The growth of veganism is fast gaining momentum in the pet world, according to a report in the Independent.
A survey of more than 3,670 dog and cat owners from around the globe found that 35% were interested in putting their pets on a vegan diet while 27% already had.
More than half (55%) said certain measures would need to be met, however, before they committed to changing their pet’s diets, such as gaining veterinary approval and ensuring their animal’s nutritional needs were met.
Surprisingly, those considering the switch are not always vegan themselves, with only 6% of the survey’s respondents following the plant-based lifestyle.
The study’s lead author, Dr Sarah Dodd, of the veterinary college at the University of Guelph, Canada – which conducted the stud, said she was surprised at how many pet-owners were already feeding their animals exclusively vegan food.
HEALTH BENEFITS
“That percentage, 27%, might sound like a small number, but when you think of the actual numbers of pets involved, that’s huge, and much higher than we expected.”
She also stated that study suggested the interest surrounding vegan pet diets may well increase in the coming years.
“People have been hearing about how vegan diets are linked to lowered risks of cancer and other health benefits in humans,” she said. “There is also growing concern about the environmental impact of animal agriculture.
“So, while only a small proportion of pet-owners are currently feeding plant-based diets to their pets, it is safe to say that interest in the diets is likely to grow.”
But she added that the study, which was published in the journal PLoS One, indicated that more research was needed into the nutritional benefits and consequences of feeding a pet a vegan diet.
PAUCITY OF RESEARCH
An RSPCA spokesperson agreed, telling the Independent that there was a paucity of research in terms vegan pet diets, which rendered it difficult to draw any conclusions on its benefits.
“Dogs are omnivores and can eat a wide variety of food types so they can survive on a vegetarian diet as long as the diet is well-balanced,” a spokesman said.
It is a different story for cats, however, who are ‘strict carnivores’ and depend on specific nutrients found primarily in meat, such as taurine, vitamin A and arachidonic acid.
“We are aware of vegan/vegetarian pet food which includes these nutrients but these are relatively new to market and we have not seen any long-term studies about the effects of feeding cats a diet like this,” the spokesman added.
“However, we are also not aware of any cases of health problems associated with them. We would like to see more scientific evidence about the effects of such specialised diets on cats and cannot advise feeding them at this time.”
