After we wrapped up our first-ever vegan dog nutrition summit, the Plant-Powered Dog Food Summit, on March 19, I enthusiastically noted how we are building a real tribe of like-minded dog guardians who want to feed their dogs a healthy, compassionate plant-based diet. Well, lo and behold, now a landmark study supports my informal findings! A new study out of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada and Massey University in New Zealand surveyed 3,673 dog and cat guardians to determine their attitudes and feeding practices. And, guess what the study found?
35% of dog and cat guardians who did not already feed a plant-based diet are interested in doing so!
Of the total respondents, 51% (1,871) had only dogs, 16% (602) had only cats and 33% (1,200) had both dogs and cats.
The vast majority of (84%) identified themselves as omnivores, with only 5.8% identifying as vegan, 6.2% as vegetarian and 4% as pescatarian. This is significant because this means that the majority of people who indicated interest in feeding a vegan diet are not themselves vegan or vegetarian.
Here are some key highlights from the study:
- 39% of respondents were concerned about the welfare of farm animals.
- The only people currently feeding a 100% plant-based diet were vegan, with just one vegetarian.
- 27% of vegans currently fed their dog or cat a plant-based diet, however 78% of vegans said they would if they could find an appropriate diet that met their needs.
- 55% of respondents who said they were interested in feeding a plant-based diet said they wanted more evidence of nutritional sufficiency, while 20% also indicated that they also wanted the approval of their veterinarian and greater availability of plant-based foods.
- While only 1.6% of dog guardians indicated feeding a vegan diet, 10.4% of dogs were occasionally fed plant-based diets.
- Twice as many dogs as cats were fed 100% plant-based diets.
The high interest in plant-based diets is encouraging! As I often discuss, the genomes of dogs and humans have evolved side-by-side for tens of thousands of years and so there are strong parallels in health findings regarding diet and human health as there are with diet and canine health (this is one reason that dogs make such excellent models of study for human cancer).
As the authors state in the study, “The many health risks associated with human consumption of animal products, including coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and a variety of cancers, are becoming widely appreciated by the scientific community and general public. The environmental impacts known to be associated with our dietary choices are similarly well documented, and people are also becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of modern pet foods as well.”
Not surprisingly, the major barrier to feeding a vegan diet was a concern for the nutritional adequacy of the diet and the labeling compliance issues found with commercial vegan pet foods. However, as the study authors point out, these reporting issues are not confined to vegan commercial foods. They state, “Unfortunately, these phenomena appear to be common within the pet food industry, with multiple accounts of commercial pet foods failing to meet labelling standards, guaranteed analysis, industry recommended nutrient profiles, or containing ingredients other than those listed on the packaging. Thus, this does not appear to be an issue exclusive to plant-based diets.”
So, what’s my take-away from this study? I am very encouraged! The fact that 35% of dog and cat guardians are open to feeding a plant-based diet is, in my opinion, significant because we are standing at the dawn of awakening of just how important our food choices — both for ourselves and for our animal companions — are for the welfare of all living beings and for the future of our planet.
Does the plant-based pet food industry have some work to do? Absolutely! But, I know that they will do it and I look forward to watching and reporting on their progress.
Do we need more studies on the health efficacy of plant-based diets? Again, absolutely. And, just as the authors of this study concluded, given the interest among dog and cat guardians for this type of information, more research into plant-based diets is warranted. Since we know that consumer demand drives pet food industry decisions, I am optimistic that we will soon see new scientific research into plant-based diets emerge.
This study proves that we are on the right track. And, as for the 65% of survey respondents who indicated they would never feed their four-legged companion a plant-based diet? I look forward to checking back with them in five years. 🙂