DEAR READERS: A recent study found that pea-protein-based dog food provides dogs with all essential amino acids, while maintaining L-taurine and L-carnitine levels. Also, the plant-based diet may have addressed a nutritional deficiency: “Almost half (7 of 15) of the dogs presented with insufficient levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D at baseline,” the researchers wrote. They found that "vitamin D levels normalized in most dogs at six months ... and in all dogs at 12 months," which was accomplished without the use of supplements.
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The authors assert that this study is “of major relevance to One Health paradigms since ingredients produced independent of industrial food animal production are both more sustainable and help to circumvent ethical dilemmas for maintenance of health in domestic dogs.” For details, see the full study: "Domestic dogs maintain clinical, nutritional and hematological health outcomes when fed a commercial plant-based diet for a year" by Annika Linde et al., published in PLOS ONE, April 2024.
Readers should also check out this summary of the impact of conventional pet foods on the environment and on farmed animals: faunalytics.org/the-impacts-of-conventional-cat-and-dog-food. If conscientious consumers become aware of these numbers, they will start looking at alternative proteins not just for themselves, but for their companion animals as well.
I would add that properly formulated plant-based dog foods can help reduce the incidence of food allergies, which are most often triggered by animal proteins.
On a different note, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made his state the first to criminalize the sale of cultivated meat May 1, signing bill SB 1084. DeSantis declared that cultivated meat is a plot by “global elites ... to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals.” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey followed suit on May 7 by signing SB23, which makes it “unlawful for any person to manufacture, sell, hold or offer for sale, or distribute any cultivated food product” in Alabama. I say “nuts” to both!
Cultivated algae may soon be opposed by the fishing industry as consumers and pet food manufacturers turn to algae-based omega-3s -- a rich, natural source of DHA -- as an alternative to fish, with zero impact on the ocean. For instance, a product from Corbion called AlgaPrime DHA P3 is produced in closed fermentation tanks that are powered by renewable energy. In these tanks, sugar cane is converted into sustainable algae-based omega-3s. Some mushrooms also provide a nonanimal source of vitamin D, which is then used in some plant-based pet foods.
INSECTS IN CAT FOOD: A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SOURCE
Researchers at the Animal Welfare Epidemiology Lab at the University of California, Davis, are surveying cat owners about their perception of insect-based pet foods. The potential benefits: Some insects are highly nutritious; insect-based diets are unlikely to trigger allergic reactions; and the production process for insect-based foods may be more environmentally sustainable than that of conventional meat-based foods. And many cats naturally eat insects anyway! (Full story: Gizmodo, April 17)
Insects also provide a variety of nutrients that can benefit the gut microbiome, immune system, joints, oral health and brain function. For details, visit: petfoodindustry.com/insect-based-cat-and-dog-food/article/15670490/7-insectbased-pet-food-health-benefits-beyond-nutrition.
Insect-based food additives do not carry the risks of bacterial diseases found in meat and slaughterhouse byproducts, which can sicken pets and the people handling their food.
PET FOOD NEWS
Per Susan Thixton at Truth About Pet Food, 971 pet food complaints were reported to the FDA in January of this year. And 91% of the complaints concerned Purina products.
For more details, go to truthaboutpetfood.com.
(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.
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