A published study from Illinois University gives a thumbs up to carefully formulated fresh vegan diets for dogs – what we’ve always known and we are thrilled!!
New latest research shows at least two human-grade, freshly cooked vegan diets provide adequate nutrition for dogs. See full article here from University of Illinois.
“The trends of vegan foods and human grade foods are increasing for dogs. Because people are feeding these diets to their pets, it’s important they be tested like all other foods to make sure they’re safe and ‘complete and balanced,” says study co-author Kelly Swanson, Professor of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois.
Swanson’s team tested two human-grade vegan formulas (with and without a grain ingredient) from US fresh plant-based food company Bramble against a leading brand chicken-based kibble diet. They fed the diets to Beagles for three weeks and sampled the dogs’ blood chemistry, faecal quality, and microbiome by seeing the collection of microbes present in the sample. Their results were published in March 2023 in the Journal of Animal Science.
The team also analysed the foods themselves—the vegan diets were veterinary nutritionist-formulated mixtures of whole foods like lentils, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apples, blueberries and carrots—and confirmed both vegan diets and the chicken-based diet met standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for “complete and balanced” nutrition.
“One thing to remember is that animals don’t have ingredient requirements, they have nutrient requirements. As long as they’re consuming the essential nutrients in the correct amounts and ratios, dogs can be vegan, vegetarian, or meat-eaters,” Prof Swanson says.
“Knowledge of ingredient composition and nutrient needs are critical, however. Anyone can slap together a vegan meal for their dog, but without careful formulation, you might have something that’s really imbalanced.”
This is why we have formulated our Just Be Kind Supplement and carefully formulated veterinary nutritionist recipes, to ensure that you get it right when home cooking for your plant-based dog.
What did the team find in dogs fed the fresh plant-based foods?
It's highly digestible
Dogs had lower levels of circulating fats and cholesterol
They had improved gut health
Making it easier to maintain a healthy weight
......and much less smelly poos to pick up!
“No one had tested digestibility of these diets in dogs before this. We showed that these vegan diets resulted in desirable faecal characteristics, high nutrient digestibilities, and positive changes to certain blood and faecal metabolites,” Prof Swanson says.
“For people who are interested in feeding their pets a vegan diet that aligns with their personal values, the fresh plant-based diets we tested are a very good choice.”
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