The Rising Tide of Meat Avoidance -- In Pets' Diets

"People who avoid eating animals tend to share their homes with animal companions, and a moral dilemma may arise when they are faced with feeding animal products to their omnivorous dogs and carnivorous cats. One option to alleviate this conflict is to feed pets a diet devoid of animal ingredients—a ‘plant-based’ or ‘vegan’ diet. The number of pet owners who avoid animal products, either in their own or in their pets’ diet, is not currently known. The objective of this study was to estimate the number of meat-avoiding pet owners, identify concerns regarding conventional animal- and plant-based pet food, and estimate the number of pets fed a plant-based diet.
Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph survey, PLOS ONE

"[Fewer than two percent of dogs and cats in the study sample were fed a strictly plant-based diet, however] that's still a large number of animals that are potentially affected."
"Nutrition for pets really does shadow what's going on in human nutrition. People have been hearing about how vegan diets are linked to lowered risks of cancer and other health benefits in humans." "There is also growing concern about the environmental impact of animal agriculture. So, while only a small proportion of pet owners are currently feeding plant-based diets to their pets, it is safe to say that interest in the diets is likely to grow."
Sarah Dodd, veterinarian, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph

(Rarnie McCudden from Pexels)

The study out of Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph's, the first to look into the issue of "meat avoidance" for companion pets concludes that 35 percent of pet owners showed an interest in changing their pets' diets from one heavy on animal products to a vegan or plant-based diet, mostly because they themselves are practising meat-avoidance. Close to 20 percent of Canadians are alert to a new nutrition bias against animal products in their diet and have taken to minimizing or eliminating meat from their dinner tables.

According to a recent survey, 1.3 million Canadians identify as vegetarians, with 466,000 Canadians dedicating themselves to veganism, excluding dairy and eggs along with meat. When they restrict their own diets to non-meat essentials a moral conflict ensues considering their pets' diets, heavy on products for which meat is a major ingredient. Dogs are naturally omnivorous, while cats are carnivores, their diets heavily dependent on meat protein for optimum health.

Cat owners in Britain have been warned that charges could be laid under animal welfare laws should they impose a vegan diet on their pets. As with humans, theoretically dogs could survive on a diet based on plant matter as long as essential nutrients normally derived from meat are present. There is, however, an absence of studies evaluating the nutritional quality of pet foods kibbled or canned, based on plant matter to the exclusion of meat entirely. Cats would fail to thrive outside a meat-based diet.

A survey with the title "Pet Feeding Practices" was circulated online to the attention of dog and cat breeders, which the PLOS ONE journal-published study was based upon. There were 3,673 responses, mostly from pet owners in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. with dietary information provided for 2,940 dogs and 1,542 cats with the majority of pet owners (84 percent) indicating they eat an omnivorous diet, six percent identified as vegan, six percent as vegetarian and the remainder pescetarian (including fish, excluding meat).

Many dogs (10 percent) and cats (3 percent) were intermittently fed vegetarian or plant-based foods while 97 percent of dogs and 99 percent of cats were given food containing meat. An interest was expressed by 35 percent of pet owners in feeding their pets a diet based on plants, though not yet having made the transition. Half that number felt "further stipulations needed to be met" before finally committing to the change in diet -- specifically nutritional sufficiency evidence.

Of vegans who responded, 27 percent reported feeding pets an exclusive plant-based diet, with double the number of dogs as cats fed exclusively plant-based diets. No evidence has been published through research on possible health benefits accruing with avoidance of meat in dogs or cats, the researchers concluded.

As well, vitamin deficiencies could arise as a result of eating only plant-based foods. Respondents indicated (half the omnivores surveyed and over half vegetarians) they felt it to be immoral for pets to be fed a diet their natural needs mitigate against.

The problem, as Ms. Dodd -- who specializes in veterinary nutrition -- sees it, is that  a rising trend exists where pet owners have committed to consciously limiting meat in their companion pets' diets.