A community to discuss anything related to veganism.
Some concerns:
As vegans who actually care about the science, thank you. We do need more studies about this, especially non biased ones that give us as much information as possible.
We do understand the push some vegans have towards wanting species who have traditionally needed meat to survive and thrive towards veganism for those species. However, we do also care about those species that need certain nutrients too.
We hope that the scientific evidence supports them being able to survive and thrive on vegan diets but it isn't there yet. Anyone or anymany who says otherwise, as much as we understand really needs to calm down and wait, be patient and do their best to not harm those species in the mean time.
Ahh the non-vegans brigading and cosplaying as scientists with their guilt-assuaging gotchas! Consider submitting your resume to PLOS ONE's editorial department on account of your veterinary science expertise and acumen. No study is definitive. Science is incremental.
Feel free to check my post history, I have posted nothing but positive things about veganism. If a definitive study released showing that a vegan diet would allow my dog to live a longer and healthier life, then I would switch today. We're simply not there yet.
Bullshit but ok. I have nothing against vegans, or the lifestyle but please do not force your beliefs on an animal not designed to eat only veggies. It's cruel and dangerous.
findings have been made into a Netflix film
Very scientific..
Plus they only studied 15 dogs...15... Over 1 year...That's in no way long enough, not a large enough sample size to confirm that this is ACTUALLY healthy.
do not force your beliefs on an animal
cough factory farming, slaughterhouses cough Thank you for doing your part for non-human animal welfare. This comment offsets your meat and dairy consumption /s
Dr Melgarejo, a professor at California’s Western University, said to UnchainedTV, “Probably the majority, 90 plus per cent of veterinarians, are not aware that the dog is one of the greatest omnivore species on earth, and they’re just repeating things that they’ve heard. But, there are papers published by universities as reputable as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, where they actually show that the dog is an omnivore.” Dr Annika Linde added, “Dogs need specific nutrients. They don’t need specific ingredients, and I think that’s the best way of really putting it.”
Edit: your comment in a nutshell is so 2025. There's a well-designed scientific study in a highly reputable journal, but your contradictory opinions based on misinformation are worth ...
I'm not trusting a 'scientific' study which created a Netflix documentary, and spoke to some random unchained TV (whatever the heck that actually is) which is now plastered on the front page of vdog petfood..it's just advertising to sell products. The sample size of the study is WAY too small and not long enough to be realistic. They got the data, went 'yup ..let's make ads now. '
Also, none of these dogs were puppies where the study would REALLY count. They are all grown dogs of 1yr+ and have already fully developed for the most part. Do a pile of puppies and see their results after 2 or 3 years.
Alas; Get an herbivore pet like a rabbit if you want a plant based diet for your animal. Anything else said will literally be talking to a wall. Good day and keep being vegan because we as humans do consume too much, I whole heartedly agree with the vegetarian and (somewhat) vegan stance.
I think your mistrust around the scientific conduct and editorial processes here are misplaced. Communicating scientific findings to lay people (e.g., a Netflix film) is an example of a well-respected practice called knowledge dissemination.
There are limitations to every study, and you highlight some important ones. 15 non-puppy-aged dogs with 1 year of follow-up is not definitive. But few studies are. Their 3000 outcomes variables examined makes this study an important contribution to the (under-funded) research area of what human companion pets can safely be vegan.
As a vegan, I think of how the 15 dogs in the study didn't - cannot - consent to the 3x blood draws. So, I thought it was a judicious sample size for a single study, which on its own cannot be definitive. More data is needed, as you point out.
It was interesting chatting with you and learning a bit about you. Have a great day!
The mistrust is partially warranted in my opinion. There are some important critiques in the peer review, which could not be resolved with the current study. It is not a bad study in any way, but it is limited by many factors and I wouldn't assume findings as straight up facts, but the basis for further research with blinded placebo-controlled clinical studies with inclusion of confounding factors.
Also this is way out of my scientific comfort zone, but just some thoughts.
please do not force your beliefs on an animal
You will do that either way, no pet food is natural.