Introduction There has been a surge in feeding plant-based foods to pets and advocates extol the health benefits of this practice. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence to support health claims for vegan diets in dogs. Aims This study aimed to quantify perceived health changes by dog guardians following the feeding of a single brand of UK-produced vegan food for a period of 3 to 12 months. Methods Dog guardians registered as feeding the vegan food for 3 - 12 months were invited to participate in an online Likert Scale-type survey of observations reflecting health status. Results 100 guardians completed the survey. The vegan food was acceptable (palatable), and appetite and body weight were not adversely affected. Changes, including improvements, were reported in the following areas: body condition score (BCS), activity, faecal consistency, faecal colour, frequency of defaecation, flatus frequency, flatus antisocial smell, coat glossiness, scales in haircoat (dandruff), redness of the skin (erythema, inflammation), crusting of the external ear canals (otitis externa), itchiness (scratching; pruritus), anxiety, aggressive behaviour and coprophagia. Conclusions This is the first study to quantitatively document guardian reports of specific positive health benefits associated with feeding a UK vegan dog food. Further prospective, randomised, controlled clinical trials are needed to validate and determine the significance of these observations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.