Review scope

This summary is based on the published abstract. We have not appraised the full methods, tables or supplementary material. Details absent from the abstract remain unverified.

Question and design

12 healthy adult female Beagles in a replicated Latin-square study. Two mildly cooked vegan foods, tested over three feeding periods. Comparator: A chicken-based extruded food.

What was measured?

Digestibility, blood measurements and faecal characteristics, metabolites and microbes.

Main findings

Macronutrient digestibility exceeded 80% for all foods. Vegan foods had higher fat but lower organic-matter digestibility. Several blood and stool measures differed; overall microbial diversity did not.

Study strengths

Within-dog dietary comparisons and several objective measurements.

Limitations

Small, single-breed sample. Processing and ingredients changed together. Long-term clinical outcomes were not tested.

Researchers’ conclusion

The researchers considered the tested vegan foods to have performed well on measured outcomes.

Evidence.pet interpretation

Results apply to these formulations. They do not validate every vegan food or demonstrate that lower cholesterol improves health in healthy dogs.

Funding and conflicts

PubMed lists Bramble, Inc. funding and an author declaration of no conflicts. Full declarations were not appraised.

Source and review date

Roberts LJ, Oba PM, Swanson KS. Study of macronutrient digestibility and blood and faecal measurements in adult dogs fed mildly cooked vegan foods. Journal of Animal Science. 2023;101:skad093. DOI identifies the original paper.

Read the primary source · DOI record

STU-012. Reviewed 25 September 2026. Next review 25 December 2026.