vegan dog diets and this paper adds to the body of evidence supporting its benefits. However, there is currently a lack of robust data mapping the health consequences of feeding a vegan diet to a large number of dogs over many years, so we look forward to seeing further research on whether this can meet a dog’s dietary requirements over the long term.”

“Although we would not recommend it, it is theoretically possible to feed a dog a vegetarian diet, but owners would need to take expert veterinary advice to avoid dietary deficiencies and associated disease,” she said.

 

[Duncan2]

The thread title 'Vegan diets are healthier and safer for dogs' is a statement of fact, but is in fact nonsense, it's just selected quoting of the Guardian's headline that continued '...study suggests',

Just look are the study size, 2,536 dog owners took part, only 13% of the dogs had vegan diets, that's just 330 dogs, the sample is far too small, especially as the whole thing was based on self reporting from dog owners.

Even the professor in charge of this non-scientific study offers caution on their conclusions.



A very big imitation, as in it means fuck all, but here comes his justification for his fee.



Err, no, you didn't actually study any dogs yourselves, you just reviewed surveys completed by dog owners.




And, finally, some common bloody sense...

tbh if humans can manage perfectly well with meat substitutes such as kesp or whatever it's modern equivalent is I am fairly sure the dogs will be okay

 

[littlebabyjesus]

healthier and safer, though. Not just healthier. Also safer.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Try that shit with cats and see how far you get…

My cat used to love quorn ham tbf.

He also ate olives.

Weird cat.

 

[editor]

Err, no, you didn't actually study any dogs yourselves, you just reviewed surveys completed by dog owners.

What is your point here? That the dog owners lied or misled the research team?
If they were regularly filling in a comprehensive survey I can't see why there responses wouldn't be useful.

 

[JimW]

Just look are the study size, 2,536 dog owners took part, only 13% of the dogs had vegan diets, that's just 330 dogs, the sample is far too small, especially as the whole thing was based on self reporting from dog owners.

That sounds like a decent sample size to me. Can see why the authors add plenty of caveats but seems decent enough research for what it is; not their fault that as per journos have exaggerated a touch.

 

[editor]

My cat used to love quorn ham tbf.

He also ate olives.

Weird cat.

My cat goes fucking crazy for Quorn ham.

That sounds like a decent sample size to me. Can see why the authors add plenty of caveats but seems decent enough research for what it is; not their fault that as per journos have exaggerated a touch.

Indeed.

 

[DaphneM]

Why have vegans got pet dogs anyway?

Or cats

 

[platinumsage]

A key line form the study:

"Dogs fed raw meat appeared to fare marginally better than those fed vegan diets."

 

[JimW]

I've got a dog because it was a homeless stray a friend took in then his new landlord wouldn't let him keep it. Don't feed it a vegan diet though.

 

[editor]

Or cats

Oh look, the wannabe troll pipes up again, right on cue.

 

[cupid_stunt]

What is your point here? That the dog owners lied or misled the research team?
If they were regularly filling in a comprehensive survey I can't see why there responses wouldn't be useful.

I'll come back to you on that, when you edit your totally misleading thread title.

 

[editor]

A key line form the study:

"Dogs fed raw meat appeared to fare marginally better than those fed vegan diets."

Isn't it simply incredible how you omitted the following qualifying statement:

"However, this may have been because they were on average a year younger."

Followed by:

“The raw meat diet appeared to have marginally better health outcomes,” he said. “But those dogs were significantly younger, which gives them a health advantage. A substantial body of prior studies have also shown that raw meat diets are much more contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and parasites.”