What does plant-based dog food do to your dog's blood and stool?
In a controlled study, dogs on plant-based food had lower cholesterol, lower triglycerides, and a lower percentage of neutrophils than dogs on a traditional chicken-based food; the stool also showed a number of positive differences (Roberts et al., 2023).
What do these terms actually mean?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that circulates through the blood. In humans, chronically high cholesterol is linked to cardiovascular disease; in dogs, it is one of the standard values measured by a veterinarian during blood tests.
Triglycerides are also a type of fat in the blood and serve as energy storage. Like cholesterol, they are measured as standard in blood tests, and a chronically elevated level can indicate underlying health issues.
Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and an important part of the immune system; they belong to the first line of defense against infections. The percentage of neutrophils is part of a complete blood count.
Stool characteristics refers to how the stool looks and what it is composed of, such as the shape, moisture content, and the presence of certain degradation products. This provides a good picture of how digestion is progressing.
What kind of research was this exactly?
Twelve healthy, adult female beagles participated in this study, eleven of whom completed the entire study. In a rotating schedule, each dog was fed both two fresh and gently cooked plant-based foods and a traditional extruded chicken-based food, for 28 days per food (Roberts et al., 2023). Blood and stool values were measured at the end of each period.
What was observed in the blood?
Cholesterol levels in dogs on the chicken food were 184 mg/dL, compared to 133 and 130 mg/dL for the two plant-based foods (Roberts et al., 2023). Triglycerides were also clearly lower on plant-based food: 36.8 and 34.2 mg/dL, compared to 56.2 mg/dL for the chicken food. And the percentage of neutrophils was 59.9% and 56.4% for the plant-based foods, compared to 67.7% for the chicken food (Roberts et al., 2023). It is important to mention: all values, for all foods, remained within the normal reference ranges for healthy dogs.
And the stool?
This might be the most significant finding. Overall stool quality, scored on a consistency scale, did not differ significantly between the foods; all three provided good stool quality. What did differ strikingly: phenols and indoles, harmful degradation products produced during protein fermentation, were 6 to 9 times lower with the plant-based foods than with the chicken food (Roberts et al., 2023). In addition, certain beneficial short-chain fatty acids, which are produced during fiber fermentation, were actually higher with one of the two plant-based foods.
Why should this be interpreted with caution?
A few things are important to consider. There were only 12 dogs, all female beagles, so generalizing to all dogs is not straightforward. More importantly, the plant-based foods tested were fresh and gently cooked, not extruded dry food like most dog kibble, including VerdaDog's. The researchers themselves indicate that it is therefore unclear whether the effect comes from the plant-based ingredients, the method of preparation, or both (Roberts et al., 2023). Previous studies on other, non-plant-based, fresh-prepared foods showed similar drops in cholesterol and triglycerides.
Finally: this research was funded by Bramble, Inc., the manufacturer of the plant-based foods tested. That does not make it bad research—it was peer-reviewed and published—but it is relevant to know when weighing the results.
What does this mean for VerdaDog's nutrition?
This is exactly why we at VerdaDog do not simply assume that a result from one form of food applies to every plant-based food, whether it is fresh, gently cooked, or extruded. Curious about the composition of our kibble? Check it out here! Do you have a specific question about your dog's nutrition? Take a look at our FAQ page or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
Does this result apply to every plant-based dog food, including extruded dry food?
That is not certain. This study tested fresh and gently cooked food, not extruded dry food. The researchers themselves emphasize that the effect may partly be due to the preparation method, not just the plant-based ingredients (Roberts et al., 2023).
How many dogs participated in this study?
Twelve adult, female beagles, eleven of whom completed the full study. Each dog went through all three food types (Roberts et al., 2023).
What do phenols and indoles in the stool say about my dog's health?
Phenols and indoles are degradation products that occur when protein in the intestines is broken down by bacteria, and high concentrations are considered a sign of less favorable fermentation. Lower values, as seen with the plant-based foods in this study, therefore indicate a more favorable fermentation process (Roberts et al., 2023).
About the author
David is the founder of VerdaDog. He grew up with a dog that struggled with allergies, which got him thinking about how he could prevent that in his own dog. He has been eating plant-based for over ten years himself, and that interest in nutrition, for himself and his dog, forms the foundation of VerdaDog. This article was written based on peer-reviewed research. David does not claim any veterinary or scientific expertise and always refers to a veterinarian for medical advice.
Literature
Roberts, L. J., Oba, P. M., & Swanson, K. S. (2023). Apparent total tract macronutrient digestibility of mildly cooked human-grade vegan dog foods and their effects on the blood metabolites and fecal characteristics, microbiota, and metabolites of adult dogs. Journal of Animal Science, 101, skad093. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad093
