Katy Perry - And Her Dog - Go Vegan
The musician sparked a big debate after revealing to her 109 million Twitter followers that she and her dog Nugget are going vegan.
Katy and Nugget. Credit: Facebook/Katy Perry
Musician Katy Perry has announced that she is going vegan - and so is her dog Nugget.
The global star took to Twitter to tell her 109 million followers of her transition to a plant-based diet.
But while many responded with positive comments, some fans were concerned about how her dog will cope on a vegan diet. Is it healthy? And should more dogs be eating vegan food?
“A growing body of evidence appears to indicate that dogs and cats can survive, and indeed thrive, on nutritionally-sound vegetarian and vegan diets,” according to the authors of a review in the journal Animals of four studies that examined the nutritional adequacy of vegetarian diets for dogs.
The key is to plan your dog's diet well, to make sure that their nutritional needs are always being met. A good way to do this is to consult your vet. With the right care, many - but not all - dogs can thrive on plant-based food.
Interestingly, the famous border-collie “Bramble” - who lived for 25 years and held the Guinness World Record for “the world’s oldest bitch” - lived on a vegan diet full of brown rice, lentils, vegetable protein and yeast extract.
Many of us don’t realize just how much our companion animals are fuelling the demand for meat. A staggering 30 percent of the meat consumed in the United States is eaten by our pets. So by treating our dogs to more vegan food, we could help accelerate the global shift away from supporting animals being farmed for food.
And vegan dog food can be surprisingly simple, too. Companies like Wild Earth are making sustainable, meat-free alternatives to dog food, and are having huge success: Wild Earth’s founder Ryan Bethencourt pitched his company on Shark Tank - not only did the Sharks taste his dog treats, but Mark Cuban invested in them too.
Increased awareness about the possible health benefits for dogs on a vegan diet are also driving the trend: F1 champion Lewis Hamilton recently revealed that his beloved Roscoe’s plant-based diet has helped improve the pup’s health.
“3 months ago, I decided to transition [Roscoe] to a vegan diet. It has changed his life”, Hamilton wrote on Instagram. “He now doesn’t have any breathing issues, his throat is no longer restricted, and he doesn’t overheat like he did before and he loves to run. He also has no allergy issues. He’s like a puppy again!”.
Plant-based dog food is here to stay - and that’s good news for animals and the planet. Find out more, by listening to Species Unite’s episode Ryan Bethencourt: This is the Future of Dog Food.
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Species Unite
A collection of stories of those who fight the good fight on behalf of animals.
The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.