As the impacts of our food choices become better known, all eyes turn toward what we feed our other-than-human best friends, and whether there is room to make better choices for them, too. Here, we examine the arguments, check out the options for dogs, and give our top tips for transitioning your dog to a vegan diet.
Environmental Impacts of Dog Food
Meticulous research by Oxford University and others has shown that foods from animals have a greater detrimental impact on the planet than almost all foods made from plants. Meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products are not only responsible for far more climate-changing emissions than plant foods, but they also need more land and water, drive deforestation and wildlife loss, and pollute the air and waters a lot more, too. For all these reasons, environmentalists are urging us to cut down, or better still cut out, all products made from or involving farmed animals. So, what does that mean for our canine companions?
Around 30 percent of households globally have a dog, which means there are between 700 million and one billion dogs in the world. That’s a lot of extra mouths to feed and inevitably, what they eat has a significant impact, too. In fact, dog food accounts for a quarter of all meat-related greenhouse gas emissions. And if it accounts for a quarter of emissions, its impact on the land, water, and wildlife will be similarly significant.

Ethical Impact of Dog Food
Here is a conundrum. Most of us believe that no one person is intrinsically any more important or valuable than another. But when it comes to animals, we still tend to rank them, as though beings had a hierarchy of worth. This is a hangover from the view of animals as commodities where their value resides solely in what we can get from their bodies. But those of us who try not to see someone’s life and body as a commodity inevitably come to think about whether it is right to slaughter one sentient being to feed another if they can live healthily another way.
Of course, we are not suggesting lions or owls switch to chickpeas and tofu. We are carefully considering how we can reduce the suffering in the world by changing the diets of those who live alongside us and can eat a plant-based diet. And the potential for doing good here is huge. Research by Professor Andrew Knight of the University of Winchester calculated that the world’s dogs and cats consume around nine percent of all land animals who are killed for food, which is around seven billion animals every year, as well as billions of fish and aquatic animals.
Are Dogs Carnivores?
Carnivores are animals who eat mostly or, if they are obligate carnivores, solely meat. Most so-called carnivores eat some plants and some eat a significant amount. But dogs are not carnivores at all. Dogs are omnivores, which means they can eat and thrive both on foods made from plants and foods made from other animals.

Can Dogs Be Vegan?
They can! And thousands already are. In fact, a survey of 3,670 people from around the world found that 27 percent of vegans have already transitioned their dogs and cats to a meat-free diet and more than one third of all canine guardians are interested in doing the same.
However, we cannot just feed dogs the same plant-based meals we cook ourselves. Onions, garlic, leeks, chives, grapes, raisins, currants, chocolate, avocado, macadamia nuts, and xylitol are all toxic to dogs. And the nutrients dogs need to thrive are required in different proportions to the nutrients we need. So, the most reliable way to keep our dogs healthy is to source plant-based foods that have been specially formulated for our canine friends.
Are Vegan Dogs Healthy?
A meta-analysis of 16 studies on the impact of vegan diets on cat and dog health found no overwhelming evidence of any adverse effects arising from them eating a plant-based diet.
In 2024, Professor Knight, who has pioneered the research in this area, studied 2,536 mostly European dogs and—controlling for differences in age, sex, neutering status, breed size, and exercise level—found that dogs fed vegan diets were less likely to need medication, medical diets or unusually high numbers of veterinary visits, were more likely to be assessed as healthy by their guardians and their veterinarians, had lower rates of illness, and fewer cases of health disorders when they were unwell.
So, yes. Dogs can be healthy—and perhaps even healthier—on a plant-based diet.

Tips for Dogs Going Vegan
- Take your time transitioning your dog. Start by adding in just a little of the vegan food—around 10 percent of the entire meal—to their usual food and increase it gradually. Some dogs can transition within a week to 10 days, but it is recommended we take up to six weeks. At each stage, ensure that your dog is comfortable with no tummy aches, diarrhea, or other digestive upsets before increasing the proportion by another ten percent. There may be times when you need to take a step back and reduce the new food until everything settles before increasing it gradually again. Let your dog guide you.
- Choose a reputable brand of good quality vegan dog food. There are plenty on the market but not every type will suit every dog. Like us, they have preferences, so try a few out until you find the ones that suit your friend best.
- If your dog does not enjoy the food, there are ways to stimulate their appetite and make the food more appealing. Adding nutritional yeast, vegetable oil, nori flakes or spirulina can help, as can gently warming the food. If your pup still isn’t keen, try a different brand.
Transitioning our canine friends to a vegan diet brings exactly the same benefits as when people eat plant-based: greater sustainability, reduced environmental harms, protecting other animals, improved health, and, of course, a significantly reduced carbon pawprint.
In short, we can care for our beloved companion animals while caring for the planet and all its inhabitants at the same time.