top of page
Search

Can Your Dog Be Vegan? A Deeply Controversial Investigation

  • Writer: Emanuele Bortolotto
    Emanuele Bortolotto
  • Jul 27
  • 8 min read

Updated: Sep 6


It's a beautiful day here in Konala, Helsinki. The parks are full of people enjoying the precious Nordic sun, and almost all of them, it seems, are accompanied by a dog. Big dogs, small dogs, fluffy dogs, and weird-looking skinny dogs. They are all running, sniffing, and generally living their best lives. As I watched this happy, chaotic scene unfold, a profound and deeply controversial question popped into my head, a question that has launched a thousand internet comment-section wars: what are these dogs eating for dinner?

For most dogs, the answer is simple: some kind of meat-based kibble. But for the pet of a committed ethical vegan, this simple act of opening a can of dog food can be a source of profound cognitive dissonance. How can a person who has dedicated their life to the principle of not harming animals then go home and feed their best friend a meal made from... other animals? 🤷‍♀️


This leads to one of the most fraught questions in the entire movement: are vegan dogs real? Is it possible, or even ethical, to raise a healthy, happy dog on a diet of pure plants? As an investigator, I knew I had to venture into this emotional and scientific minefield to find the truth.


The Ultimate Paradox: The Vegan Who Buys Meat


To understand why this is such a heated debate, you first have to understand the ethical dilemma at its core. I’ve explored the philosophy of ethical veganism in other articles, and its foundation is the exclusion of all forms of animal exploitation. An ethical vegan believes that buying a leather jacket is wrong, that drinking cow's milk is wrong, and that eating a chicken is wrong.

Now, imagine that person goes to the pet store. They are faced with a wall of brightly colored bags, almost all of which are filled with the processed remains of the very animals they have built their life around protecting: chickens, cows, lambs, and fish. For them, buying a bag of traditional dog food can feel like a profound moral failure, an act of hypocrisy that directly contradicts their core beliefs.

I mentioned this topic to my editor, and he immediately made a face like he’d smelled something bad. "Oh, that." he said. "Prepare for angry emails from both sides." He was right. This is a topic where everyone is an expert, and everyone is angry. Because on one side, you have a powerful ethical argument. And on the other, you have a 10,000-year-old biological reality: the dog.


A Wolf in Dog's Clothing? A Deep Dive into Canine Biology 🐺


The first and most important question in this investigation is a biological one. Is a dog a carnivore or an omnivore? The answer determines whether a plant-based diet is a reasonable possibility or a biological absurdity.

People who argue that dogs must eat meat often point to the fact that dogs are descended from wolves, and wolves are most certainly carnivores. And it's true, your fluffy little chihuahua is a direct descendant of the mighty grey wolf. But a lot can change in 15,000 years of domestication. My investigation into canine biology revealed some fascinating differences.


The Tummy Test: Guts and Glory


A true, or "obligate," carnivore like a cat has a very short, simple, and highly acidic digestive tract, perfectly designed for breaking down raw meat and killing bacteria. A herbivore, like a cow, has a very long and complex digestive system for fermenting tough plant matter. Dogs, I discovered, are somewhere in the middle. Their digestive tract is longer than a cat's but shorter than a cow's. They are, from an anatomical perspective, textbook omnivores.


The Starch Story: A Genetic Twist


The most compelling piece of evidence I found is a genetic one. Researchers have identified key genetic mutations in dogs that are not present in wolves. One of the most significant is an increased number of copies of the gene AMY2B, which is responsible for producing amylase, the enzyme that breaks down starch. This means that dogs evolved alongside early human agriculture, developing a much greater ability to digest starchy, carbohydrate-rich foods than their wolf ancestors. They are biologically adapted to eat the scraps from our table, and our table has always included a lot of plants.


The Canine Conundrum: Those Big, Pointy Teeth


"But what about their teeth?!" the internet shouts. It’s true, dogs have impressive canine teeth. But as I’ve investigated before, the presence of canine teeth doesn’t automatically mean a creature is a carnivore. Our closest primate relatives, the gorillas, are almost entirely herbivorous and have a set of canines that would make a vampire jealous. 🧛‍♂️ A dog’s teeth are the versatile toolkit of an omnivore, capable of ripping meat but also of grinding up plant matter.

So, the scientific verdict is in: dogs are not obligate carnivores. They are true omnivores, biologically capable of deriving nutrients from both plant and animal sources. This means that, from a purely biological perspective, a vegan diet is possible. But "possible" and "optimal" are two very different things.


The Nutritional Minefield: Building a Vegan Dog 💣


This is where my investigation gets very serious. Creating a nutritionally complete and balanced vegan diet for a dog is not a simple task. It is a nutritional high-wire act with significant and potentially fatal risks if done incorrectly. A dog has specific nutritional needs, and it doesn't care about your ethical philosophy. It just needs the right building blocks to survive and thrive.


The Protein Problem: More Than Just a Number


The biggest challenge is protein. It's not just about getting enough protein; it's about getting the right amino acids. There are two amino acids, L-carnitine and taurine, that are absolutely crucial for a dog’s heart health. A deficiency in these can lead to a serious, and often fatal, heart condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). These amino acids are abundant in animal tissues but are not found in significant amounts in most plants. Any commercial vegan dog food must be supplemented with these specific amino acids. Trying to "DIY" a vegan dog diet at home without a deep understanding of this is incredibly dangerous.


The Vitamin Void


Dogs also have specific vitamin needs. They need Vitamin D, which they cannot make from sunlight as efficiently as we can, and Vitamin B12, which is not found in plants. Again, any reputable commercial vegan dog food will add these back in as supplements.


The Urine Problem: A Question of pH


This was one of the most surprising and important risks I uncovered. A diet based entirely on plants can make a dog's urine more alkaline. This change in pH can dramatically increase the risk of forming certain types of urinary crystals and bladder stones, specifically struvite stones. This is a painful and potentially life-threatening condition that can cause a urinary blockage. A well-formulated vegan dog food will include ingredients like methionine or other urinary acidifiers to counteract this and keep the dog's urine in a healthy, slightly acidic range.


What Do the Vets Say? The Official (and Very Cautious) Verdict 👩‍⚕️


So, what do the actual animal health experts think about all this? My investigation into the official positions of major veterinary organizations revealed a consistent and very cautious consensus.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) both state that while it is theoretically possible to formulate a healthy vegan diet for a dog, it is very difficult to do so, and it carries significant risks. They strongly recommend that any owner who chooses to do this must:

  1. Feed a commercially produced vegan dog food that has been specifically formulated to be nutritionally complete and has met the standards of the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) or its European equivalent, FEDIAF.

  2. Do so only under the strict supervision of a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. This is not a job for your regular vet, and it is definitely not a job for Dr. Google.

Their position is essentially: "We do not recommend this. But if you are going to ignore our advice and do it anyway, here is how to do it in the least dangerous way possible."


Questions from the Internet



Questions from the Internet: "Okay, but are there any actual studies on the health of vegan dogs?"


Yes, there are a few, and the results are intriguing but must be taken with a large grain of salt. A 2022 study published in the journal PLOS One, which was a large-scale survey of over 2,500 dog owners, found that owners who fed their dogs a vegan diet reported that their dogs were, on the whole, healthier than those on a conventional meat-based diet. They reported fewer vet visits and fewer health disorders.

However—and this is a huge however—this study was based entirely on owner-reported surveys, not on actual veterinary examinations. This is a very weak form of evidence that is highly susceptible to bias. An owner who has made the unconventional and ethically-driven choice to feed their dog a vegan diet may be more likely to perceive their dog as healthier. My investigation concludes that while this is an interesting data point, we are still a long way from having the kind of robust, long-term, randomized controlled trials needed to say anything definitive about the long-term health outcomes.


Questions from the Internet: "What about cats? Can my cat be vegan?"


I am going to make this as clear as I possibly can. NO. NO. ABSOLUTELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY, NO. 🚫 While dogs are omnivores, cats are obligate carnivores. This is not a debate; it is a biological fact. Cats lack the ability to synthesize certain essential nutrients, like taurine and Vitamin A, from plant sources. They must get them from animal tissue. Feeding a cat a vegan diet is not an ethical choice; it is a death sentence. It will lead to blindness, heart failure, and death. Do not do it.


Internal Link Break!


The ethical dilemma at the heart of the vegan dog debate is a core part of the larger vegan philosophy. To understand the principles of non-exploitation that lead a person to ask this incredibly difficult question in the first place, you have to read my full investigation: [What Is Ethical Veganism?]


The Conclusion: A Question of "Can" vs. "Should"


So, after this deep and emotionally charged investigation, we return to our original question: are vegan dogs real?

My conclusion is this: yes, they are. Biologically, a dog can survive on a plant-based diet. But the more important question is, should they? That is a much more dangerous and complicated question.

Creating a vegan diet for a dog is a nutritional high-wire act, performed over a pit of potential health disasters. While it is possible with a meticulously formulated, commercially produced food and the guidance of a veterinary specialist, it is fraught with risks.

As an investigator, I have to conclude that this is a situation where an owner's personal ethical philosophy comes into direct and dangerous conflict with the biological needs of another being. And in that conflict, the welfare of the animal in your care must, without question, be the absolute number one priority. The most ethical choice is not necessarily the one that aligns perfectly with your own ideology, but the one that ensures the creature you are responsible for is as healthy, happy, and thriving as it can possibly be. ❤️

This whole debate is about the unexpected ways animal products show up in our lives, even for vegans. For a guide to the ones hiding in your own food, check out my report: [When Food Labels Lie: A Vegan's Guide to Spotting Hidden Animal Ingredients].


Now, you're probably sitting there, your brain full of this new and slightly alarming information, and you're thinking, 'That's all well and good, but you know what would be great now? Supporting this website. You can do that by buying some vegan products on Amazon!


Sources


Recent Posts

See All

Comments

© 2020 Copyright Emanuele Bortolotto

bottom of page