Chris Packham Reveals His Dogs Are Vegan – 5 Benefits for Plant-Based Canines
When naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham discussed his decision to feed his dogs a plant-based diet during an appearance on daytime TV, he generated lots of discussion about vegan dog food.
Research shows that a balanced and complete vegan diet can not only be adequate, but also superior, to meat-based diets for dogs.
Chris Packham’s Dogs Are Vegan
On 9 January 2026, Chris appeared on ITV show Good Morning Britain to discuss his decision to raise his dogs, Sid and Nancy, with plant-based food.
“What new research is showing is that plant-based diets are as good as nutritionally, or even better than meat-based diets,” he told the hosts. “This is peer-reviewed science that has been done in 2022.”
Chris also emphasised that dogs need nutrients, rather than specific ingredients. “What’s critical to say, it’s not where the proteins, amino acids, the fats, the vitamins, the rest of the nutrients come from, it’s that they are in that diet,” he said. “So if it is properly formulated like this diet is, then the dogs should be as healthy or healthier.”
Chris isn’t alone – experts agree that dogs can thrive without meat. Here are some of the key benefits to raising your dog vegan.
Vegan Dogs Are Often Healthier
In 2022, a major study – the largest of its kind – looked at the diets and health of 2,500 dogs, finding that vegan dogs appeared to be healthier. The study, which was published in Plos One, found that half of the dogs on meat-based diets required non-routine medication, but only a third of vegan dogs did. Dogs on meat diets also had more visits to the vet on average over the course of a year, and were more likely to suffer health disorders.
It’s not new for dogs to eat plants. Dogs – like us – are omnivores, and can thrive on a balanced, complete vegan diet. Commercial plant-based dog foods formulated by veterinarians and nutritionists are getting more mainstream, making it easier than ever to ensure your companion gets everything they need.
Guardians of dogs who suffer from allergies and obesity are often recommended to transition to a vegan dog food, because the most common food allergens for dogs are meat and dairy. Plant proteins have been shown to help overweight dogs shed pounds, just like they do humans.
Vegan Dogs May Live Longer
According to a study published in the journal Research in Veterinary Science in 2022, dogs fed vegan diets could live up to 18 months longer than those fed on meat-based foods. The study by the University of Guelph also recorded fewer instances of skin, endocrine, gastrointestinal, liver and kidney diseases, and other conditions in dogs on a vegan diet.
A famous plant-powered pup, Bramble, who was born in 1975, broke the world record in 2003 for being the oldest female dog at 25, and her guardian, animal advocate Anne Heritage, who wrote a book about Bramble’s life and diet, had two other dogs who lived to be 19 and 20 on a vegan diet.
Meat-Based Dog Food is Cruel to Other Animals
A popular criticism of guardians who choose vegan dog food is that they are “cruel” or “animal abusers” – but what about the billions of land animals – and trillions of fish – who are bred, confined, and killed by the meat industry?
Pigs, for instance, are social, playful animals who can dream, recognise their own names, and learn to sit for a treat. Some love to cuddle and relax in the sun – not much different from dogs.
But humans cuddle dogs while condemning pigs to slaughter because of speciesism, the misguided belief that some individuals are inferior to others because they are members of a different species. Speciesism underpins all the most widespread forms of animal abuse.
Chickens, cows, sheep, pigs, fish, and all other animals have the same will to live and are every bit as deserving of respect as our beloved dog companions. They all feel love, joy, fear, and pain and have individual personalities, just like dogs. We don’t need to subject them to a life of misery and a violent death to feed our dogs a healthy diet, so why would we?
Vegan Diets for Dogs Are Better for the Planet
According to a study published in January 2026, dog food accounts for 1% of UK greenhouse gas emissions. Animal agriculture is destroying the planet: driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, species extinction, and water use and pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.
A separate study, published in 2025, found that plant-based dog food had the lowest environmental impact across all measures.
Conventional Meat-Based Dog Food Is Unnatural
While it’s true that dogs’ closest relatives, wolves, eat a mixture of wholesome plants and animals they’ve hunted themselves – this isn’t what you’ll find in a standard can of dog food.
Meat-based commercial dog foods contain all sorts of animal-derived products scraped up from slaughterhouse floors, including wool, feathers, hair, horns, hoof cuts, feet, blood, and placenta, as well as tissues deemed unfit for human consumption, like liver with fluke (parasitic worms). Equally unnatural are the chemical preservatives and artificial colours and flavours that find their way into most supermarket pet foods.
What About Other Alternatives?
Cultured meat is becoming a reality, and will soon be available as a companion animal food. Cultivating meat in a laboratory is certainly kinder, cleaner, and more sustainable than current commercial options. But since billions of animals are still being killed every year for food, animal agriculture is fuelling the climate catastrophe, and delicious, nutritionally balanced vegan dog food is already widely available, there’s no reason to wait.
Making dog food from insects is a terrible idea. Insects are sentient beings, too – and all animals, whether they have four legs or six, value their lives and deserve to live free from exploitation. It’s also inefficient, unsustainable, and expensive, as trillions of insects would have to be raised on farms to meet demand.
Healthy, sustainable dog food already exists – and it’s vegan.
Look After Your Dog Companion
Check out other ways to protect the animals you share your home with:
How to Go Vegan
For more tips on vegan lifestyle and delicious recipes (for humans), order our free Vegan Starter Kit:
Help Animals in 2026: Renew Your PETA Membership!
Donate Now
