Will my dog’s poo change on a plant-based diet?

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?