How To Enjoy Veganuary With Your Furry Best Friend

During 2021’s Veganuary, 500,000 people pledged to try a plant-based diet and more than 825 new vegan products and menu options were launched across the world. Following hot on the heels of COP26’s climate change agenda, this year’s Veganuary promises to be bigger than ever! The campaign encourages people and businesses to embrace a plant-based diet as a way of protecting the environment, preventing animal suffering and improving the health of millions of people.

But guess what? That plant-based diet isn’t just for you! Dogs are omnivores, which means they can get all the nutrients they need to thrive by eating meat-free, plant-based meals. So if you’re already vegan or enjoying the benefits of a plant-based diet, why not ditch the meat from your furry friend’s bowl this January too.

Here are just a few ways you and your pup can enjoy Veganuary together!

Dine out in plant-based style at some top-notch dog-friendly restaurants. Many pubs, cafes and restaurants are offering meat-free menus not just for you, but for your pup too. This Veganuary THE PACK have partnered with our friends at Purezza (across the UK), The Vurger Co in Brighton, Erpingham House in Norwich, Biffs in Dalston, and Mother Works, Barkney Wick and We Are Vegan Everything in Hackney to put the dog's dinner on the menu! All restaurants will feature THE PACK food on their menus for the whole of Veganuary so you won't have to sneak your dog chips under the table any more: they'll have their very own menu to choose from! Menus on offer varies and starts week commencing 10th January.

Hit the town with your hound! Fancy going ‘out out’ with your best pal? Renowned for being one of the dog-friendliest bars in London, Smith & Whistle has created a vegan ‘dogtail’ menu entirely for canine consumption. Treat your pup to a Poochie Colada, a blend of coconut water, kale and broccoli to help keep coats glossy and joints healthy, or a Hound’s Hops, a blend of specially brewed dog beer and fresh mint. Or maybe your pooch is too posh for lager? How about some ‘wine’, a healthy, 100% natural herbal infusion of ginseng, elder-flower, nettle, lime-flower and carrot…

Grab fresh takeaway food for you and your dog at the farmer’s market. Best Dog Biscuits in Kent offer vegetarian and vegan treats to suit every canine palate, while Snaffles Vegan Dog Biscuits in Sussex use only human-grade quality ingredients. Looking for something more permanent? Vegan cafes like Lele’s offer delicious plant-based cakes alongside drool-worthy handmade dog treats.

Learn something new together. With plant-based diets going mainstream, there are tons of educational resources that delve into the reasons why reducing or even giving up our meat consumption is critical for the planet, human health and animal welfare. Documentaries like Cowspiracy and Seaspiracy, The Game Changers, What the Health, Forks over Knives, Vegucated, Dominion and Rotten are all easily accessible, while books like Food Is Climate, Eating Animals and We Are the Weather, The End of Animal Farming, Animal Liberation and Dead Zone will reframe the way you look at the food on your plate. There’s also a growing body of literature looking at the impact of our furry friends’ food on the planet, including The Clean Pet Food Revolution, Pet Food Politics and Obligate Carnivore, and Professor Andrew Knight’s science-backed website https://sustainablepetfood.info/.

Cook up a storm in the kitchen, using meat-free ingredients you can all enjoy. This Veganuary we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to plant-based cookbooks, but there are plenty of yummy recipes for dog food too. Check out Plant-based Recipes for Dogs, The Plant-Based Dog Food Revolution and The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book, to name but a few. And while you should never feed your dog anything with garlic or onion, don’t be afraid to throw them leftovers like butternut squash, carrot, broccoli, green beans or kale. In fact, you’ll find all these healthy ingredients in THE PACK dinners! While homemade recipes are a great treat, you should always feed a ‘complete’ commercial pet food as your dog’s main meal. This ensures all the nutrients they need are delivered in bioavailable formulations, without any need for supplements. As well as THE PACK’s delicious complete wet dog food, you’ll see lots of new dry plant-based dog foods hitting the market this Veganuary, catering for all canine preferences.

Of course, Veganuary often ends up being more than just a one-month pledge: in 2021, 40% of participants said they planned to stay vegan while 85% intended to at least halve their intake of animal products, permanently. After seeing the health benefits for your dog, you might just decide to keep the meat out of their bowl too!