Pop star Katy Perry announced to her 109 million followers that she’s ready to go vegan along with celebrity dog Nugget, sparking debate about vegan pets.

Katy Perry has announced she is planning to go vegan this year along with her dog Nugget, who has been slowly changing her diet with her.

Announcing her intentions in a tweet, she said: “I’m about 95{85424e366b324f7465dc80d56c21055464082cc00b76c51558805a981c8fcd63} ready to be 100{85424e366b324f7465dc80d56c21055464082cc00b76c51558805a981c8fcd63} VEGAN… My dog Nugget has been joining me on this journey for the past 4 monthz. Pray for us ok,” she added.

Divided opinion

Perry’s comments have since sparked a huge debate on the micro-blogging platform. Many have panned the 36-year-old for forcing the diet on her pet saying it’s animal cruelty to not feed a dog, meat.

One tweet read: “Dogs can’t go vegan they’re carnivore.”

“Katy I love you but forcing your dog to be vegan is abuse I don’t care what anyone says,” another commented.

A third wrote: “If you talk to any vet, they will recommend feeding your dog meat and veggies.

“They get vital nutrients from meat. Don’t force a diet on your dog just because it’s your diet.”

‘Longest living dogs are all vegan’

However, others argued that dogs can thrive on a meat-free diet.

One wrote: “With minimal effort (one google search) I found that vegan dogs live longer and have fewer health problems. Obviously, this is if you feed them a proper plant-based diet.”

Another tweet read: “This isn’t true. Dogs can be super healthy on plant-based diets, there’s tons of research on this. Consult that instead of spreading your unfounded opinion.”

A third commented: “The longest living dogs are also all vegan. Nugget will be much, much healthier this way so good on you Katy.”

‘Do it under supervision’

While opinions on whether dogs can be fed a vegan diet remain divided, Daniella Dos Santos, the president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) told the BBC:

“In the UK, under the Animal Welfare Act, the owner has the obligation to feed the animal an appropriate diet.

“If your personal belief system means you don’t want to eat any animal protein, that’s fine, but that diet is not designed to meet the welfare standards of your pet.”

She added: “It is theoretically possible to feed a dog a vegetarian diet, but it’s much easier to get it wrong than to get it right.

“You would have to do it under the supervision of a veterinary-trained nutritionist.”

‘Wonderful news’

On the other hand, vegan charity PETA welcomed the news and replied to the tweet stating: “Wonderful news! We’re SO happy for you – and for Nugget, too. You’ll both love how it feels eating clean and helping animals.”

According to the charity, dogs can be plant-based with ‘the right planning and care’, although ‘it’s important to ensure that their nutritional requirements are met’. “Dogs require two amino acids, L-carnitine and taurine, which are usually added to vegan dog foods or can be added as supplements,” the charity explained in an earlier statement.

“Many vegan…dogs enjoy excellent health. One remarkable example is that of Bramble, a 27-year-old border collie whose vegan diet of rice, lentils, and organic vegetables earned her consideration by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest living dog in 2002.”

Original source: https://www.totallyveganbuzz.com