Chloé Bourquin – The Rumor Detector
Agence Science-Presse (www.sciencepresse.qc.ca)
As the market for vegan dog and cat kibbles, biscuits, pâtés, and other treats grows, owners are wondering: is this a suitable food for their pets? The Rumor Detector has conducted an investigation.
The Origin of the Trend
With 64 million tons of CO2 equivalents emitted, the carbon footprint of dogs and cats can give you vertigo – and that number only encompasses the United States. It’s because of their meat-based diet. This alone accounts for 25 to 30% of the environmental impact of animal agriculture, in terms of water consumption, land use, and fossil fuels.
The question of a meatless diet for cats and dogs is therefore sometimes raised by vegetarians and vegans wishing to reduce their own impact on the environment (and therefore their pets’ impact). A 2019 study conducted in North America on pet owners and their feeding habits showed that, among vegans questioned, 27% gave their animals exclusively plant-based foods. But is such a diet well adapted to pets?
Cats and Dogs
Descended from a common ancestor with the wild wolf, dogs have long ago adapted themselves to eat leftovers from human feeding. Slowly they have become omnivorous. Dogs eat meat, but they also feed on starchy foods and vegetables. On the other hand, cats have remained strictly carnivorous.
The reason for this difference resides in the amino acid taurine. It is synthesized in most mammals, and is found in mammal tissue. For cats, taurine is necessary for their sight, their digestion and their heart functions. Dogs are capable of synthesizing enough from other amino acids that can be found, for example, in grain or soya. This is not the case for cats. That’s why cats have to regularly consume taurine (therefore, meat) in their diet.
It is consequently possible for dogs to adopt a strictly vegan diet, as long as they are provided all the nutrients they need (minerals, vitamins, protein, fats, etc.). Even the French website VEGAnimalis reminds us that certain foods are toxic to dogs and that all pet diets should take into account that “we don’t have the same proportional needs for nutrients, fibre, and micronutrients.” In comparison, a strictly vegan diet is not recommended for cats.
Difficult to Attain
To ensure that diets for cats and dogs fulfil their nutritional needs, we have to turn to standards defined by different entities. We can look at the guidelines issued by the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials), a non-profit organization; FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation); and the American National Research Council (NRC).
Indeed, a 2020 Brazilian study conducted on three vegan dog biscuit brands and one vegan cat biscuit brand showed that none of them fulfilled the guidelines of the AAFCO. Some had an excess of zinc and copper, whereas the cat biscuits didn’t contain minimum recommended amounts of protein and taurine. A 2021 study on 26 brands of vegan dog biscuits and pâtés indicated that only four of them respected AAFCO standards, and just one lived up to FEDIAF requirements. Indeed, none of the bands tested were sufficient for an adult cat, a kitten or a puppy (even though some brands asserted the contrary).
If industrial vegan foods can’t satisfy dogs and cats’ nutritional requirements, what about in-house solutions? A 2021 Brazilian study was conducted on 100 recipes for dog and cat foods that can be produced at home. These recipes included vegan, vegetarian and meat-based recipes. None of them fulfilled the requirements of the NRC or the FEDIAF. They all were deficient in iron or zinc. Taurine was not evaluated in this study, but the vegan and vegetarian recipes did not provide recommended protein levels.
Good Health?
In the end, you also have to check the health of the animals fed with vegan foods to see if feeding them this way is a good idea in practice. The data on this is very skimpy.
For example, a 2022 study concluded that according to dog owners whose pets had been fed with vegan foods, their animals seemed to be in better health than those fed with a conventional diet. The data consisted of a simple survey.
There is even less data on vegan-fed cats. Since cats are naturally carnivorous, few cat owners choose this way of feeding.
Verdict
Dogs seem more likely to adapt to a vegan diet because their metabolism allows for it. For the same reason, cats have more difficulty. But data adequant to reach a verdict one way or the other is scarce. Before making any dietary changes for your pet, it is recommended that you consult a professional veterinarian for guidance.
Link to the Original Article
Ths article is part of the Détecteur de rumeurs series. Click here for other articles in the series.
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