“Chronic inflammatory illnesses in dogs such as cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis and food intolerances are skyrocketing, and we need to ask whether there is a link to the popularity of high meat diets over the past few decades,” says Laverdure-Dunetz. “Bioaccumulated toxins in animal ingredients can create serious health issues in animals and people. The lower down the food chain we eat, the fewer toxins we consume.”
Laverdure-Dunetz also dispels myths that dogs are carnivores who need animal protein. “As I discuss in The Plant-Powered Dog, modern companion dogs are not wolves. They have evolved alongside humans for tens of thousands of years and are nutritional omnivores well suited to digesting and absorbing plant-based nutrients, including protein. The key, as with any type of diet, is to ensure the nutrition is well-balanced for the individual.”
For those who aren’t ready to go all in on a vegan diet for their dogs, Laverdure-Dunetz recommends a flexitarian approach. “If you consume a flexitarian diet, try doing the same for your dog,” she says. “By incorporating natural, functional plant-based ingredients and superfoods into your dog’s meals, you’ll improve their health as well as help save farm animals and the environment.”
“There’s no doubt that the trend of plant-based diets for dogs is here to stay. I call it ‘modern nutrition for modern dogs,’” says Laverdure-Dunetz.
About Diana Laverdure-Dunetz, MS
Diana Laverdure-Dunetz, MS, holds a Master of Animal Science degree and has formulated fresh-food diets for dogs around the world for more than a decade. In 2018, she switched her meat-based formulation practice to plant-based and founded Plant-Powered Dog. Her book, The Plant-Powered Dog, was released in January, 2023 by Dogwise Publishing.
