Vegetarian and vegan dog diet

As in the human practice of veganism, vegan dog foods are those formulated with the exclusion of ingredients that contain or were processed with any part of an animal, or any animal byproduct. Vegan dog food may incorporate the use of fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes including soya, nuts, vegetable oils, as well as any other non-animal based foods. The omnivorous domestic dog was originally primarily a carnivore but has evolved to metabolize carbohydrates, fat, and fiber and remain healthy on a diet lower in protein. A systematic review of studies from 2023 found no evidence of detrimental effects of vegetarian diets for dogs; however, the authors pointed out studies tended to have a small sample size, or designs that can be subject to selection bias. In theory a vegan diet is also nutritionally adequate for dogs if properly formulated and balanced. The American Kennel Club highlights risks factors of a vegan diet such as ensuring adequate protein intake, imbalance of certain amino acids, such as taurine and L-carnitine and potential vitamin or mineral deficiency. To offset these risks, supplements may need to be added to the dog's vegan or vegetarian diet, most importantly those that provide taurine, L-carnitine and vitamin B-12. According to this advice, dogs in the wild prefer animal-based protein, so matching their diet more closely to what they would eat if getting food on their own is more reliable for ensuring health. This dietary advice for dogs resembles that for humans on balanced vegan diets, where it is also important to ensure inclusion of essential nutrients, such as calcium, iron, iodine, selenium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, possibly in the form of supplements, especially in pregnancy and early life stages. Motivations for vegans diets include animal welfare and environmental impacts of animal agriculture. As of 2018, there are around 470 million pet dogs.

History of plant-based dog diets

Plant based dog diets may have been around as early as the Bronze Age. An isotope analysis on a site in the Iberian Peninsula found that one group of dogs had a significant proportion of cereals in their diet. Their isotope patterns scarcely differed from the domestic herbivores pointing to a similar intake of plant protein, though small amounts of animal protein cannot be ruled out this way. In 1980, the UK's first commercially marketed vegetarian dog food became available. There are many published vegetarian feeding-regimens available to follow. As the popularity of this diet has grown with a corresponding increase in people practicing vegetarianism, there are various commercial vegetarian and vegan diets available on the market, where both terms are often used interchangeably.

In 2024, a comprehensive feeding trial on one vegan dog diet was successfully completed.

Dietary needs of the dog

Dogs will not seek out specific foods to meet nutritional deficiencies and will continue to consume a nutritionally inadequate diet. The dietary requirements of dogs differ based on a variety of aspects (i.e. age, level of activity, living environment, etc.). Rather than specific ingredients, diets are formulated for their specific nutrients, so every diet prepared must have adequate levels of nutrients, including: protein, fats, carbohydrates, amino acids (methionine, lysine, arginine, etc.), vitamins (B vitamins, vitamin A, etc.), and minerals (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, etc.). Since dogs are omnivores, they can digest both animal and some plant based matter. A vegetarian diet choice was adapted to canines because of the ethical preferences of people who practice vegetarianism, as well as for pet owners seeking an alternative diet for pets suffering from food allergies, specifically animal-protein allergies.

Potential risks Vegetarian and vegan dog diets may carry some risks, especially when these are homemade.

Alkaline urine High urinary pH is associated with developing struvite crystals, dysuria, hematuria and obstructing the urinary tract of dogs. Breakdown of amino acids has an effect on the acidity of the urine. Plant based diets typically contain fewer of the acidifying amino acids than meat based ones. Studies confirm dogs on plant-based diets have higher pH (i.e. decreased acidity) of their urine. However, it is unclear if this exceeds normal ranges and leads to detrimental clinical outcomes with the limited research available. With potential increased risk of high pH urine, regular monitoring of a plant-based dogs' urine may provide benefits. When detected early, high urinary pH can be treated by adding more acidifying ingredients or supplements to the diet.

Guidelines A 2020 study evaluated vegan pet foods in the Brazilian market and found nutritional inadequacies when compared to FEDIAF and AAFCO recommendations. Conversely, a 2019 study analyzing 177 commercial conventional pet foods sold in the UK discovered that most did not meet European guidelines on mineral content, indicating that nutritional deficiencies are not exclusive to plant-based diets.

Homemade diets

Inappropriate nutrient profile There are many vegetarian and vegan recipes available but due to the extra attention creating a complete and balanced plant-based diet requires, many of these are insufficient in macrominerals such as protein, and microminerals that include vitamin D and vitamin B12. These deficiencies cannot be corrected by including specific whole food ingredients due to the volume they would have to eat to meet requirements, thus nutritional supplements are necessary. Supplements contain anywhere from 0–300% of the vitamins and/or mineral amount required daily when the suggested dose is followed. Some ingredient inclusions can also be detrimental to a canine's overall health. Onion and garlic are often included in homemade recipes regardless of their association with hemolytic anemia in dogs. Current recommendations are that all formulations and supplementation of alternative dog diets are made by a veterinary nutritionist.

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