Pet owners become more concerned about their pet’s health condition. This is one of the main reasons why pet owners nowadays tend to get a vegan diet for pets. The demand for more specialized pet food is increasing the production of vegan dog diets worldwide. Dogs and cats are omnivores, and there is growing evidence that they can benefit from vegan diets. Let’s learn more about the vegan diet for pets.

Are vegan diets good for pets?

Supporters of vegetarian and vegan diets for pets frequently make claims for them based on ethics, nutritional safety, and quality. They say that pets can obtain all the nutrients they require from a vegan diet and that doing so also allows them to be fed more high-quality ingredients rather than the “leftover” meat byproduct used to make meat-based diets.

The US Department of Agriculture determined that some commercial meat-based pet meals may be harming the health of companion animals as they are made from ground-up animal parts that are inappropriate for human consumption such as; skin, blood, hair, hoof, horn, rumen content, stomach, and other parts. 

The meat from animal sources used is also claimed to be diseased or from dead, sick, or disabled animals.

Some pet owners choose this lifestyle for their pets based on ethics, food preferences, health considerations, and environmental worries. Plants are higher in fiber, vitamin E, and vitamin C than meat-based diets.

In some health cases, veterinarians may recommend meat-free diets to the pets. A potential food allergy to certain protein sources will lead to these recommendations.

The majority of dogs and cats are fed a vegan diet for pets as a result of their owners’ lifestyle decisions and food preferences. 

Many studies showed that vegan food has a positive influence on animal health, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides levels and improves fecal features.

Environmental activists are supporting vegan food as they say that transitioning dogs from eating meats to a plant-based diet would save 1.6 billion livestock animals from being slaughtered annually in the USA and 6 billion livestock worldwide to make the meat byproduct used in meat meals of animals.

The most common vegetables used in a vegan diet for pets are broccoli, sweet potato, blueberries, pumpkin, and olive oil.

If the vegan diet for pets is correctly prepared, balanced, and cooked, it will not cause serious health issues.

A Vegan diet bad for pets

Although the physiology and behavior of domestic cats and dogs have changed from those of their wild predecessors, they still require certain nutrients to prevent dietary deficiencies and related illnesses, such as taurine insufficiency in cats, weak muscles, and metabolic bone disease in dogs. 

Dogs ingest both meat and plant-based diets since they are omnivores. On the other hand, since cats are obligate carnivores, it’s difficult to provide for their nutritional demands without giving them meat.

Vegan diets for pets are deficient in some nutrients essential for dogs and cats such as; taurine and L-carnitine amino acids that dogs nor cats can’t generate by themselves -like humans- and are not adequate in plant-based diets. 

It’s also difficult to get omega-3 and vitamin B12 from plants, while they are easily obtained from meat and animal products.

If you decide to start giving a vegan diet for pets, then you have to give supplements as well to overcome these nutrient deficiencies.

Also, dogs and cats lack the essential enzymes and bacteria in their gut to digest high-fiber plants like horses and other herbivores.

One of the main worries for DCM-susceptible dog owners giving their dogs a legume-rich “ plant-based” diet is dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM. The idea was that by substituting legumes for grain starches, grain-free diets prevent taurine production, which is essential to prevent DCM. These points are the reason why vegan diets are bad for pets if not formulated to be balanced and fortified with the vitamins and amino acids that are deficient in plants.

Commercial vegan diet for pets

Commercial vegan meals are now available in pet food stores and online in various formulations but not all of them are nutritionally balanced and complete. It’s crucial to ensure that the diet is designed to meet the standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), and it’s even better if the product has undergone feeding trials.

A Homemade vegan diet for pets may seem like a better alternative since you can control what your pet eats, but they are frequently less balanced than those in the market and stores.

It’s always better to have help from a certified veterinary nutritionist to assist in planning a suitable diet for your pet and make sure this diet meets all the nutritional needs of your pet.

PETA vegan diet for cats

PETA is one of the growing animal rights organizations around the world. PETA also produces a brand vegan diet for pets. PETA supports many research studies conducted on pets fed vegan food only instead of meat-based diets. 

PETA declared that according to their studies, there is no noticeable difference in health conditions between cats fed on a vegan diet and cats on a regular diet. They claim that dogs even have meat sensitivity and that many commercial meat-based dog and cat meals are toxic to them, including hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, preservatives, and body parts that are not suitable for human or animal consumption such as; diseased meat and feathers.

They also say that the needed amino acids “taurine and L-carnitine” that are present in meat meals are now present and added to each commercial vegan diet for pets. Those amino acids can bought as powdered online or from health food stores and added to the food or as supplements.

PETA suggested an easy transition to begin by combining vegetarian food with meat-based foods. Over one to two weeks gradually reduce the meat-based diet and increase the vegetarian components. Keep an eye on them to see any new signs or changes on them. If you notice any symptoms on the skin and digestive system.

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