Vegan

Full article is too long to post, but:

Multiple studies suggest that dogs and cats can live longer and healthier lives on scientifically formulated meatless kibble than on conventional diets. (Cats, which evolved to eat only meat, must receive essential supplements such as taurine.)

Early studies show that nutritionally sound meatless diets are reducing obesity, allergies and the environmental pawprint of pets.

“There’s all this research that didn’t exist a few years ago,” says Andrew Knight, a veterinarian and professor at the University of Winchester, where he directs the Animal Welfare Research Group, in Britain. “The world’s starting to change.”

Now plant-based pet food is booming. The $20 billion market is growing faster than conventional, meat-based kibble.

It’s human conditioning, rather than innate tastes, that often dictates what our pets eat.

“When it comes to this, pets are classically animals,” says Carly Fox, senior veterinarian at Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in New York. “Most dogs will eat what is in front of them and what is given to them.”

From a nutritional perspective, almost all pet food sold in the U.S. meets the same “complete and balanced” criteria set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), according to Knight. It’s the gold standard that regulators use to ensure pet food is safe and healthy (look for it on pet-food packaging).

But what makes something healthy for pets is not the specific ingredients.

It’s the nutrients. Meat optional.

Widespread adoption of plant‑based pet food could solve several problems at once: It’s a healthy source of food for pets that eliminates many allergens (the vast majority of identified dog and cat food allergies are to animal proteins), while incurring a fraction of the environmental impact of regular pet food.

Conventional formulas are responsible for about 20 percent of the livestock slaughtered in the U.S. — roughly 2 billion animals annually. Even by-products appear to have a higher environmental cost than once assumed.

Vegan diets aren’t without risk, though most issues have resulted from poorly formulated foods, rather than the lack of meat, according to Knight.

But the real question is: Will your pets eat it?

I knew the perfect judge. I asked my Siberian husky, Miska (who often looks down her snout at my offerings), for her expert opinion.

Most importantly, Miska liked it.