11. Why your dog can – and should – go vegan

Vegans are everywhere, and with only 12 years left to limit devastating global warming, it’s not a moment too soon.

In Britain alone, veganism has seen a 360% increase over the past decade, with more and more converts citing environmental concerns and personal health as the reason they made the switch.

Once the exclusive doctrine of card-carrying PETA activists, reasons for kneeling at the beetroot-stained altar of veganism now go beyond equal rights for animals.

Films like Cowspiracy and Carnage disrupted our carnivorous groupthink. Celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Leonardo DiCaprio gave veganism Hollywood appeal. Influencers like Avant-Garde Vegan and Fat Gay Vegan inspire plant-based creativity. And athletes like Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton and Colin Kaepernick are examples of the elite potential of plant power. Oh, and vegan bodybuilders are totally a thing.

But there is a blind spot in our collective green awakening: our pets. And the longer we ignore its bark, the harder it’s going to bite.

In the US, dog and cat food meat is responsible for greenhouse gases equivalent to 13.6 million cars. If America’s dogs and cats formed their own country, they’d rank fifth in global meat consumption. And quantity isn’t the only issue.

Dogs are increasingly served up lavish ‘human-grade meat’ and organic produce, with commercial dog food brands dreaming up flavours like Smoked Bacon and Egg Soufflé Breakfast, Grain-Free Roasted Bison and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Our desire to humanise dogs has led us to feed them ingredients straight out of the human supply chain – adding extra pressures to a global food system that is already struggling to cope with demand.

Animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and it is widely accepted that urgent efforts are needed to cut down meat consumption, yet the mere suggestion of a plant-based doggie diet triggers serious rage:

Yes, dogs may belong to the order Carnivora, but they’re actually opportunistic omnivores – meaning they’ll eat anything they can get their paws on. And, with 1/6th the number of taste buds as humans, they’re not fussy eaters either.

For canines, the switch to veganism requires a steady transition, a little care and a balanced diet of protein-rich beans, soy, vegetables and grains. Yes grains. Fun fact: there are virtually no health benefits to faddish grain-free dog diets.

More than survive, dogs can thrive on a plant-based diet. The internet is filled with testimonials of trailblazing vegan pooches. Most prominent among them was Bramble, the vegan border collie who lived to the ripe old age of 25.

Not convinced? Holding onto the idea that putting your dog on a vegan diet is somehow unnatural, oppressive or cruel?

*Let’s try a thought experiment*

Put aside the hypocrisy of invoking animal abuse to advocate the killing of animals, and try to factor humans out of the equation entirely.

Then ask yourself this:

If our cockapoos had to survive in the wild, would they be capable of taking down a deer for dinner? Would our Yorkshire terriers get all Yorkshire Ripper on us? Would the diminutive dachshund be more savage than sausage?

Of course not. Our dogs’ lives depend and revolve around us. After 15,000 years of human interventions, nothing about their situation is ‘natural’. We neuter them, we choose when and where they get to pee, we set their playtimes and their bedtimes. We dress them in waistcoats, bow-ties and booties. We groom them to look like exotic animals. We pick their mates, and sometimes perform a ceremony. We’ve even sent them to space.

The modern dog comes from centuries of selective breeding. Their experience today is unrecognisable from that of their ancestors. If you don’t believe us, just ask Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Choosing a plant-centric way of life for your four-legged friend is just more of the same. And it’s easy to do. You could turn to a vegan dog food brand, make your own, or just commit to cutting out the unnecessary excess.

The success of the human species is linked to our association with dogs. They provided human settlements with protection, they acted as alarm systems, playmates and garbage disposal facilities. In return, humans provided a regular supply of food and indefinite insulation from nature.

And as the planet’s most successful partnership has evolved, dogs have largely lived up to their end of the bargain.

But we’re in serious danger of letting them down. With the ever-growing threat of human-made climate change, we can no longer guarantee their survival.

So if you love your dog, protect their planet and feed them plants.

Your best friend is counting on you.

You’ve read the article, you’re sympathetic to the cause but you’re still not convinced about transitioning your dog to a vegan diet.

We get it. Sometimes facts aren’t enough. Sometimes the only thing that will persuade you are photographs of adorable dogs.

So here they are. Photographs of big dogs, little dogs, young dogs, old dogs, curly-haired dogs and spotty dogs who are all happy, healthy and vegan.

Words and art direction: Do the Green Thing

Illustrations and animations: Andrea Chronopoulos

Photography: Rachel Oates

With special thanks to Christian Vieler and his photo series ‘Dogs Catching Treats’