Dogs can be healthier on a vegan diet, compared to a meat-based alternative, academics from the University of have said. A new study suggests that dogs can be healthier on a vegan diet than the traditional meat-based one. Andrew Knight, a qualified vet and Visiting Lecturer in Animal Welfare, has co-authored the study with Hazel Brown, Associate Dean of the University’s Faculty of Health and Wellbeing and Alexander Bauer of Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich.
Yet no studies had calculated the size of the health benefits that might occur for average dogs on a vegan diet, after controlling for age, sex, neutering status, breed size and exercise level – all factors that can affect dog health. Professor Knight and his two colleagues have now published the first study to control for all of these factors. After analysing health outcomes for 2,536 dogs, including 336 fed a vegan diet for at least one year, they found decreases in the occurrences of seven general indicators of illness.
Dogs fed vegan diets were less likely to need medication, medical diets or unusually high numbers of veterinary visits. Vegan diet dogs were more likely to be assessed as healthy by dog owners and their vet, had lower rates of illness, and fewer cases of health disorders when they were unwell. Additionally, the odds of suffering from six specific health disorders fell by between 50 and 61% compared to dogs fed conventional meat.
These included some of the most common health disorders in dogs: .