Vegan Dog Food =/

A little info on vegan diets for dogs:

A recent study of dogs in Europe fed a vegetarian diet showed that protein intake was inadequate for over half the dogs, calcium requirements were not met in 62% of the dogs' diets, phosphorus requirements were not met in roughly half the dogs, 73% had an insufficient intake of sodium, a high number of blood samples showed insufficient amounts of iron, copper, zinc and iodine, as well as vitamin D, and 56% of the dogs were not getting enough vitamin B12. Even the commercial vegetarian diets were found to not meet a dog's nutritional needs.

Nutritional Adequacy of Vegetarian Diets;
www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk

Theoretically, a dog’s nutrient requirements can be met from a properly balanced meat–free diet. There are few commercially available meat–free diets for dogs, and their recent arrival onto the market suggests a new consumer demand for this type of product. However, there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that a meat–free diet is adequate for exercising dogs. A study by Yamada et al. (1987) which compared the effects of vegetable protein and animal protein diets in dogs during vigorous physical training found a significant decrease in haemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cells (RBC) in dogs fed the vegetable protein diets after
2 weeks while dogs fed the animal protein diet showed no significant change.

To test the adequacy of a totally meat–free diet for performance dogs an experiment was designed involving 12 sled–racing Siberian Huskies (6 dogs and 6 bitches aged 2 to 7 yrs and a mean weight of 20 kg). The Siberian Huskies were fed either a commercial meat–based diet recommended for active dogs (n = 6), or a meat–free diet formulated to the same nutrient
specifications. Both diets were dry extruded products based on rice and corn. The meat–based diet included chicken, whereas the meat–free diet contained soybean. Diets supplied 96 g of crude protein and 6.7 MJ of energy daily. Dogs were fed these diets as their sole nutrient intake for a period of 16 weeks. The study period included 2 weeks of pre–race training, followed by 10 weeks of competitive racing, and 4 weeks of recovery during which training was gradually reduced. All dogs received identical exercise and care. Fresh,
whole blood samples, collected at weeks 0, 3, 8 and 16 were analysed with a Cell–Dyn 3500R haematology unit. Vet checks were performed at weeks 0, 8, and 16 by the dogs’ usual veterinarian.

Haematology results were within normal range for all of the dogs throughout the study (Table 1). Veterinary examinations found dogs to be in excellent
physical condition. Dogs performed well at a national level in races. Dogs fed the meat–free diet performed equally to dogs on the premium meat–based diet. No dogs in this study developed anaemia. On the contrary, RBC and Hb values increased significantly over time (P<0.01) in both groups of dogs, confirming the adequacy of both diets for dogs in a performance situation.
-W.Y. Brown, K.A. McIntyre, A.J. Redman and J.R. Pluske
Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition in Australia, Volume 15 (2005)

Pet food company study or not, I was merely trying to offer a different view.

But that said - No 16 week study is going to prove to me that the diet is good for the life of the dog either. A quote from Herschel's post states: However, there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that a meat–free diet is adequate for exercising dogs.

IMO, it's just not natural...and I don't believe we humans should force a human practice onto our dogs because of our beliefs.

My breed is predisposed to DCM - vegan diets have been HIGHLY linked to contributing factors in DCM. Not something I'd risk with my dog.

Whoa! I think you misread my post.

The line, "However, there is no scientific evidence..." was essentially the hypothesis statement. She was staging the question that she wanted to answer with her study! As there is no previous scientific evidence, she wanted to address that topic.

I thought vegetarian/vegan diets had been linked to DCM in cats, but not necessarily in dogs? And I thought supplementing carnitine and taurine helped with that?

By the way, I feed Canidae All Life Stages--with 4 different animal protein sources.

Both diets were dry extruded products based on rice and corn.The meat–based diet included chicken, whereas the meat–free diet contained soybean.

Are there any studies available that show the difference between dogs fed a raw meat and bone diet and a totally raw vegan diet?