A Special Note From Tiffany Ruiz Dasilva, VMD, cVMA | Professional Services Veterinarian, Wild Earth
“Dogs have dietary requirements for energy and essential nutrients, but they do not have a recognized requirement for animal-derived ingredients per se” (Dodd, 2018).
As veterinarians, we are taught to think critically and to be open-minded, as science is ever-evolving. However, many of us will shut down when we hear the words “plant-based” when referring to dog food. We are rightfully very skeptical about alternative diets, including plant-based diets, because many past studies found that these were nutritionally deficient. The reason for this was that most people were formulating their own vegan diets, and these, of course, were not nutritionally complete and balanced.
In the last several years, however, there has been an explosion in evidence-based research that supports plant-based feeding in dogs. We now have many commercial companies that are manufacturing these foods on an industrial level, and most are taking good steps to ensure that products meet a high standard and are nutritionally complete and balanced. As veterinarians, we need to think critically and adjust our mentality based on the overwhelming weight of evidence on the side of nutritionally sound plant-based diets.
Not only are plant-based diets inherently free from the most common food allergens for dogs, making them a great option for food-allergic dogs, but recent evidence also suggests that dogs who eat a plant-based diet have improved health outcomes and increased longevity. Commercially available plant-based diets also provide clients wishing to feed plant-based a safe, nutritionally complete, and balanced option. All in all, plant-based dog food introduces an option for veterinarians and pet parents alike that can potentially help with symptoms caused by food allergies, improve overall health, support environmental sustainability, and improve animal welfare on a large scale.
Complete and balanced plant-based diets should be given equal consideration to meat-based diets, especially given the current understanding of pet nutrition, and the emphasis on nutrients, not ingredients. Currently, meat-based diets are evaluated based on whether they meet AAFCO requirements for nutritional sufficiency and plant-based diets should be evaluated using the same criteria.
