British Veterinary Association launches new policy position on diet choices for cats and dogs

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is calling on the profession to support pet owners in choosing a healthy, sustainable diet for their cats and dogs.

New BVA Voice of the Veterinary Profession research reveals that many pet owners are opting for non-traditional diets for their cats and dogs, with 94% of companion animal vets reporting they have clients who feed a raw diet, 42% reporting clients who feed meat-free diets and 29% reporting they have clients who feed insect-protein in place of meat. However, the new data also revealed that many clients are not routinely discussing dietary choices with their vet, as six in 10 vets were unsure just how many of the cats and dogs they see are fed meat-free diets.

In a new policy position, developed by a panel of experts, BVA urged vets to have conversations with all cat and dog owners about what diet they have chosen and record nutritional histories and any resulting issues on their practice systems.

“We know that owners of cats and dogs are increasingly drawn to pet diets that reflect their own personal values and lifestyle choices, and this is leading to a surge in alternative approaches to pet food," said BVA President Anna Judson. "We support owners making informed choices about what to feed their pets, but they must be aware that these choices play a pivotal role in the health of the animal and can also have a wider impact on human health and environmental sustainability.

“One of the key issues in these conversations is the lack of long-term, evidence-based research. If vet teams are to maintain our position as the ‘trusted voice’ in these conversations, it’s vital that we ask the right questions and also record as much data as possible so that we can understand the long-term impact of some of these newer diets.”

The policy position, launched last week, does not attempt to determine the ‘best’ diet for individual pets but rather focuses on supporting pet owners to ensure they are meeting their pets’ nutritional needs as well as meeting their own lifestyle choices.

As well as urging the profession to improve record keeping and reporting, the BVA policy position recommends changes to veterinary education to include a new emphasis on the importance of nutrition in day one competencies for vets and nurses, and improved awareness of the need for supportive conversations with animal owners.

To support the profession in these conversations BVA intends to create a new public facing resource and to lobby for better labelling of pet food and better labelling and traceability of the animal by products that represent one of the major sources of protein in many cat and dog foods.

“The issues around pet food are complex and with so much information available to pet owners from breeders, friends, online forums and other sources, we want to support all members of the vet team to feel fully confident in guiding their clients through dietary decisions," Judson added. "We hope that these recommendations and our upcoming resources will improve the information available to both clients and vets, supporting owners to make healthy, informed choices for their pets.”