Vegan dogs live longer: NEW STUDIES SUPPORT NUTRITIONALLY SOUND VEGAN DOG FOOD!
Prof Andrew Knight has done it again by publishing some key studies this week on his website that show that nutritionally-sound vegan dog food diets extend the lifespan of your dog!
Dodd et al. (2022) collected dog food information from 1,189 dog guardians, including 357 eating only vegan diets, who fed these diets for 3 years on average. Vegan dogs were reportedly more likely to enjoy very good health, and less likely to suffer eye, gastrointestinal and liver disorders. Longevity of previously-owned dogs was reportedly 1.5 years greater, when fed purely vegan diets.
“There are now eight studies or veterinary masters theses, examining health outcomes in dogs maintained on vegan or vegetarian diets. Seven studies now support the use of these diets. The weight of evidence now overwhelmingly supports the use of nutritionally sound vegan dog food.”
Prof Andrew Knight
Vet and Professor of Animal Welfare
These published papers are a huge boost for all of us feeding our own dogs a nutritionally sound vegan dog food diet as we now know that we WILL have our dogs around for longer. JUST BE KIND will be publishing a number of stories of amazing dogs over the next few weeks that back up these studies.
What else happened in the same week as these exciting papers were published? We had it broadcast on our TV screens to the nation this week that vegan dog poo does not smell – hooray:)
A crazy experiment on Channel 5 TV proves that vegan dog poo has no smell as Alexis Conran and vet Arielle Griffiths sniff dog poo!
How surreal it felt to be featured in a programme on Channel 5 called Britain’s Dog Poo Scandal. Like all of us; watching TV is my switch off and relaxation time, where we people watch other people, and I do admit to sitting down last night knowing that I was going to be on TV, with a huge knot in my stomach – what would they show and how terrifying to let other people into my world and my personal space!!
We recorded the dog food bits in the series off our own TV if you missed seeing it (as the rest of the programme was just about dog poo!)
Hear more in the clip below. Just press play
Vegan dog poo is a lot less smelly – watch below
I did have friends and you wonderful supportive owners ask about how I felt about the clip they showed. On the whole I was really happy. If people even just consider changing their dog’s diet to a kinder more sustainable (and healthier diet!) with the knowledge that their dog’s poo will not smell anymore, then I am thrilled – the more dogs that transition the better…for their health and our future health.
I do have a few parts that I wish they hadn’t said or shown.
– I was introduced as a ‘former’ vet – Oh dear! I am a vet and I will always be a vet:)
– The bowl of vegan food shown that they produced themselves full of salad compared to the dog bowl of sausages was thank goodness not at all what we feed – vegan dog food diets are so much more inviting than what they had prepared.
– They ended the clip with saying that a vegan diet does not suit all dogs, and to contact your vet for nutritional advice – Oh dear again! Most vets do not know about correctly formulated vegan diets…although things are changing rapidly and with time, all vets will have some understanding.
The crew that arrived on Easter Monday could not have been kinder and more conscientious! They stayed for 7 hours and never stopped.
My daughter made them sandwiches as they had brought only filming equipment and took no breaks. We all felt a bit starstruck having a ‘celebrity’ in our home for a day. Alexis Conran could not have been nicer.
He did confess to having fed his dog Gelmer a raw food diet in the past. He also tackles very controversial issues and explained how he regularly gets trolled by individuals disagreeing with his topic. I did mention the dangers of environmental contaminants in dog poo of dogs fed a raw food diet, in particular the huge risk of antibacterial resistance that can affect not only raw fed dogs, but their owners and the environment too. I noticed that he failed to show any clips of me saying this (and I said it so many times during the day as it is so important!).
But I guess he had to be respectful of other owner’s decisions and I do feel enormously thankful that vegan dog food did get such a lot of coverage as he could have chosen a raw feeding vet instead of me!!
There was one clip whilst filming at our local vet surgery that still makes me smile:) Alexis played the greek doctor in the TV series ‘The Durrells’ as he is of greek heritage and uses his hands a lot when he talks. When I handed him the only vinyl blue gloves at the practice that were a small size as most of the staff are females, he had no choice but to try and squeeze them on.
They all split and he continued to ask me very serious questions whilst gesticulating with his squashed gloved hand and I ended up in a fit of giggles. We had to do 3 takes as I couldn’t stop laughing 🙂
It was a happy day and what a huge positive to end on as Gelmer is now fed a vegan diet….yes Alexis Conran now buys his own dog Gelmer Solo Vegetal instead of his normal meat-based food that he was having – you could not get more positive than that and it gives us, our dog’s health, and our future environmental health such hope!
Study Of Twins Shows Benefits Of Plant-Based Diet
A ‘Groundbreaking’ Study Of Identical Twins Finds Benefits Of Plant-Based Diet And Same In Dogs!
We share the same gut microbiome as our dogs!
Dr Arielle speaks at Vegfest London about the similarities between us and our dogs on a plant-based diet in reducing inflammation and healing auto-immune conditions
London Vet Show Highs and Lows
I returned home emotionally drained, but also feeling so much more positive about the future of plant-based dog nutrition with the contacts that were made
