It is no wonder that - with the way factory farming is done nowadays - many people do not want to be part of this machinery. The idea of making an active contribution to a better world and therefore eating vegan is understandable and right! However, it becomes more difficult when deciding whether to feed a dog a vegan diet as well.
Let´s dive into this topic...
Dogs are carnivores - vegan food is not species-appropriate
The digestive system of dogs is almost unchanged from that of their ancestors, the wolves. [1] Dogs and wolves are carnivores, but also eat plant food. However, the emphasis here is on "also". The natural food for wolves is prey. Their digestive system – and thus also that of dogs – is primarily oriented towards the utilization of animal components.
Adaptation to animal food sources can be seen in the anatomy and physiology of dogs: carnivore teeth, no digestive enzymes in saliva, short intestines. Herbivores have a much longer intestine and the ability to ferment large amounts of plant food.
Important nutrients are missing in vegan food
The fact that dogs are carnivores is also reflected in their need for certain vitamins, minerals and fatty and amino acids. Some nutrients are essential for dogs, but are only to be found in significant quantities in animal products, e.g. vitamin B12 and the fatty acids EPA and DHA or arachidonic acid.
Dogs also need vitamin B3. It can also be found in plant foods such as grains, but there it is present in a bound form, so that dogs cannot absorb it. Dogs are also much less able to utilize zinc and iron from plant sources than the zinc and iron from animal products.
It has also been proven that the amino acid composition and digestibility of animal proteins (from meat or innards) are much better than those of plant proteins.
In addition, plant-based protein sources contain fewer essential amino acids, so you have to feed much more of the plant-based protein to meet the nutritional needs for those amino acids.
What follows: Synthetic nutrients need to be added to vegan food, which are sometimes less usable for the body or even harmful to health.
And remember, synthetic nutrients can only cover a part of the nutrients we know about, they can never replace the entire ingredient (e.g. a vitamin C pill does not replace eating a complete apple).
Some nutrients are being less easily absorbed
Grains, soy or legumes are often used in vegan food. These ingredients contain some substances (e.g. phytate) that strongly inhibit the absorption of certain nutrients such as zinc, magnesium, calcium or iron. As a result, up to 75% of these minerals cannot be absorbed by the dog's body. This means that animals that consume larger quantities of these ingredients (grains etc.) need to consume significantly more zinc, magnesium, calcium and iron to meet the nutritional needs. In addition, these ingredients also contain substances that can cause lasting damage to the pancreas, the intestinal mucosa or the intestinal flora (e.g. lectins, alpha-amylase inhibitors, glyphosate). Damages of this kind can have a strong impact on the dog´s health. In addition, a high ratio of carbohydrates in a dog´s diet has other health disadvantages.
Promoted inflammation in the body
Carnivores cover their energy and fatty acid needs through the fat they consume. If the animal whose meat is being fed has been kept in a species-appropriate manner, there is an omega-3:omega-6 fatty acid ratio of about 1:2,5.
Grains, potatoes, soy and legumes provide quite little fat, but in this little fat the ratio of omega-6 fatty acids is very high. Often, other plant-based fats are added to vegan food, so the proportion of omega-6 fatty acids increases even further (does not apply to coconut oil). This ultimately leads to a massive surplus.
As a result, inflammatory processes in the body are promoted and, in addition, the food simply lacks vital omega-3 fatty acids.
Digestion
Plant-based foods tend to reduce the secretion of gastric juice. As a result, the pH value in the stomach is less acidic, which means, for example, that microorganisms in the food are not being effectively killed.
Even in the small and large intestine, the environment is ultimately not acidic enough and thus the digestibility of the food decreases. The changed environment can also lead to a so-called dysbiosis and thus to corresponding digestive problems.
In addition, the plant-based food also changes the pH value in the dog's urine (more alkaline), which can lead to increased urine crystal formation.
Ready-made food and life expectancy...
In 2003, two Belgian researchers conducted the study "Relation between the domestic dogs' well-being and life expectancy". Data from a total of 522 dogs of 74 different breeds has been examined.
It turned out that the life expectancy of dogs is shortened by about three years if they were only fed ready-made food! This does not refer specifically to vegan food, but to commercially available ready-made food with the usually low meat ratio.
The authors suspected that – among other things - the mostly plant-based proteins and the additives in ready-made food led to this. Since the preparation of vegan dog food at home is difficult (a whole range of additives have to be used to ensure meeting the nutritional needs), most dog owners who feed their dogs vegan will probably feed ready-made food...
Vegan food and food intolerances/allergies
It is often argued that vegan dog food is particularly useful if the animal suffers from an intolerance/allergy and therefore cannot tolerate animal protein. Such food intolerances/ allergies are rather rare. Dogs often do not react to "animal protein", but to a specific animal protein, such as beef or chicken protein – this is a big difference and it is usually possible to find at least one alternative animal protein that the dog tolerates. It is very rare that only vegan protein sources remain.
By the way...soy and wheat protein are also often the cause of intolerances/ allergies.
Conclusion
It needs to be noted that disadvantages must be accepted when feeding your dog with vegan food.
That's why you should think carefully about whether you could make peace with a meat-based feeding after all - at least for your own four-legged friend´s well-being and health.
Sources:
[1] Zentek, J., Meyer, H. (2013): Ernährung des Hundes, S. 2.
Cordain, L. (2011): Getreide – zweischschneidiges Schwert der Menschheit
Hand, S. et al. (2010): Small Animal Clinical Nutrition
NRC (2006): Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats
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