10 May 2023
New panel is reviewing association’s stance on alternative pet diet programmes, while American study suggesting vegan diet can have health benefits receives criticism.
Allister Webb
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Image: © Africa Studio / Adobe Stock
A new panel set up by the BVA to review its stance on alternative pet diet programmes has begun its work, officials have confirmed.
The move was revealed following the publication of a new American study, which suggested a vegan diet may have health benefits for dogs.
But the paper has been heavily criticised by a leading advocate of another contentious dietary approach, while a senior BVA official also voiced unease about the continuing lack of information about long-term implications.
Although the association first signalled an intention to reconsider its stance on dietary questions last summer, few details about its new Companion Animal Feeding Working Group have so far been released.
A spokesperson told Vet Times: “The working group comprises a range of veterinary nutrition experts, and has been set up to develop BVA’s position on diet choices for cats and dogs, addressing nutrition, animal welfare, sustainability and public health. The work is expected to be completed early next year.”
The BVA had previously refused to endorse either a vegetarian or vegan diet, arguing they made it easier for owners not to provide an appropriate balance of nutrients.
But that stance came under pressure from a growing body of research work suggesting dogs on vegan diets could live longer and be less susceptible to a range of health conditions.
Andrew Knight, a vet and professor of animal welfare at the University of Winchester, said he commended the BVA’s move, but also suggested it was long overdue.
He said: “The BVA position has been outdated, and ignorant of current science in this field. For years, they’ve ignored my own offers to update them about the science. That offer remains open.
“I hope they will finally move towards an evidence-based position on this issue, reflective of the wealth of recent published studies in this field. Even better would be to talk to researchers such as myself about additional key studies that are forthcoming.
“BVA positions should aim to advance environmental sustainability and animal welfare, rather than impede it, as has consistently occurred on this issue.”
The latest study by academics from the University of Illinois, published in the Journal of Animal Science, tested two mildly cooked human-grade vegan diets on a group of 12 beagles over a three-week period.
It found the diets were “highly palatable, highly digestible, and maintained adequate stool quality, blood metabolites within reference ranges, and other measures of health.” The paper also found a reduction in both serum cholesterol and triglyceride, which it suggested could benefit animals that were overweight.
Co-author Kelly Swanson insisted he was not advocating or opposing any specific dietary programme.
He added: “This study, and others we have published over the past few years, show that as long as scientific knowledge about nutrient content of ingredients and nutrient needs of the animal is used for diet formulation, high-quality ingredients are used, and diets are appropriately processed, a wide variety of diets can be fed to healthy adult dogs.”
Prof Knight argued the paper reinforced the lack of evidence for critics’ claims that vegan diets were less digestible than meat-based alternatives, and said further “very exciting” studies in the area were also forthcoming.
But BVA senior vice-president Justine Shotton was more cautious about the study’s findings.
She said: “There is a lot of ongoing research and scientific interest in the field of vegan dog diets, and this paper adds to the body of evidence supporting its benefits.
“However, there is currently a lack of robust data mapping the health consequences of feeding a vegan diet to a large number of dogs over many years, so we look forward to seeing further research on whether non-animal protein sources can meet a dog’s dietary requirements over the long term.
“As an evidence-based organisation, BVA will follow and assess all emerging evidence regarding vegan, as well as other, novel diets through our recently convened companion animal feeding working group.”
Meanwhile, Alison Frost, lead nutrition advisor for the food producer ProDog Raw, dismissed the study as “misleading” and warned it would only serve to make feeding choices more confusing for owners.
She claimed research had demonstrated the merits of a species-appropriate raw diet, adding: “Dogs are facultative carnivores, and while they can ‘survive’ as vegan, they cannot thrive on a diet without meat.
“The long-term health effects of a solely based vegan diet are not yet available as this is a relatively new way of feeding.”
