University of Winchester
UK: Vegetarian diet is healthy for dogs, new study finds
However, vegan food has not been tested on dogs’ liking (icon)
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A new analysis of 2,500 pets shows that vegetarian dogs visit the vet less frequently and require less medication.
According to the largest dog nutrition study to date, vegetarian foods are healthier and safer for dogs than traditional meat-based foods as long as they are full of nutrients. The diet and health of more than 2,500 dogs were monitored each year using questionnaires filled out by their owners. These evaluated seven public health indicators b. Several visits to the veterinarian and 22 common ailments summarize the results of the “Guardian” study.
For example, researchers found that about half of the dogs were fed a traditional meat-based diet, but only about a third of them ate a vegetarian diet. In a separate study in 2021, dogs found vegetarian food to be just as delicious as regular dog food.
Vegetarian dogs are less likely to go to the vet
Some of the dogs in the study were fed green meat, and these were somewhat healthier than the overall vegetarian dogs. However, this may be due to the fact that they were on average one year younger. “Our study is the largest published to date,” said Andrew Knight, a professor at the University of Winchester in the UK who led the study, he told The Guardian.
The study, published in Blossom One magazine, analyzed studies conducted by 2,536 dog owners, each with an animal. More than half ate a regular meat-based diet, and a third ate a raw meat diet, and 13 percent were vegetarians.
Findings include that 17 percent of dogs on a regular diet had four or more visits to the veterinarian a year, compared to 9 percent of dogs on a vegetarian diet and 8 percent of dogs on a green meat diet. The proportion of dogs with health problems is 49 percent on a regular diet, 43 percent on a green meat diet and 36 percent on a vegetarian diet.
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