![]() The ethical appeal of veganism is also reflected in the search for foods that are free of animal origin ingredients for pets, which can have negative implications on animal health, especially in cats that are obligate carnivores. Īccording to a survey, around 14% of Brazilians declare themselves as vegetarian or vegan and this number seems to be growing. Among the reasons that lead to the adoption of this lifestyle are health concerns, sustainability/environmental preservation, empathy for animals and ethical concerns. Adepts of this movement exclude meat, seafood, eggs, dairy products, and all other animal products from their diet. Veganism is considered a strict form of vegetarianism and involves practices other than changes in the dietary regimen. Furthermore, manufacturers should review their formulations to ensure the nutritional adequacy of these foods. It was concluded that all foods analyzed had one or more nutrients below the recommended levels and some presented zinc and copper excess, therefore, these foods should not be recommended for dogs and cats, because dietary deficiencies found may lead to health risks for dogs and cats. In addition, when the amount of nutrients consumed by animals with low energy requirements was simulated, in addition to the same non-conformities described above, it was observed that the cat food does not meet the minimum recommended of protein and taurine in unit/Kg 0.67. One of the dog foods did not meet the minimum recommendation for methionine and the cat food did not meet the minimum recommendation for arginine. Zinc concentrations exceeded this limit in two foods (one for dogs and one for cats) and iron levels exceeded the legal limit in one dog food. Copper concentrations exceeded the legal limit in all foods. The Ca:P ratio did not meet the minimum recommendation of FEDIAF (2019) and AAFCO (2019) in any of the dog’s foods analyzed, and the cat food also did not present the minimum recommendation based on FEDIAF (2019). The cat food presented potassium content lower than recommended. Regarding the FEDIAF recommendations, one food for dogs had low calcium, another had low potassium and a third had low sodium. Arachidonic acid was not reported in any food label. All foods met the minimum recommendations for macronutrients. The comparisons were made in a descriptive manner. Four vegan pet foods were assessed (three for dogs and one for cats). The objective of this study was to evaluate the macronutrients composition, fatty acid and amino acid profiles, and essential minerals content of all vegan foods for dogs and cats available in the Brazilian market, and to compare results with FEDIAF (2019) and AAFCO (2019) recommendations.
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