Living with a companion animal can be an incredibly rewarding experience if done ethically and responsibly. For vegans, deciding what to feed our friends can be a daunting area, as traditionally cats and dogs have been fed an animal-based diet. Luckily, it is both possible and healthy to feed cats and dogs a vegan diet!
It’s important to note that rescuing a companion animal, rather than buying from a breeder, should be the default choice, because unfortunately, there are always vulnerable, neglected, and abandoned animals in need of our care. Breeding animals for our own enjoyment or to serve us is contrary to the vegan philosophy or compassion, respecting others, and reducing suffering in the world.
So back to the diet! Let’s break down the options so we can ensure our companion animals both survive and thrive on a vegan diet!
Vegan Dogs
Dogs are omnivorous animals, meaning they can digest both animal flesh and plant foods. In recent years, more and more studies have concluded that feeding a well-planned vegan diet to dogs is perfectly healthy and risk free!
A study of 12 Siberian huskies, showed that switching animal protein for soybean and gluten sources, had no effect on blood health, physical condition, and athletic performance! Another study involving companion animals, revealed that dogs who were fed a vegan diet for at least six months had no diet-related issues!
So, the evidence suggests that dogs can thrive on a vegan diet, as long as we ensure they are getting all the essential nutrients and amino acids they need to be healthy. Research into vegan dog food products has advanced a lot in recent years, and there are now so many complete plant-based options we can try!
Nutrition for Dogs
Dogs, like humans, need a balance of essential macro and micronutrients to be healthy.
- Protein – dogs need a percentage of their diet to be protein. Look for plant-based dog foods that are at least 18% plant-protein sources. This can be beans, legumes, peas, soy protein isolate, gluten meal, and more! It may be that your dog friend prefers some of these ingredients to others, so pay attention to the ingredients of the food you choose.
- Amino acids – protein is only half of the picture, a healthy dog needs to get all the essential amino acids they cannot produce themselves, from their food. Look for a plant-based dog food that has a combination of plant-proteins to ensure it contains all the essential amino acids.
- Vitamins and minerals – most dog foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals anyway, but when choosing a plant-based food, look out for added essential vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin D, and B vitamins.
As mentioned, most commercially available vegan dog food options are very well researched and will contain everything a dog needs to stay healthy and happy, so then it just comes down to which ones your dog prefers.
Palatability
Most dogs are keen for a bite of just about anything you offer them, so whether they will like their new diet may not be a huge issue – but if they turn their nose up at their new meal, try adding some low-sodium vegan broth or another plant-based ingredient you know they like, to their food. Of course, trying another dog food brand may also be the right move. Every dog is individual and some trial-and-error may be required before you find the best option for your canine companion.
Vegan Cats
A vegan diet for cats is slightly more complicated than for dogs and research into commercial food options is less advanced. Cats are what’s known as obligate carnivores, which means their species has evolved eating only other animals. This however does not mean you can’t feed your cat friend a vegan diet. In fact, in recent years, studies have shown that cats can thrive on a vegan diet. Professor Andrew Knight puts it best:
“What cats need is not meat, but a specific set of nutrients. There is no scientific reason why we cannot supply all these nutrients through plant sources.”
There are, of course, some important considerations to take into account to make sure your cat friend is healthy and happy, and that includes being prepared to make extra veterinary visits and keeping a close eye on their health. Let’s take a look in more detail.
Nutrition for Cats
Cats also need all the essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and amino acids, to be healthy, and with a few extra considerations thrown in.
Amino Acids – cats need all nine essential amino acids, just like dogs. A well-balanced vegan commercial cat food should make sure all of these are included. However, cats also need two additional amino acids: arginine and taurine, which are hard to find in plant food sources. Both can be added synthetically to cat food so always look out for these when choosing a vegan cat food! This is a non-negotiable, without enough taurine, cats can go blind.
Protein – as with dogs, a balance of at least two different plant proteins is essential when choosing vegan cat food, to ensure the balance of amino acids is met. Most commercially available vegan cat foods will make sure of this, but it’s always good to check.
Vitamins & minerals – as with dog foods, vegan cat food is likely to be fortified with some essential vitamins and minerals to meet a cat’s nutritional needs. The most important ones to look out for are Vitamin A and all B vitamins, including B12.
Risks for Cats
As with all living beings, not getting the right nutrition can create health risks. With cats, there is one really important risk to be aware of.
FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) – is something that can affect cats, even if they are on a nutritionally complete and balanced diet. Plant-based proteins tend to be higher alkaline, so replacing animal foods with plant-based can sometimes increase the risk of FLUTD. There are a couple of easy things we can do to prevent this.
Firstly, make sure your cat friend gets enough water by adding it to dry food and using wet food options, and always ensuring a supply of fresh water is available. Secondly, you will need to get your cat’s urine PH checked by a vet within two weeks from beginning a vegan diet and then once a month after that for the first six months. After this, once or twice a year should be plenty. Being on top of this is by far the best way to reduce the risk of FLUTD. There are also some food-based urine acidifiers that you can add to a cat’s diet to be sure. These include: asparagus, peas, brown rice, oats, lentils, garbanzos, corn, brussels sprouts, and most nuts.
It’s important to stress that, for cats, following a strict health plan in consultation with a vet is crucial. If you are not able to do this, then it might be worth considering adopting a different companion animal who has fewer specific dietary requirements and can thrive on a plant-based diet without the extra care and attention cats need. There are, unfortunately, many neglected animals in need of a loving home.
Transitioning Dogs and Cats to a Vegan Diet
If your companion eats meat now, and you are considering transitioning them to a plant-based diet, there is one major rule: do it slowly.
An abrupt switch from meat to plant proteins can cause digestive discomfort and upset. So, gradually, over a period of weeks, increase the proportion of vegan food, spoonful by spoonful. If you find you reach a point where there are still problems, take a step back and remain at the lower ratio until things settle. You may also try a different brand.
Why Should Dogs and Cats Be Vegan?
For those of us who love animals, feeding our companion animal with the body of a slaughtered animal can be a distressing and unwanted practice. But there are other reasons, too. And the figures are enormous. One study suggests that cats and dogs consume 9 percent of all slaughtered land animals. That’s about 7 billion animals a year.
But there is another reason: the climate impact. We know that meat is one of the most environmentally damaging products, and if all the world’s dogs went vegan, it would save more greenhouse gas emissions than those produced by the whole of the UK. It would also free up an area of land larger than Mexico, which would allow wild habitats and species to thrive, while freeing up more freshwater than all the renewable freshwater in Denmark.
Conclusion
The most important thing to consider when feeding cats and dogs a vegan diet, is the individual you are caring for. A companion animal is a big responsibility and getting their care right is of paramount importance. If you are considering rescuing an animal, before you do, think about your own lifestyle, the space available, the commitment you are making, and the time, money, and resources you will need to ensure their lifelong care.
When it comes to feeding dogs, we recommend finding a commercial vegan dog food that your pooch enjoys. It must cover their nutritional needs and they really should enjoy eating it! As always with companion animals, make sure they see a vet regularly for health checks.
For cats, ensuring the correct nutrition of their food is key but most importantly, adhering to a strict health monitoring plan, in conjunction with a vet, is absolutely crucial to ensure their health. Cats’, while in many ways still wild, can also be delicate creatures, and it’s important we take their health very seriously.
However, feeding cats and dogs a vegan diet is absolutely possible! As with any diet, if it’s well planned and nutritionally balanced, and you take good veterinary care of your companion, there should be no problems.
