Research from the University of Winchester found that dogs on meat-based diets had poorer health indicators than those on vegan diets.
Vegan diets that are ‘nutritionally sound’ are the healthiest and least hazardous choice for dogs, according to a new study.
Experts at the University of Winchester studied 2,639 dogs for the study, which is said to be one of the first of its kind in the world. Researchers investigated how health outcomes vary between dogs fed meat -based and vegan diets. Owners of the participating dogs provided information about one dog which was fed either a conventional meat, raw meat or vegan diet for at least one years. They were then asked to provide their opinion on their dog’s health and what they believed their vet’s assessment to be. If the ages were equalised and non-health related barriers to visiting the vet were accounted for, then researchers say that it is not possible to conclude that raw meat diets would result in superior health outcomes than those fed vegan food.
Researchers also looked at the prevalence of 22 specific health disorders, based on predictions by vet assessments. These included problems with their skin/coat, dental issues, allergic dermatitis and arthritis - which are among the most common disorders experienced by dogs.
A total of 49 per cent of dogs suffering from any of the health disorders came from those on conventional meat diets Dogs that were fed conventional meat diets appeared to be less healthy those fed either a raw meat or a vegan diet. The study said that dogs on the conventional meat diet had poorer health indicators in almost all cases when comparing the three.
Pooches on raw meat diets appeared to fare marginally better than those fed vegan diets - however, it was noted that dogs in this group were significantly younger on average.
If the ages were equalised and non-health related barriers to visiting the vet were accounted for, then researchers say that it is not possible to conclude that raw meat diets would result in superior health outcomes than those fed vegan food.
Researchers also looked at the prevalence of 22 specific health disorders, based on predictions by vet assessments. These included problems with their skin/coat, dental issues, allergic dermatitis and arthritis - which are among the most common disorders experienced by dogs. A total of 49 per cent of dogs suffering from any of the health disorders came from those on conventional meat diets.
Raw meat diets accounted for 43 per cent, while dogs on vegan diets was 36 per cent. The study also indicated that raw meat diets are often associated with dietary risks, particularly pathogens such as bacteria and parasites. Andrew Knight, Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics at the University of Winchester, said: “Pooled evidence to date from our study and others in this field indicates that the healthiest and least harmful dietary choice for dogs among conventional, raw meat and vegan diets, is a nutritionally-sound vegan diet.
“Vegan diets are among a range of alternative diets being developed to address increasing concerns of consumers about traditional meat-based pet foods, including their environmental ‘pawprint’, their perceived lack of ‘naturalness’, health concerns, or impacts on those animals in the food chain used to formulate such diets.
-Dailyrecord.uk