“Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams according to your vision and purpose, instead of the expectations and opinions of others.”
– Roy Bennet
When I set out on my journey of wanting to promote plant-based dog food as a vet and a Mum 3 1/2 years ago, I felt so incredibly alone! All I knew was that I felt great changing my entire lifestyle in my 50’s by going 100% plant-based overnight, and our little family dog Ruff loved the food I was feeding him having been a little dog who had only ever eaten meat-based dog food….surely this was the kindest way to feed our pets for our future?
I remember excitedly telling colleagues who I had known for years about this exciting new way of feeding dogs sustainably, and no one seemed as excited as I did…in fact one incident I will never forget! I remember having a lunch break at the busy practice I was working at and talking to a vet friend who I had such respect for and who I had known for years.
He had been a veterinary dermatologist most of his career and had actually been there to advise me when our own black Labrador Slick had been diagnosed with allergic itchy skin almost 18 years ago!!! I was so excited to tell him about why I had turned myself plant-based (as I tucked into my delicious avocado sandwich during our lunch break) and I proceeded to tell him how wonderful the food was at sorting allergic skin cases in dogs.
It was a truly novel protein diet far superior to any of the hydrolysed diets that we had been prescribing for years.
I waited for his answer expecting him to want to find out more to really benefit his itchy patients as I had already seen such remarkable changes in allergic dogs in the short time that I had been helping owners. He looked at me with a blank expression and said – ‘Would you like some more tea – I am making myself some’. I was so taken aback and felt saddened, shocked, numb, frightened (was I making a mistake?) and I felt so very alone!!
We all hate criticism, but being ignored can be as hurtful. I never mentioned it to him again and I held back mentioning it to any vet friends and colleagues unless they asked me about it. There is such a lack of knowledge about balanced and kind plant-based feeding of our pets.
How things have changed 3 years later and it is almost as if I am finally seeing through the fog and achieving my dream of sharing my vision and educating others. I was able to speak to vet students this month about sustainable pet foods which was a joy to catch them before they are ‘tainted’ by the large pet food industry companies.
The Start Of Inspiring Live Webinars
What an inspiring and fun evening having our very first live webinar this month with all the people who had bought the Plant-Based Dog Nutrition Course. I just loved having my Zoom screen full of wonderful people who I have helped. I do know that I had a vet, a doctor, a physiotherapist, a journalist, an occupational therapist, an ex-nurse and a teacher amongst the diverse interested people listening and sharing their concerns and listening intently to all I had to say….what amazing people (and their dogs) and best of all is that we all share the same vision for healthier dogs and a healthier planet!
“As a vet, I believe in a kinder, healthier way to feed our pets that does no damage to our environment, harms no animals and uses fresh, healthy plant-based ingredients for a balanced and delicious diet”
Arielle Vegan Vet
“If nobody changes then nothing changes but if somebody changes then everything changes!”
Arielle Vegan Vet
Her ears smell just like Cheesy Wotsits!
“She smells just like Cheesy Wotsits” I just had to laugh as she was right, Matilda’s infected itchy ears smelt just like Cheesy Wotsits!
Supermarket shelves could run out of dog food – Hurrah!
Edgard & Cooper joining forces with Deliciously Ella, new Omni wet food, new oven-bake dry food from The Pack, Butternut Box plant-based sales soaring, Scrumbles on shelves in Sainsbury!
See how palatable GOLD DUST is for your dog!
Our little Ruff absolutely loves the taste and smell of GOLD DUST – watch the video!
Why our dogs should NOT be eating pork or fish
The dangers of bioaccumulation of toxins could be harmful to our pets
Kindness, Courage and Resourcefulness
What I learnt at Vegan Campout with my family
What do vets feed their own dogs?
What do vets feed their own 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!
