Page 52 Daily Mail, Thursday, March 5, 2020
healthier happier pet
how to
have a
tomorrow: protect
pets from pollution
T
hink dog food and
y o u’ l l m o s t l i k e l y
envisage meat. So
w h a t’ s i t l i k e f o r
pooches whose own-
e r s d e c i d e t o t u r n t h e m
vegetarian — or even vegan?
The environmental impact of pet
food — which is estimated to be
responsible for a quarter of the eco-
logical impacts of meat production, in
terms of the use of land, water, fossil
fuels, phosphates and pesticides — is
one reason some are advocating vegan
diets. There are also ethical reasons
concerning animal welfare.
The latest annual PDSA wellbeing
report shows that 1 per cent of dog
owners feed them a commercially
prepared vegetarian or vegan diet.
With 9.9 million dogs in the Uk, this is
a considerable number.
PDSA vet Olivia Anderson-nathan
says: ‘it’s an interesting ethical
dilemma if you are vegan: how do you
make the best decision for your pet?
‘not eating meat may come down to
your stance on animal rights or wel-
fare, but keeping your pet healthy is
part of your obligation as a pet owner.the veg all
dogs need
PDSA vet Olivia Anderson-
Nathan recommends:
Carrots: A
nutritious snack
without the
calorie count
of biscuits or
other treats.
BroCColi: A
good source of
protein and
fibre. Dogs can
eat it raw,
steamed or boiled.
Peas: Dogs tend to
like peas because
they’re quite
sweet-tasting.
Always cook them
so they are soft. They
are high in protein and
low in calories.by Felicia
Bromf ield
Is making
your dog
vegan a
recipe for
disaster?
they goBBle uP every last Bit
Dogs can be healthy on a vegan
or vegetarian diet because they
are omnivores, and it’s possible
t o c o m m e r c i a l l y p r o d u c e
vegetarian or vegan food that
contains all the vitamins and
nutrients they require.
‘if you’re thinking of changing
your pet’s diet, always speak to
your vet first. i would always
recommend you buy a complete,
life-stage appropriate food from
a reputable pet food manufac-
turer rather than attempt to
make it yourself at home.
‘home-made diets can be tricky
to get right. And the issue with
nutritional problems is that you
don’t immediately see symptoms
— u n l e s s y o u’ v e f e d t h e m
something poisonous. But if their
diet is unbalanced, it can lead to
serious health problems such as
heart failure.
‘if you do want to do it yourself,
ensure you work closely with a
specialist, such as a reputable
veterinary nutritionist.’
The issue with plant-based
diets for cats is their need for
certain essential nutrients they
can’t get outside of animal prod-
ucts. One example is taurine, an
amino acid they require for eye
and heart muscle function.O
l i v iA s a y s : ‘i
wouldn’t recommend
a vegan diet for cats
b e c a u s e t h e y a r e
carnivores. Without the nutrients
contained in meat, they can
become seriously ill.
‘While it’s possible to artificially
synthesise some of these nutri-
ents, such as taurine, there’s a lot
of complexity in nutrition such as
whether the body is able to
absorb and process nutrients in
the same way, so for now i’d rec-
ommend a meat-based complete
diet to keep your cat healthy.’
Meanwhile, several pet food
manufacturers are trying to find
ways to increase the sustainability
of their products.
‘insect-based diets are another
new trend on the market,’ says
Olivia. ‘They require less space
to farm, less water and less food.They seem to be, from early
studies, a good source of protein,
but more research is needed.
‘We don’t know that muchabout animal wel-
fare of insects — his-
torically, it was thought they
didn’t feel any pain — but ourunderstanding of that may be
changing as we learn more about
how invertebrates work.’
For now, look at the sourcing ofyour meat — how is it produced:
extensively or intensively?
‘There is a lot of discussion
about meat by-products in pet
food, but in a way by-products
are more sustainable because
you’re using the whole animal,
rather than just the prime cuts,’
Olivia says.
Overall, vets agree that the best
food for a healthy pet is one
that’s complete and that they
will eat.Ruth SANDeRSON, a 30-year-old animal
behaviourist from Lincolnshire, tells
tanith C arey why her three rescue dogs,
Yorkshire terrier Barry, 18 months,
greyhound Kelly and collie-cross Molly, both
14, are meat-free. She says:
When people hear that I feed my three dogs a
vegan diet, they probably imagine me feeding
them handfuls of grass.
But at feeding time, you will see them eating
the same kind of kibble as other dog owners
provide. The difference is that their food
is made from plants, not animals. It has
the same nutrients as normal dog food,
just different ingredients.
My partner Marcus and I are ethical
vegans, so it seemed wrong to feed
our dogs the bodies of other once
living creatures.
At the same time, we wanted
to make sure that whatever we
feed our dogs is nutritionally
complete. We discovered it
was possible.
even more encouraging, a
vegan diet has been found to
be better for them in terms of
longevity and health.
As our dogs are rescue animals,
before they came to us they werefed meat-based diets. none of them could tell
the difference when we switched them to
plant-based foods. We feed them Benevo, from
a British vegan dog food company, that offers
a choice of both wet and dry food, and they
gobble up every last bit.
People still say: ‘If you offered vegan dog
food or steak, they’d choose a steak.’
But given the choice, they’d eat chocolate,
too, and that’s not good for them either.
The first plant-based dog foods were
developed not to be vegan but to be
hypo-allergenic by removing ingredients
such as milk protein and meat allergens. So
it’s no coincidence all our dogs have shiny
eyes and glossy coats.
We’d never feed them anything that
wasn’t nutritionally optimal for
them. We’re delighted we can
do that with a diet which has
caused no suffering to any
other animal.
emma’s verdiCt: Dogs are
omnivores and so can have
a vegan or vegetarian diet.
It’s good that the owners
have checked this food is
balanced and complete for
dogs, because their needs
are different from ours.Pictures: Lucy Ray PhoTogRaPh