We tend to feed our pets on the foods that we like – yes we are all guilty of it! I feel far less guilty now that I am vegan and have chosen to feed Ruff only on healthy vegan nutritious options rather than on the pizza crusts, sausages and ham that as a family we all used to treat him with!
The gut microbiome (the new term for our intestinal flora genetic material) has a big influence on the physical and mental health of all of us – our pets included. There are several complex factors that can alter an animal’s microbiome, for instance diet, stress and who they live with (a bit like us humans!)
Luis Pedro Coelho and his colleagues at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, in collaboration with Nestlé Research, studied the gut microbiome of beagles and retrievers. They found not only many similarities with other dog breeds but also with the human gut microbiome. Furthermore, he found out that our gut microbiome is more similar to the dog gut microbiome than those of pigs or mice – two organisms used frequently in model studies.
Speaking of the discovery, Luis Pedro Coelho says: “The results of this comparison suggest that we are more similar to man’s best friend than we originally thought.”
Dogs were the first animals to be domesticated by humans, and we have frequently shared food resources and living quarters with our ‘best friends’ throughout history – in fact for the 25 000 years or more.
There are important implications and applications that extend from the discoveries of Dr Coelho and his colleagues. One of which is using the dog as a model for human gut microbiome studies and vice versa, as Dr Coelho explains: “These findings suggest that dogs could be a better model for nutrition studies than pigs or mice and we could potentially use data from dogs to study the impact of diet on gut microbiome in humans, and humans could be a good model to study the nutrition of dogs.”
Amazing isn’t it that we can be used as models to help our dogs rather than animals being used to benefit us!! There are research models underway where humans and dogs are treated for certain diseases with ‘donor samples of faeces’ from healthy individuals as shown in this article Stool Substitute Transplant Therapy.
It is well known that high fibre natural unprocessed foods carry far more of these healthy ‘good’ gut bacteria, so yet again, more proof that a vegetable-based diet is healthier for our pets….and for us!
Kindness, Courage and Resourcefulness
What I learnt at Vegan Campout with my family
Bruno the Bernese has outlived all his litter mates!
Do you know that Bruno is 11 years old now and he has outlived all of his littermates on his vegan diet!
Pax had remarkable changes going from raw to plant-based
Once transitioned to plant-based her itching stopped, the hotspots went, her ears don’t smell anymore and she gets no more tear-staining!
Top vets are choosing plant-based for their own dogs!
Vet specialist cardiologists, oncologists and dermatologists feed their own dogs Solo Vegetal!
“Just feel his muscles!”
Solo Vegetal gives vegan Vizsla Loki his amazing physique that his Mum uses to promote plant-based feeding of dogs!
Choose vegan when travelling with your pet
EU rules mean that you cannot cross the channel with any meat-based dog food, only plant-based!
Vegan Vet on Channel 5 TV!
A crazy experiment on Channel 5 proves that vegan dog poo has no smell as Alexis Conran and vet Arielle Griffiths put it to the test!
The goodness of Leni from Vegan4Dogs
What an inspiration she is and is proof of the power of good individuals making a difference!
My childhood dogs all died of kidney disease
They were fed a very high meat-based diet full of offal everyday!
What positivity to hear about Game Changers 2
A personal dream come true would be Lewis Hamilton talking on TV about how a vegan diet has impacted so positively on the health of his adored Bulldog Roscoe!
Vegan Dog Nutrition added to MSc Programme
Glasgow Vet School asked if they could add a section to the MSc Nutrition Programme about Vegan Dog Nutrition!
Bruno’s leg rash is solved at last
None of the vets we saw ever suggested that he might have a meat protein allergy