What to Add to Your Dog’s Vegan Diet
In a vegan diet, macronutrients and micronutrients should be available in amounts set by the AAFCO for vegan dog nutrition. Below are the ingredients you need to add to your dog’s vegan meal to be considered a balanced diet.
Your pups need ten essential amino acids (protein building blocks) in their diet. These are necessary for tissue maintenance and the production of enzymes and antibodies.
Animal proteins have higher quality proteins since they offer the correct amount a dog needs. Vegan protein for dogs, on the other hand, is often lower in one or more essential amino acids.
It can be easily amended by adding complementary plant protein sources to their vegan meal. For instance, pairing peas and oats can give your dog all the essential amino acids as they have different acid profiles that fully complement each other.
Aside from being a vital energy source, dietary fat can provide essential fatty acids your dogs need for various metabolic reactions. Your pet requires nutritional sources of both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. You can find these nutrients in vegetable oils, like flaxseed (high in omega-3 alpha-linoleic acid) and sunflower oil (a rich source of omega-6 linoleic acid).
Another great benefit of fats and oil in your dog’s vegan diet is that they can help maintain their lustrous coat. Hemp Seed oil and tahini can transform your dog’s coat within a few days.
L-Carnitine and taurine are amino acids that canines acquire through their diets. Plant-based and vegan sources can produce both ingredients.
Taurine plays a crucial role in cardiac function, retinal function, growth, and reproduction. Currently, supplementation with vegan taurine is now an industry standard, even for meat-based kibbles.
The natural taurine in animal meat is often denatured during the heating process. They are re-added (usually in synthetic form) to avoid nutrient deficiency.
L-Carnitine is also something that dogs cannot synthesize. You can only find them in animal flesh — therefore, you will need to add this specific supplement to your pet’s vegan diet. You can find it in several commercial vegan meals.
Your dog has a higher protein requirement than you, so it is better to ensure that about 50% of its vegan meal is made from high-protein plant sources. The need for protein is why the Vegan Dog Nutrition Association suggests a meal with a base of lentils, peas, soybeans, and oats. One good source of protein is wheat meat!
Wheat meat, or Seitan, is a high-protein, saturated fat, and cholesterol-free vegan meat made from gluten-free flour. Developed hundreds of years ago by vegetarian Buddist monks, wheat meat is an excellent source of protein that you can give your dog as an occasional treat.
Mixing flour and water makes a dough. It is repeatedly rinsed to remove the starch, keeping only the stringy gluten or Seitan. The result is a savory, meat-tasting treat that naturally appeals to pets.
Dogs convert beta-carotene to Vitamin A, a necessary nutrient that is hard to find elsewhere other than in plant-based diets. You need to include carrots, sweet potatoes, and other orange-colored root vegetables in your dog’s vegan diet, as they are vital sources of beta-carotene.
You may also include other vegetables (cut finely or mashed) for minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and fiber. Some good choices are pumpkin, yams, carrots, squash and small bits of Brussels, broccoli, cooked cabbage, and sprouts.
Numerous supplements on the market, like Green Mush and Prozyme, contain all enzymes that your dog needs.
Can Dogs Fully Digest Vegan Food?
Can dogs digest and survive on a vegan diet? The answer is yes. These animals are omnivorous, meaning they eat fish, poultry, and meat. They also derive essential nutrients from various plant-based sources, like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains.
Dogs can digest plant-based food and make incredible use of them as a source of energy and nutrition. The amount of carbohydrate, fat, and vegetarian protein for dogs in a properly balanced vegan diet is comparable to several commercial diets that contain meat-based sources.
While they are capable of digesting vegan food, it is still important to note that there is a risk to placing your dog on a fully vegan diet:
To offset these risks, you can include supplements to your pet’s vegan diet.
What Supplements Do Dogs Need on a Vegan Diet?
The vegan dog supplements that your dog needs will depend very much on the food you will be providing. It’s highly advisable to work with a canine nutritionist to work out exactly what your dog needs, and in what quantities.
Taurine is something that every vegan dog diet should be supplemented with. Low levels of taurine have been linked to a deadly condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy so you shouldn’t risk your canine’s levels falling below what’s recommended.
If it’s any consolation, taurine can be easily depleted by all kinds of ingredients even in a meat-based diet, so taurine supplementation is standard for all types of dog food.
Vitamin B12 is another one that you might want to consider supplementing with. It can be found in fortified cereals, some types of seaweed and some plant-based meats. However, it is primarily found in animal products, which means that it’s not uncommon for vegans to need to add a supplement.
Whether you opt to create your own vegan food from scratch or you choose to buy a branded vegan food your dog will need to consume the same nutrients to stay fit, well and healthy.
Not every dog will need the same amount of each. That’s why it’s important that you either buy a formula that’s suitable for the stage of your dog’s life – i.e. puppy or senior food – or you take advice from a canine nutritionist.
Any food you give to your dog should include the following:
Vitamin C isn’t missing from the above list accidentally; dogs are actually able to create their own so don’t need to consume it (although it won’t hurt them if they do