As the vegan population of the world continues to increase, so does the number of vegan dogs! Around the world, an estimated 79 million people have chosen a lifestyle free from animal products, and that number is expected to continue rising.
As a result, the number of plant-based products being offered also grows. Just take a look in the pet food section – new, meat-free products keep popping up. But how are you supposed to know whether your furry friends are getting all the nutrients they need?
To be healthy, dogs need to consume complete meals with a good balance of fat, protein, and carbs, as well as an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals. PawCo makes that easy. Our recipes are created by a dedicated team of board-certified animal nutritionists and food scientists to ensure that each meal contains all the necessary nutrients and matches the AAFCO requirements of dogs.
Our dog meals are based on GreenMeat™ – the first plant-based meat for dogs! It’s a complete, balanced, well-rounded plant-based meat alternative optimized for our four-legged companions.
But wait – aren’t dogs carnivores? Actually, the answer is no. Dogs, are proven to have evolved from their wild wolf ancestors into omnivores, perfectly equipped to digest starches and get all their required nutrients from plant-based protein sources.
GreenMeat™ contains four main ingredient groups:
- plant and yeast proteins,
- vegetable oils/fats,
- natural food coloring,
- and flavor additives and palatants.
GreenMeat™ is low-fat, has a complete amino acid profile, and is also supplemented with all the essential vitamins and minerals to ensure your dog doesn’t suffer any deficiencies. We’ve also added specific probiotics to our recipes to help with digestibility. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that help aid in gut health. They can help combat gastrointestinal distress in your dog that, if not taken care of and treated, can lead to dehydration, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances, and malnutrition. Read more about the power of probiotics and their effects on pet health here!
So, how does it taste? Our food is not only nutritious, but it is also delicious! Each recipe must be appealing to dogs, who have a very sensitive and complex palate. While humans have about five or six million scent receptors, dogs have hundreds of millions, allowing them to detect nuances humans cannot. Scent and taste are inextricably connected, so dogs are unlikely to try anything that does not smell good to them.
We added flavor enhancers and palatants to improve the taste and aroma of our meals. To put the food to the test, we had a third-party palatability study where 20 dogs ate our food for two days. The dogs consumed 99% of the food on day one and 100% of the food on day two, indicating that they liked the taste! More information on palatability and our taste test can be found here.
We use our GreenMeat™ as the base for all PawCo recipes. The first one, Green mix & carrots, is already available, and new, exciting recipes will be launched over the next 2-3 months. We are so excited to make this new generation of pet food available in the market, and we look forward to fulfilling your order!