Feeding Dogs Shouldn’t Fund Slaughterhouses
In a world where dogs wear jumpers, cats have Instagram accounts, and we refer to companion animals as “fur babies,” there’s something disturbingly off about what we put in their bowls. People who call themselves animal lovers routinely buy the corpses of other animals. Welcome to the pet food industry.
It’s a paradox with a name. Sociologists have called it “the vegetarian’s dilemma” or “the animal lover’s paradox”: the moral conflict of protecting one group of animals by feeding them the bodies of another. And that contradiction is fuelling a massive shift. Between 2020 and 2024, the vegan companion animal food market nearly tripled in size — from $10 billion to $27 billion. It’s expected to more than double again in the next decade.
This isn’t a fringe movement anymore. It’s a revolt.
The number of people treating their dogs and cats as family has skyrocketed, with many openly admitting they’ve chosen animals over having human children. Dogs are “less demanding,” say some studies, offering emotional connection without nappies or nursery fees. But they’re still bankrolling slaughterhouses.
That meat isn’t “just byproducts” either. Around half of all companion food in the U.S. is made from human-grade meat. The other half is offcuts like bones, skin, and organs — but don’t be fooled. These so-called “waste” products are highly profitable and keep slaughterhouses afloat. By buying companion food made from animal flesh, you're not reducing waste — you're increasing demand. The system is rigged to appear efficient while squeezing profit from every last body part.
The myth that dogs and cats “need meat” is just that — a myth. What they actually need are nutrients: amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins. Whether those come from a lamb’s leg or a lab makes no biological difference.
In fact, processed flesh-based companion foods require synthetic nutrients too, because high-heat manufacturing destroys many naturally occurring compounds. Taurine, for example, is routinely added back into flesh-based foods — the same way it’s added to vegan formulas.
The evidence is mounting. Over a dozen studies — including a systematic review — have found plantbased diets to be as healthy or healthier than conventional ones for dogs and cats. Commercial plantbased food is palatable, complete, and well tolerated. Behavioural indicators show animals enjoy it just as much. If they didn’t, the companies making it would go bankrupt overnight.
So no — it’s not dangerous. What’s dangerous is assuming slaughtered animal remains are somehow a safer bet.
Companion food is responsible for up to 30% of the environmental damage caused by the meat industry. That’s not a typo. A landmark study found that if all companion dogs went plantbased, we could free up land larger than Mexico. If cats did the same, we’d free up land the size of Germany. The switch would also spare billions of animals — both the ones used as feed and the wild ones displaced or killed by agriculture.
Newer research confirms that cultivated meat for companions — made from a single cell line — emits less than 10% of the CO₂ generated by beef byproducts. BioCraft, one of the leading companies, grows its product in a bioreactor without needing to raise, feed, or kill any animals again. One live mouse cell line could feed animals indefinitely.
Meanwhile, companion food made from conventional meat continues to pollute waterways, spread zoonotic diseases, and fund the very industry many people claim to oppose.
Insect-based pet food is being pushed as a solution. But insects are not plants. Evidence is growing that they are sentient, capable of experiencing pain and suffering. Even if you don’t care about that, their environmental benefits are questionable — and the industry isn’t exactly thriving. One of the biggest insect protein companies has already gone bust. If sustainability and ethics are the goals, insects aren't the answer.
While Big Pet clings to its slaughterhouse supply chain, disruptors like Omni are rewriting the rules — and succeeding.
After appearing on Dragons’ Den, Omni saw a 130% sales surge and gained 20,000 new customers. Over 80% of them are now on subscriptions. That’s not a fad — it’s a shift. Their food is tailored for allergy-prone dogs, and comes with complementary vet support. The results speak for themselves: fewer symptoms, fewer meds, healthier animals.
People say they love animals — so why are they paying for others to be killed?
Feeding your companion animal a corpse doesn’t make sense in a world where complete, palatable, and health-supporting alternatives exist. It doesn’t make sense environmentally. It doesn’t make sense ethically. And it doesn’t make sense if you care about your animal’s wellbeing — or anyone else’s.
The real waste isn’t byproducts. The real waste is that we keep pretending it’s okay to love one animal while slicing up another for dinner. If you wouldn’t eat a pig, why feed one to your dog?
If you’re ready to stop funding slaughter, here’s how:
Choose a nutritionally complete vegan brand (like Omni, v-dog, Benevo, or Yarrah) formulated with veterinary input.
Transition gradually to avoid digestive upset — mixing increasing amounts of the new food with the old over 7–10 days.
Check in with your vet if your animal has health concerns — and switch from the ones who confuse ingredients with nutrients.
Feeding someone doesn’t require killing someone else. Not anymore. And if we really meant it when we said we love animals — we’d prove it with every purchase.