The change will be for the better as plant-based food may mean that your dog poos more with more fibre in his diet, but it also means that what you have to pick up smells much more manageable! Sometimes there is hardly an odour from Ruff’s poo. At the start of him going onto a vegan diet, he would wake us up to be let out at night and he passed about 4 or 5 droppings in the garden, but after just a few weeks, he began producing perfect formed poos just once (very occasionally twice) a day, and there have been times when they hardly smell compared to dogs on a meat-based diet!
The increased fibre in plant-based homemade food, is also better for any dogs who have anal gland issues as the larger size that has to squeeze past the anal glands causes them to be emptied more effectively and rarely cause issues with blockages.
We are a family of scientists and one very interesting study that I wish someone would research, is how the smell of a vegan dog’s anal glands and bottom smells to other dogs and whether they are treated any differently when greeting each other for the first time? – just a thought:)
It is so important if a homemade diet is being fed, to always blend or mash the food well to break down any seeds, lentils or peas and cook them very well. Dogs do not chew their food politely as we do; instead they gulp their food and if the chickpeas or lentils remain whole, they will pass through unchanged and the valuable nutrients cannot be absorbed and will appear on the grass in your garden!
Why do some dogs eat their own poo?
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Can I Afford A Vegan Diet?
We are so passionate about plant-based feeding in dogs, that we want to support you and hopefully make it affordable for you
Never use the word VEGAN!
Only by convincing vets that it is the way forward, will we together have any success as plant-based feeders of ensuring that it becomes a very viable and superior option to feeding our dogs
But aren’t dogs carnivores?
The maned wolf really blows the theory of our pet dogs needing meat in their diet completely out the water
Do dogs on a vegan diet live longer?
We have Bramble the dog who wanted to live forever as proof that vegan diets help our pets live longer healthier lives
Am I alone wanting to feed a vegan diet to my dog?
An online survey in 2019 revealed that around one in three owners may be willing to consider switching to a vegan diet for their pet in the future
How do I get my dog’s plant-based diet fully balanced?
This is one of our biggest concerns as pet owners that we are not getting the balance just right for the health of our pet
I am just so worried about what other people think
When we choose to change our dogs onto a vegan diet, worrying about what other people think is a huge concern to us
Am I being a cruel owner depriving my dog of eating meat?
You are being a compassionate owner by feeding your dog a plant-based diet
What are the dangers of feeding meat to our pets?
Meat contains dioxins, artificial hormones and TMAO dangerous to not only our pets but to us too
But shouldn’t dogs eat meat?
No dogs do not need eat to eat meat from another animal, they need protein and they can get an ever better protein source from plants
Will a vegan dog food diet affect my dog’s behaviour?
Although there does not appear to be any research done on this topic, owners of dogs on plant-based diets do report that their pets appear happier and calmer