I’ll start off my saying, no, I don’t think your dogs should be a vegan. But I do believe they should have a healthy, balanced diet, and some pet owners aren’t aware of the ways they can do that.
Just like humans, your pooch should be eating their greens! And their oranges, and yellows – a whole rainbow of foods, herbs and botanicals. There are some really amazing healthy treats on the market today, many of which are hypoallergenic and grain free, so perfect for pups with allergies. Like us, dogs can reap the benefits of superfoods (suPAWfoods), which are full of nutrition and antioxidants, with a number of plant-based products being low fat to tackle obesity, offering antiinflamatory properties and aiding digestion.
Phoebe and Frank have been trying out some vegan treats this month, and they certainly haven’t turned their nose up at any of them! From human food grade treats, to plant-powered bites – here are four vegan products you dogs will love.
Soopa Healthy Bites Cranberry & Sweet Potato
Barbara launched Soopa after working as a dog groomer and realising how many of our pets were suffering from illnesses related to commercial pet food.
She said: “It was during my time working in my previous dog grooming business I was shocked to see so many dogs suffering from commercial pet food related illness such as; obesity, diabetes, chronic itching and skin allergies. I wanted to offer dog owners a super healthy treat they could give to their dog guilt free that was low calorie, nutritious and also delicious. I knew dogs loved fresh fruit and vegetables so I got to work and after lots of time spent in kitchen and much trials and testing the Soopa chew was born.”
We love the Soopa Healthy Bites, which are grain free and hypoallergenic, and made from human grade ingredients. There aren’t many pet food brands that can lay claim to that. The cardboard packaging is recyclable, and inside is a resealable plastic pouch which is the perfect size to take on walks. We’ll be keeping hold of all of ours to fill with treats in the future! They come in three different vegan flavours, including Kale and Apple, Carrot and Pumpkin, and Cranberry and Sweet Potato.
We love the Cranberry and Sweet Potato bites, which are a little flower shaped treat packed with antioxidants, fibre and Vitamin C. The treats are said to be beneficial for dental health and immune support – so their dental sticks are next on our list of things to try. Cranberry is great for dogs prone to UTIs, whilst other ingredients like Flaxseeds are also brilliant suPAW (or Soopa)foods for dogs.
We love a treat with a short ingredients list, and these bites only contain: Whole potato flour, potato starch, veg glycerine, carrot pieces dried, calcium carbonate, pumpkin seed flour, organic coconut oil, turmeric, potassium sorbate.
They low fat treats are great for dogs who need to lose a little weight, or suffer with allergies.
Benevo Pawtato Sticks With Spinach And Kale
With some pet products, it’s purely coincidence that they’re vegan. You’d only know by checking that all of the ingredients are plant based. But Benevo is an independent pet food company dedicated to ethical vegan pet products.
The Hampshire-based family business launched in 2015 after realising that in vegetarian and vegan households, the only remaining meat was in their dogs’ dinner. The Benevo team said: “Many of those pets were rescue animals and so having rescued one animal, people found themselves with an ethical dilemma as they spooned out a less fortunate animal from a tin. For some, having to buy meat to feed a pet meant they had chosen not to have a pet at all.”
Benevo products are approved by the UK Vegan Society and Vegetarian Society, as well as PETA approved for not testing on animals.
The Scamps are absolutely obsessed with their Pawtato sticks, and will do anything to get their paws on one. The low fat treat is made from organically grown sweet potato flour, corn starch, rice flour, vegetable glycerin, spinach powder, kale powder and potassium sorbate. the Pawtato Sticks actually look a little bit like a hot glue stick, but make a wonderful dental chew. In fact, they tend to last a bit longer than some of the dental chews we’ve tried previously.
They’re a great source of fibre, antioxidants and Vitamin C to support the immune system, as well as being grain free. As previously mentioned, we’ve found them to be brilliant for dental care, and they should be given as a treat, reward, or part of a balanced diet. These are suitable for puppies over four months old.
Denzel’s Plant-Based Vegan Bites
The Denzel’s Plant-Based Vegan Bites are a brand new recipe launched alongside their Puppy Training bites.
We previously reviewed their six other bites flavours here. The brand creates gently baked treats here in the UK, inspired by co-founder James’ cocker spaniel, Denzel.
Last year, the brand was backed by the Branson’s after being the first pet food brand to receive funding from Virgin StartUp.
The Plant-Based Vegan Bites are Peanut Butter, Banana and Kale flavoured, made with chickpea flour, peanut butter, sweet potato, vegetable glycerine, banana, carrot and kale.
You get around 110 treats in the plastic-free, biodegradable, home-compostable pouches, which is great value for money and great for the environment. The pouches are also resealable for freshness. The soft, squishy bites are awesome for training and on walkies.
Lily’s Kitchen Vegan Rainbow Stew
The recipe is entirely plant based using natural ingredients such as potatoes, courgettes, carrots and lentils. It’s the perfect way to get a bit of colour into your dogs diet if they’re not a fan of carrot sticks as treats.
The Vegan Rainbow Stew means your pooch can take part in meat-free Mondays with you, with a recipe packed with yummy veggies, herbs and botanicals. For example, celery seeds and rosehip are both great sources of Vitamin C.
