A Vegan Diet for Pets: Vegan Dog Food

In 2022, more and more people are beginning to make the transition into a vegan lifestyle, many due to environmental reasons. A vegan diet for humans is sustainable as long as you make sure you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals you need, and vegan diets for pets are no exception.

A vegan lifestyle is more than just a diet. Those living a vegan lifestyle will substitute consumables made from animal products for vegan substitutes. When it comes to sustainable pet supplies, this means substituting your pet collar with a vegan leather dog collar, and your pet leash with a vegan leather leash.

Can You Feed Dogs Vegan Dog Food?

The short answer? Yes. Provided your pet is still getting all the key nutrients they need, and enough protein, calcium and vitamins, it is absolutely fine to feed your pet a vegan diet.

The main supplements that dogs will require if they are on a vegan diet are two amino acids, L-carnitine and taurine. These are generally insufficient in a plant-based diet, and older dogs are more likely to need these crucial nutrients. Always read the label of your vegan pet food to find out whether you need to buy additional supplements.

Vegan diets for pets can help to reduce our impact on key environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and water pollution. Going one step further and buying sustainable pet supplies for your pets such as a vegan leather dog collar or vegan leather dog leash is also beneficial.

Vegan Dog Food

It is recommended to feed your pet a vegan pet food that is commercially available, rather than something you make yourself. This is because pet food is required by law to contain all the nutrients a pet needs. Make sure you purchase a vegan dog food labelled as ‘complete’, especially if the food will form the majority of your pet’s diet.

Some great vegan dog food brands include V-dog, Amì and Petaluma.

How to Transition to Vegan Dog Food

If you decide to opt for a vegan diet for your pet, it’s important not to make the change overnight. Here are the steps you should follow to make the transition to meatless pet food:

1. Mix the vegan pet food into your pet’s current food.
2. Reduce the proportion of non-vegan pet food over a period of a few weeks.
3. If they need convincing, add in some extras! For dogs this could be a bit of soy milk, nutritional yeast, olive oil or tomato sauce.
4. Once the pet is on a vegan diet, monitor them closely for a few months, paying attention to any new skin or digestive issues that might occur.

A Vegan Lifestyle for Pets

A vegan lifestyle is about more than just vegan dog food. If you’re looking to make additional changes to reduce your carbon footprint and impact on the planet then consider adopting a vegan lifestyle in addition to a vegan diet.

Making sensible purchase decisions when it comes to sustainable pet supplies is a big part of a vegan lifestyle. Need a new dog collar? Purchase a vegan leather dog collar that will stand the test of time and result in a smaller quantity of greenhouse gas emissions.