After other studies published in the last few years have suggested this, a new study has confirmed that dogs can thrive on a plant-based diet, showing improvements in key health markers…
I think your mistrust around the scientific conduct and editorial processes here are misplaced. Communicating scientific findings to lay people (e.g., a Netflix film) is an example of a well-respected practice called knowledge dissemination.
There are limitations to every study, and you highlight some important ones. 15 non-puppy-aged dogs with 1 year of follow-up is not definitive. But few studies are. Their 3000 outcomes variables examined makes this study an important contribution to the (under-funded) research area of what human companion pets can safely be vegan.
As a vegan, I think of how the 15 dogs in the study didn’t - cannot - consent to the 3x blood draws. So, I thought it was a judicious sample size for a single study, which on its own cannot be definitive. More data is needed, as you point out.
It was interesting chatting with you and learning a bit about you. Have a great day!
The mistrust is partially warranted in my opinion. There are some important critiques in the peer review, which could not be resolved with the current study. It is not a bad study in any way, but it is limited by many factors and I wouldn’t assume findings as straight up facts, but the basis for further research with blinded placebo-controlled clinical studies with inclusion of confounding factors.
Also this is way out of my scientific comfort zone, but just some thoughts.
I think your mistrust around the scientific conduct and editorial processes here are misplaced. Communicating scientific findings to lay people (e.g., a Netflix film) is an example of a well-respected practice called knowledge dissemination.
There are limitations to every study, and you highlight some important ones. 15 non-puppy-aged dogs with 1 year of follow-up is not definitive. But few studies are. Their 3000 outcomes variables examined makes this study an important contribution to the (under-funded) research area of what human companion pets can safely be vegan.
As a vegan, I think of how the 15 dogs in the study didn’t - cannot - consent to the 3x blood draws. So, I thought it was a judicious sample size for a single study, which on its own cannot be definitive. More data is needed, as you point out.
It was interesting chatting with you and learning a bit about you. Have a great day!
The mistrust is partially warranted in my opinion. There are some important critiques in the peer review, which could not be resolved with the current study. It is not a bad study in any way, but it is limited by many factors and I wouldn’t assume findings as straight up facts, but the basis for further research with blinded placebo-controlled clinical studies with inclusion of confounding factors.
Also this is way out of my scientific comfort zone, but just some thoughts.