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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Are you among the 4% of U.S. adults who have gone vegetarian? If so, you might wonder if it's time to put your four-legged friends on the same eco-friendly, ethical diet. Now, a new study is offering some reassurance to dog owners who would like to feed their pets a meat-free diet. Dogs that spent one year eating a plant-based dog food made with pea protein were in good health at the end of the experiment, according to a new study from researchers at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California and the University of California-Berkeley. These pooches showed no signs of amino acid deficiencies or heart problems. In addition, eating the pea protein dog food may have corrected vitamin D deficiency in some of the animals. Seven of the 15 dogs that participated in the study had low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D before beginning the new diet. Six of those dogs had normal vitamin D levels six months into the study, and the seventh dog achieved the same goal at 12 months. The researchers note that none of the dogs received any extra supplementation. The researchers’ findings arrive at a time when there has been some controversy about feeding dogs a plant-based diet. In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigated a possible link between dog foods labeled as grain-free and a diagnosis of canine dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, in dogs who consumed such foods. DCM attacks a dog's cardiac muscle, preventing the heart from generating the pressure necessary to pump blood throughout the animal’s vascular system. Ultimately, the FDA concluded that that there was not sufficient data to show that such diets – including those with peas, lentils, other legume seeds or potatoes as chief ingredients – cause DCM.

Possible limitations of the study

However, before you rush out and to buy a plant-based dog food for your dogs, it is important to note the pea-protein study’s potential limitations. The small sample size – just 15 dogs – and the lack of a control group on a meat-based diet are “significant limitations” in the study, says Dr. Kathryn Dench, holistic and integrative veterinarian and chief scientific advisor at Paw Origins. “These factors raise questions about how well the results generalize to the canine population at large, and how the outcomes compare to meat-based diets,” Dench says. Also, the study’s one-year time frame might not be long enough to determine the long-term impacts of the diet, or whether it is sustainable over a long period, she said “While the results are positive and support the use of plant-based diets in dogs, they should be interpreted with caution,” Dench says. The study’s small sample size also raises a cautionary note for Dr. Paola Cuevas, a veterinarian and veterinary consultant at Dogster.com. She also notes that the study focused on just one food -- Kind Kibble from V-Dog. So, it would be a mistake to extrapolate these findings to all other plant-based dog foods.

Should you feed your dog a plant-based diet?

With those caveats in mind, Cuevas acknowledges that feeding your dog a plant-based diet may indeed offer benefits in some situations. “The biggest pro would be the ecological impact on the environment and the ethical considerations for some owners,” she says. Some dog owners may turn to plant-based dog foods because growing crops requires lower use of resources and produces less pollution than maintaining livestock. “In addition, plant-based proteins can be an alternative for dogs with allergies to multiple animal proteins,” Cuevas says. The key is to choose the right plant-based food. “Some products can be deficient if not properly formulated,” Cuevas says. She notes that Kind Kibble from V-Dog is enriched with taurine, an amino-acid nutritional supplement. However, you should not assume that all plant-based dog foods contain taurine or other nutrients that are important to a dog’s health. “Pea-protein-based diets that are not properly formulated and supplemented may lead to taurine deficiency,” Cuevas says. By contrast, both precursor amino acids and taurine itself are naturally found in high concentrations in muscle meat, fish and eggs. “A dog's natural, evolutionary diet is not a plant-based diet,” Cuevas says. Dench also believes that feeding your dog plant-based foods can make sense if your dog has allergies to common meat proteins, or if you simply want to reduce your environmental footprint. But she shares the concerns about plant-based diets meeting your dog’s nutritional needs, particularly in terms of essential amino acids and specific vitamins. “It's crucial to formulate these diets with a deep understanding of canine nutritional requirements to avoid deficiencies,” Dench says.

Talk to your vet before switching to plant based dog food

Dench says further studies are necessary before concluding that alternative diets – such as those featuring pea protein – are safe for dogs. For now, it is best to rely on the guidance of your veterinarian, she says. “Owners considering this dietary shift should do so under veterinary supervision to ensure their pets' health and nutritional adequacy are meticulously maintained,” Dench says. At least for now, some experts remain skeptical. For example, the British Veterinary Association has taken the official position of not recommending vegetarian or vegan diets for dogs. For its part, the American Kennel Club says a vegetarian diet for dogs is possible, but only when paired with the right supplements. It also notes that dogs in the wild prefer animal-based protein, and that whenever possible, dogs should eat a diet "that most closely resembles what they would eat if hunting on their own."[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="175123" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1715980325844{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/halo-holistic-plant-based-dog-biscuits-sweet-potatos-carrots"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="175122" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1715980342941{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/natural-dog-company-multivitamin-supplements-for-dogs"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="175121" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1715980359278{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/halo-wet-dog-food-vegan-non-gmo-vegetables"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]